June 9: 2012 – 2025

Thirteen years ago today, against impossible odds, Battleship IOWA came alongside the pier at which she currently resides and prepared to open as a museum.

Vice President & Chief Engineer Mike Getscher was struck this week by how quickly time has passed, and he felt inspired to share his experience aboard the ship as she paraded up LA main channel to her new home.

Time passes quickly for us. And as we head into the summer of 2025, I am beginning to reflect on what will be 14 years of my direct involvement aboard IOWA.

I first stepped aboard on August 19 th of 2011, an anniversary which is now a little over 2 months away. But there is another milestone, somewhat earlier, which is coming up even faster.

On June 9th, 2012, IOWA was tied up with much fanfare here at Berth 87. We arrived in Los Angeles on Saturday, June 2nd after spending four days anchored offshore for the cleaning of our hull.

Our first location inside the harbor was Berth 50, literally where the recently visiting USS Levin was moored during Fleet Week. I remember being somewhat stunned at the time that the police had the entire southern end of the port in a lockdown condition which exceeded the current Fleet Week level of security. Anticipation of our arrival was very high, and fears of being overwhelmed by unauthorized visitors ruled the day.

I recall meeting then Lieutenant Ken Hawke of the Port PD on the dock where he handed me a challenge coin, the first in a long series of welcome moments that occurred that week.

I still have that coin.

The week following our arrival was a blur of activity, most of it lost to memory. We were already exhausted from our nearly nine-month journey of resurrecting the ship in Richmond, but there was little rest and far too much to do to sit back and enjoy the success that our efforts represented.

Our move to Berth 87 was scheduled for the coming week, and we simply had to get ready. Little known by most, the ship was still considered to be under the jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard as a vessel under tow.

At the time, the Coast Guard required us have a Vessel Security Plan (VSP) in place while tied up, and furthermore, we had to prepare for the estimated 1,000 guests who were clamoring to “ride” the ship from Berth 50 to our final home.

I was busy writing an “Excursion Plan,” submitting for the excursion permit, modifying the VSP, purchasing and loading 1,000 life jackets, creating drawings for safety zones throughout the ship, organizing safety and rescue responses, and creating simple training and briefing documents for the crew to follow while onboard.

That was just for me, while Jonathan Williams and others were working equally as hard organizing the buses, guests list etc. It was an incredibly busy time.

I cannot address the boarding of the guests that day other than to say it was a crazy and difficult time. Our team was overwhelmed most of the day. Tensions were high, and relationships were tested beyond breaking.

We had people stacked on both rails, many decks, and had little in the way of services we could provide. No running water, porta-potties for all of us, and a somewhat limited supply of bottled water. This was supposed to be the proverbial 3-hour cruise.

My post that day was on the 011, standing with my new friend Ken Hawke from the Port PD, the Port Pilot John Dwyer, and the Crowley tugboat representative Andrew Gauthier. Joining us on the 011 were various dignitaries including then-Councilwoman Janice Hahn, Mayor Villaraigosa, and Congressman Rohrabacher among others.

I recall enjoying part of the experience while coming up the channel, surrounded by hundreds of boats and well wishers along the dock. But I also remember the stress of the day, and the constant pressures of two radios in my ears, input from the port police, and the general challenges of navigating the issues that cropped up along the way.

As we approached the dock, we simply could not hear each other over the din of the band which was playing ashore. We were forced to ask them to stop playing just as we approached, thus allowing the port pilot and the attending tugboat captains to hear each other communicate their respective commands and responses.

Tying up that day was a huge challenge. We had extra hands from Crowley Maritime ready to work the lines, but the port pilot had trouble “balancing” the ship against the center fender because our battleship is shaped like an hourglass, not like a slab-sided cruise ship which would normally be here. Tempers flared, people were hot and tired, and water was in short supply.

We had a 1MC microphone on the 011, the one in fact that President Reagan had used in 1986, and under direction from Jonathan, I used the microphone to make numerous ship-wide calls to our guests informing them of progress.

After several hours of hard work, endless fidgeting of the location and a daring leap ashore by Dan Pawloski, we were finally tied up and our guests were able to step off.

Later that evening, Andrew, Dan and I gathered on the dock near the stern and shared two beers between us. And during that beer, the Watch Commander of the Coast Guard base called and informed me that “they were done with us.”

We were on our own, no longer under their jurisdiction.

As always, I’m grateful to be here…but let’s take a moment to enjoy what we’ve done.

– Mike Getscher
Vice President | Chief Engineer

Fun Fact: Did you know… on average every one of our plank owners has contributed $150 to the National Museum of the Surface Navy?