A Field Trip at Sea

It was a cloudy September morning at Frazier Mountain High School, and 23 students were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the bus that would shuttle them to San Pedro, Los Angeles. They were on their way to tour the world’s best and last available battleship, the U.S.S. Iowa, which is filled with the undying history of World War II and those who served upon it.

It was 9:45 when the bus pulled into the parking lot, seeming tiny compared to the looming American Navy vessel. To shed some perspective, the USS Iowa towers at about 175 ft. tall, taller than the statue of liberty by at least 25 ft. On board the massive battleship the awed students were greeted by kind veteran tour guides and watched a short video on the history of the boat. The U.S.S. Iowa was commissioned in February of 1943, lead ship of 3 other battleships of her class. Their purpose was to protect and assist ships at sea, but the U.S.S. Iowa became the only one of the Iowa class battleships to fight in the Pacific Theater during World War II. With this in mind, one could really feel small against the power and importance this vessel once possessed. The battleship is loaded with weaponry that could fire shots up to about 20 miles away for anti-ship or other bombardment purposes. It would only make sense that the U.S.S. Iowa participated in every conflict during World War II. The U.S.S. Iowa was even entrusted with transporting President Franklin Roosevelt and the entire administration of the United States government to attend a meeting of vital importance with world powers at the Tehran Conference. (Fun Fact: The battleship’s original nickname was “The Big Stick” which refers to Theodore Roosevelt advice’s “Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far”).

The tour went throughout the many levels of the ship, students ducking through short doorways and squeezing through narrow hallways. They were given an opportunity to view the living quarters of the Navy sailors and think about how they endured long voyages. The students even saw the space President Roosevelt himself occupied, complete with a bathtub built just for him.

The tour took about an hour and a half to complete. The visitors from the cold and windswept Frazier Mountain High School left the muggy boat hungry and sweaty. Unfortunately, the kitchens meant to serve 2,500 sailors at one time only contained plastic food, while vending machines were overpriced and provided no water. Despite this, the experience was very worthwhile. Venturing through the last standing battleship was like a time portal to World War II and how it was fought on the oceanfront. The U.S.S. Iowa (which is the only battleship available to the public) is dedicated to “Celebrating the American Spirit.” The once mighty and revered battleship may never sail the ocean again, but through reminiscing in the accomplishments and sacrifices of those who served aboard her decades ago, the spirit of the U.S.S. Iowa will always live on.

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