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Thanksgiving Week: Open Daily Except Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving Week: Open Daily Except Thanksgiving Day

Be a Sailor for a Day!

A New Experience Aboard Battleship IOWA

Step aboard Battleship IOWA, become a sailor for a day, and discover the people, skills, and purpose behind life at sea.

Plan Your Visit
Support the Mission

Open Thurs-Mon

10am-5pm

Last entry 4pm

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Allow 2 to 3 Hours

Location

LA Waterfront

Parking

Next Door

Highly Rated

Google 4.8/5

A Los Angeles Museum with a Mission

Battleship IOWA, the historic USS Iowa (BB-61), now welcoming visitors on the Los Angeles Waterfront in San Pedro, is more than a historic ship and more than a museum. Operated by Pacific Battleship Center, an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit, IOWA is not operated or maintained by the Navy. Her preservation, programs and daily operations depend primarily on visitors, members, event guests and donors.

Through Battleship IOWA, home of the National Museum of the Surface Navy, and initiatives including Maritime Pathways, LA Fleet Week and the Freedom of the Seas campus, we change lives by connecting people with history, service, maritime careers and one another.

Since 2012, more than three million people have visited, and our work has generated over $130 million in local economic impact. Every visit, event, membership, and donation helps preserve IOWA and move this mission forward.

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A group of people in blue shirts holds a large check on a ship deck, with a battleship and festive decorations in the background.

Support Our Mission

Help preserve Battleship IOWA, honor those who served, and inspire future generations. Your generosity keeps this national treasure alive and our mission moving forward.

Make a Difference
A tour guide explains machinery to two visitors inside an industrial room with metal pipes, valves, and control panels. The visitors listen attentively, fully immersed in this unique engineering tour experience.

Visit Battleship IOWA

Step aboard a legendary battleship and experience life as a U.S. Navy sailor. Explore seven decks of history, immersive exhibits, and unforgettable adventures.

Plan Your Visit
A round table with a white tablecloth, book, candle, and flower centerpiece stands in the foreground at a formal event for private events or groups, with many attendees seated and watching under a large tent.

Host a Group or Event

From group tours and field trips to corporate events and private celebrations, bring people together for a memorable experience aboard Battleship IOWA.

Groups & Events
A performer in a black shirt uses marionette puppets on a stage for a seated audience of children in costumes under a large tent at the Battleship USS Iowa.

Explore Our Impact

Discover how we connect history, education, veterans, and workforce development to create meaningful opportunities and strengthen our communities.

Make a Difference
A group of people, some in yellow safety vests, sit and stand under a large tent, gathered around tables with checkered tablecloths, appearing to listen to a speaker.

Get Involved

Join a community of volunteers, partners, and supporters who bring our mission to life. Share your talents, build connections, and help shape IOWA's future.

Join Our Crew

Your Journey from Visitor to Sailor

You don't just tour the ship; you join the crew.

A boy wearing a baseball cap looks through large ship binoculars at the Battleship USS Iowa while holding a guide that shows a Life of a Sailor poster featuring a dog in a sailor hat.

01 ā€” Receive Your Assignment

Every sailor has a story. Receive your orders and discover the sailor whose footsteps you'll follow.

A person in a brown hoodie and a baseball cap holds a white and purple life ring on the deck of the Battleship USS Iowa.

02 ā€” Learn the Skills

Discover the language, traditions, and responsibilities of Navy life as you explore the ship and collect sailor skills.

A sailor in uniform smiles on a ship deck while a small dog, perhaps eager for the next clue in Vickyā€™s Scavenger Hunt, stands with its front paws on a railing, looking outward.

03 ā€” Discover Your Sailor

Reveal your sailor's identity and uncover the experiences, choices, and moments that shaped their life.

A tour guide at the museum explains gauges and controls to a group of people inside a submarine or ship, surrounded by pipes, dials, and instruments for an unforgettable experience.

04 ā€” Chart Your Course

Discover the many roles aboard a Navy ship and explore where your interests and abilities might take you.

Plan Your Visit

UPCOMING EVENTS

Connect with Our Community

UPDATES

Why Kids Board Free at Battleship IOWA

Learn More

Battleship IOWA Receives $500,000 Timken Foundation Gift to Launch Engineering Career Track

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Port of Los Angeles Invests $4 million in Battleship IOWA Freedom of the Seas Park and Pavilion

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Kamin Samuel, PhD to Receive National Museum of the Surface Navyā€™s 2026 VADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. Leadership Award

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FIFA World Cup Games on Battleship IOWA

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Battleship IOWA Named IAAPA Member for 2026

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Battleship IOWA STEM Adventure Summer Camp Scholarship Application/Waitlist 2026

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Pacific Battleship Center & America250 Announce Partnership to Celebrate America’s 250th Anniversary in Los Angeles

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Pacific Battleship Center Announces New Board Leadership, Honors Retiring Chairman

Learn More

Presidents Day Special

Learn More
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AFFILIATES

Changing lives by helping people explore, connect, and chart their path.

Marathon logo featuring a bold red letter M above the blue word MARATHON, all within a blue-bordered hexagonal shape on a white background, symbolizing Marathon Petroleumā€™s legacy in oil refining.
DAR logo with a blue star and red stripes, symbolizing the spirit of the American Revolution, followed by the text DAR and Daughters of the American Revolution below.
The UPS logo features the lowercase letters ups in bold yellow on a black shield with a gold outline.
APM Terminals logo with three diagonal orange lines above the text APM TERMINALS. Below, in orange, are the words Lifting Global Trade. The background is light gray, reflecting the companyā€™s commitment to excellence in port operations and container terminal management.
Logo for The Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation, featuring the word NORRIS in large gold letters, with ā€œNorris Foundationā€ and other text in black above and below it, all set against a white background.
The image shows the word TIMKEN in bold, orange capital letters centered on a plain, light gray background.
Northrop Grumman logo in bold blue text with a right-angle line extending from the top right corner of the N in NORTHROP to the right of the word GRUMMAN on a light background, representing the innovative spirit of this leading aerospace and defense contractor.
A dark shield-shaped logo features The Fusenot Foundation in ornate gold text above a gold decorative fleur-de-lis design, representing the elegance and distinction associated with the Fusenot Foundation.
The Greg Bishop Estate logo features elegant blue serif text on a crisp white background, perfectly reflecting the refined identity of Greg Bishop Estate.
A blue shield with Surface Navy Association text, featuring a ship, anchor, and crossed swords in the center, proudly represents the Navy Associationā€™s commitment to excellence at sea.
LA logo with a green wave through the A above the text THE PORT OF LOS ANGELES on a light background, representing the dynamic energy of the Port of Los Angeles.
Phillips 66 and 76 logos are side by side above the text Los Angeles Refinery on a white background.
Crail-Johnson Foundation logo with an orange hand overlapping a white hand, representing the charitable foundation, next to the foundation name written in grey and orange letters on a white background.
Wells Fargo logo with yellow text on a red background.
Logo featuring the text Johnny Carson Foundation displayed over horizontal stripes in shades of brown and black on a white background. The word CARSON for the Johnny Carson Foundation is bold and prominent in blue.
White text on a black background reads: Iowa Friends from the great State of Iowa. The words Iowa Friends are written in a large, script font.
Text logo featuring the words Argyros Family Foundation in blue, serif font on a plain white background, highlighting the Argyros Family Foundationā€™s name with classic elegance.
The image displays the words ā€œConfidence Foundationā€ in a refined blue serif font, elegantly centered on a plain white background, emphasizing the strength and clarity of the Confidence Foundation brand.
Collier Walsh Nakazawa logo featuring the initials CWN in white on a blue square, positioned next to the full firm name, Collier Walsh Nakazawa, in black text on a white background.
Pepsi logo with a red, white, and blue circle above the word pepsi in lowercase white letters on a blue background.
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PROGRAM SPONSORS

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Smiling man and child stand on a ship deck near large equipment. Text reads Kids Board Free Launching Labor Day Weekend. Promo details mention free admission for children with a paid adult.

Limited time only!

Kids Board Free

In the all-new Life of a Sailor experience, kids become sailor recruits, building their skills, following the story of a famous sailor, and joining Vicky the Dog on a scavenger hunt through Battleship IOWA.

Kids board free with a paid adult.

Learn About the Experience