Welcome to the “new and improved”, “whenever I get around to it” CFO Report.  Let’s see, where was I . . . ?

On June 18th the IOWA had a table at the Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Business Award and Board Installation.  Many thanks to Cesar Olvera, David Canfield, Glenys Rich, Kyle Aube, Marann Fengler, Mike Nguyen, Nui Valletta, and Sue Schmidt who were in attendance as Jonathan and I were sworn in (or at?) as Board members for another year.  The IOWA and the Chamber work together in several ways, including LA Fleet Week and this past Friday evening’s Cars and Stripes event.  (With any luck, the temporary change in venue for Cars and Stripes will become permanent.)

Nui and I continue to work on the annual audit and tax returns, insurance renewals, banking and finance, and any number of “under the radar” matters.  We continue to look for volunteers to assist us.  No, you don’t need to be an accountant (what Nui calls “squareheads”) to be a volunteer.  You do need to be analytic, organized, and reliable.  That’s not too much ask, is it?  We could really use your help.

Please have a safe, long, 4th of July weekend.  Happy 250th birthday, America.

Thanks,
Ross

From the desk of the Chief Engineer

Another riveting note from the world of engineering and capital projects.

Keeping this one short this week…

In the normal fare category, Engineering is preparing to weld up some hull plating on the port side in the coming week, while also focusing on Barge #2 repairs. Known as a rust bucket, the latter vessel needs to go for a swim in about a month and we would hope to keep it above water rather than below. The team have also been working on life raft racks, and scaffolding on the 05. Thanks to John Goodson who brought some new (to us) scaffolding down from the bay area last week.

In Pavilion news, we are very much narrowing down on an actual building permit. Multiple “clearances” have been addressed in the last week, and significant progress has been made on the associated Harbor Engineering Permit. No promises are being made, but we’re hoping to have a permit in hand within the month.

Once the permit is in hand, we will schedule final grading (if needed) and begin the process of moving drilling and pile driving equipment into the site. We will need to drive three “test” piles to gauge the required length of the final “production” piles, which then need to be ordered. And with more than 50 piles designed into the foundation, it will take some weeks before those begin to arrive and pile driving begins in earnest. In more current news, it is possible that remaining demolition work will be done this week, specifically the removal of portions of the fire lane as previously mentioned.

A Safety Reminder: unauthorized operation of machinery, electrical equipment fans and air conditioning system is not allowed. We’ve had some relatively minor violations of this recently, fortunately without serious consequences. Only managers can authorize the operation of such equipment.

And now for Los Angeles…

Yes, we’ve moved past our Suisun Bay, Richmond, and offshore anchoring experiences and entered our new home, San Pedro. We are now moving forward.

Beginning on September 6th, 2011, when the Navy officially donated the battleship to PBC, our lives had been dominated by one goal: getting the ship to Los Angeles in time for the summer season of 2012 and opening her to the public. This goal was daunting, seemingly impossible at times, and in retrospect, we probably should have failed. We fought through any number of challenges during those nine months of effort, formed an incredible team, and finally succeeded. But as I’ve relayed to my friends ever since, once we arrived in LA, things really got hard.

Arriving on Saturday June 3rd, we moored to Berth 50 in the outer harbor, very close to where the Navy ships currently tie up during Fleet Week. Scheduled to be there less than a week before moving to our final location at Berth 87, we had much to do, little time in which to do it. And adding to the challenge, we had left a majority of our volunteer crew up north. We had another steep climb.

Still under the jurisdiction of the Coast Guard, we were compelled to create a Vessel Security Plan or VSP - a legally required document detailing security measures which are in place to protect the vessel, its cargo, and passengers from security incidents. This is governed by the Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) and 33 CFR Part 104. Once submitted they must be approved by the USCG Marine Safety Center. We had never created one before, but then again, we had never towed a battleship either. We had to figure one out.

Adding to that was our plan to carry some 1,000 guests on our final ship movement to Berth 87, now scheduled for June 9 th . This effort required another document, the Excursion Permit, also handled by the USCG. We needed 1,000 life preservers to be purchased and loaded, a Station Bill for crew, safety diagrams and protocols, a communication plan, plan of the day, and had to put in a request and participate in an official USCG inspection. Another one to figure out.

Berth 50 sucks and every professional mariner in LA knows it. Subject to surge conditions from Angels Gate and coupled with the wind from nearby Hurricane Gulch, our 46,000-ton girl bounced around constantly, adding significantly to our stress as we stared at our old mooring lines straining under the load. We had just received four new lines, but the remainder were either “vintage” Navy lines which had been stashed in the sail locker, or hand-me-downs from our friends at Crowley. Finally, the day came when two of our lines popped in rather dramatic fashion. Now she was too loose, and we had to act fast.

Someone called Crowley right away, but their closest tugboats were in Long Beach, and they couldn’t arrive for at least 40 or more minutes. I happened to be off ship at the time and came rushing back in my old Ford pickup truck, exceeding speed limits and careening around the big loop near Berth 46.

Some observers say the old Ford was up on two wheels that day, but I think they’re exaggerating.

As always, I am grateful to be here,
Mike

EDITOR'S NOTE: Mike really appreciates feedback on these posts. If you have any questions for him or you'd like to share anything with him, please drop him an email.

Engineering from Chief Moser
- We are wrapping up our second section of the port side hull preservation. We will move the cofferdam aft and continue our preservation journey along the port side.
- All hull work on the barge needs to be completed by the end of July. We will have a crane available to relocate the barge from the pier to the water for pavilion construction. Prior to launch, there will be a brief prayer service to ask Neptunus Rex to spare this vessel and allow her to remain on the surface.
- We will install the last of the life raft racks on the port side about frame 136. This has taken a while due to other priorities and it being on the tour path.

Development from Kyle Aube
- Continued refinement of our organization and capital campaign story, conveying the broader impact of Pacific Battleship Center and our programs, and how the Battleship IOWA serves as a platform for igniting curiosity, exploring opportunities, and getting connected to maritime pathways.

Programs with Mike Nguyen and Anna Borough
- Family Overnights in August and STEM Adventure Day Camp. Not too late to sign up kids!

Tours with VJ Alcomindras
- Additional new signage is in the works and will hopefully be up soon!

IT with Troy Vail
- Continued upgrades to the modern phone and camera systems should be completed next month.

IE&T with Gary Lopes
- Completion of plexiglass guest barrier installations.
- Finalize "Communications Tour" and launch test runs.

Sales with Catherine Moreno
- Family Overnight! Taking place August 1, 2026

Communications with Marann Fengler
- Podcast dropping tomorrow is cool: MH-60S pilot (and IOWA Corporate Relations Coordinator) Kevin Borough and aviation rescue swimmer Brian Dickinson give us an insider's view of the US Navy's search and rescue program
- Getting organized and strategizing around comms for the remainder of the year

Have fun stuff you'd like to share in this newsletter or on socials? Drop us a line! marketing@labattlehip.com

Volunteering with Sue Schmidt
- While July is in the heart of our busy season for visitation, it's also a time when a lot of folks take vacation. Please consider coming in if you are available. Our volunteers are the life-blood that keeps us going.