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One of the Most Unique Things to Do in Los Angeles

Discover LA's hidden gem and become a sailor for a day.

Los Angeles is filled with famous attractions, but some of its most memorable experiences are found beyond the usual itinerary.

On the LA Waterfront in San Pedro, visitors can climb aboard one of the most powerful battleships ever built and become a sailor for a day.

Battleship IOWA is more than a historic ship. It is the home of the National Museum of the Surface Navy and Life of a Sailor. This immersive experience introduces visitors to the people, skills, relationships, and sense of purpose behind America's Surface Navy.

You Don't Just Tour the Ship. You Join the Crew.

Aboard Battleship IOWA, history is not separated from visitors by a display case.

Guests explore seven decks of the authentic ship, walk through passageways used by thousands of sailors, enter crew and command spaces, and stand beneath the enormous guns that made the Iowa class famous.

Life of a Sailor gives that exploration a purpose.

Each guest receives a sailor card containing orders to complete during the experience. Visitors hone sailor skills, explore Navy jobs and ships, and follow in the footsteps of a real sailor.

Instead of simply learning what the ship did, visitors discover how a crew made it possible.

Experience a Floating City

When fully crewed, USS Iowa carried more than 2,700 sailors.

The ship had to generate power, make fresh water, prepare thousands of meals, provide medical care, maintain communications, navigate the oceans, and keep enormously complex machinery operating under demanding conditions.

Life aboard was not defined only by major battles. Work, training, meals, friendships, routines, humor, exhaustion, responsibility, and trust also defined it.

Battleship IOWA allows visitors to enter that world and see how individuals became shipmates.

Meet the Battleship of Presidents

USS Iowa is known as the Battleship of Presidents.

In 1943, the ship transported President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic as part of his journey to meet with Allied leaders during World War II. The ship was modified to accommodate the president, including the installation of a bathtub that remains one of IOWA's best-known features.

The battleship later served during the Korean War and the Cold War, becoming a powerful symbol of American naval strength across several generations.

A Los Angeles Experience for Every Generation

Battleship IOWA appeals to far more than military-history enthusiasts.

Families share an adventure aboard a real ship. Children receive a mission and can follow Vicky the Dog on a scavenger hunt. Students discover connections to science, technology, engineering, skilled trades, and maritime careers. Veterans find a place of recognition and belonging.

Parents and grandparents can introduce younger generations to history without asking them to sit through a traditional lesson. The ship itself makes learning active.

Explore the LA Waterfront

Battleship IOWA is located in San Pedro at the Port of Los Angeles, near the Los Angeles World Cruise Center and a short drive from Long Beach.

From the ship's decks, visitors can see the activity of a working international harbor: container ships, cruise ships, tugboats, bridges, cranes, and waterfront industries connecting Los Angeles with the world.

A visit can be combined with San Pedro dining, harbor views, public art, parks, and other maritime attractions.

More Than a Museum

Battleship IOWA is operated by Pacific Battleship Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Beyond preserving the ship, the organization provides education, veterans, workforce development, community, and emergency response programs. It is also home to the National Museum of the Surface Navy and a founding producer of LA Fleet Week.

A ticket does more than provide admission. It helps preserve the ship and supports its continued service to the community.

Discover LA's Hidden Gem

There are many places in Los Angeles where visitors can watch a story unfold. Battleship IOWA allows them to step inside one.

Explore a national landmark. Receive your orders. Hone your skills. Follow the journey of a sailor. Discover what it takes to become part of a crew.

Plan your visit to Battleship IOWA and experience Life of a Sailor.

TICKETS

Experience the Life of a Sailor.

A smiling family of four poses on a battleship deck, capturing the spirit of sailor life. Three give a thumbs-up. An emblem at the bottom left says Self-Guided with map and play icons. The battleship and a partly cloudy sky are in the background.

Life of a Sailor

Our general admission experience shows how sailors live, work, and serve.

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A white bathtub with bubbles holds a toy ship, rubber duck, and a book. Towels hang on metal bars by the tub. Blue tile is visible on the floor. An illustrated Guided badge appears in the lower left corner, hinting at an imaginative President’s Tour through bathtime adventures.

President’s Tour

It’s November 1943, and Battleship IOWA is on a covert mission. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and his entire staff are aboard, headed for top-secret meetings with Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin.

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A museum guide offers an engaging overview to visitors near a large shell and diagrams on a wall, enhancing their experience. The blue guided tour icon is visible in the foreground.

Overview Experience

The overview experience is a 90-minute crew-led tour that brings the ship’s legacy to life through the stories of those who served, and those who preserve her today.

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A tour guide in a blue cap speaks to visitors, holding a clear folder with papers. A wall with diagrams and text is behind him. A Guided tour icon appears in the foreground.

Gun Tour Experience

This exclusive, behind-the-scenes journey puts you inside the systems that made Battleship IOWA one of the most powerful warships ever built.

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A tour guide points to a map on a wall while three visitors listen inside an industrial-looking room with exposed pipes, capturing the essence of an immersive Engineering Tour Experience. A blue Guided tour icon appears in the foreground.

Engineering Tour Experience

The Engineering Tour takes you below into the hidden heart of Battleship IOWA, where eight boilers and four steam turbines once generated 212,000 shaft horsepower, enough to power 650 Ford F-150 trucks, and drove IOWA to a blistering 35 knots, the fastest of any battleship ever built.

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A battleship deck painted with a large American flag and cannons aimed forward under a cloudy sky, setting the stage for a thrilling Fleet Adventure. An adventure game-inspired Guided tour icon appears in the lower left corner.

Escape the Fleet Adventure

In 2011, a small team raced against time to pull Battleship IOWA out of the Navy’s reserve “ghost fleet” — or watch her be scrapped forever. Now it’s your turn to live that mission.

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Included with Admission

A smiling family of four poses on a battleship deck, capturing the spirit of sailor life. Three give a thumbs-up. An emblem at the bottom left says Self-Guided with map and play icons. The battleship and a partly cloudy sky are in the background.

Life of a Sailor

Our general admission experience shows how sailors live, work, and serve.

A boy in glasses stands in front of an illuminated wall display of ships at a museum exhibit commemorating America 250. Signs, ropes, and informational posters are visible, with a woman in the background.

Great Ships

Explore the ships of America’s Surface Navy.

A man and woman observe a large, detailed cutaway model of an aircraft carrier—an impressive symbol of Surface Navy strength—displayed in a modern, spacious exhibit room with panoramic lighting and a blue sky background.

Ship Cutaway

See inside a Navy ship from bow to stern.

Three girls, including Vicky, look at a display on a ship wall featuring a photo of a dog in a vest labeled with a red number 1. One girl in front has a large red bow in her blonde hair.

Vicky’s Scavenger Hunt

Find Vicky throughout your shipboard adventure.

A futuristic, neon-lit room with blue and purple lights, metallic pipes, railings, and labeled panels, resembling a sci-fi spaceship interior aboard The Broadside. A workstation emits an orange glow in the background.

Living Blueprint

Immerse yourself in a blueprint of a Navy ship.

Immerse yourself in this interactive Navy museum exhibit featuring blue-lit displays, touch screens, and educational panels about ocean stewardship. The space offers industrial ceilings and a central digital kiosk labeled Navy Look for a truly engaging Experience.

Stewards of the Sea

Explore how the Navy protects the seas.

A room with navy-themed displays; a mannequin dressed as a sailor stands near large informational posters and a digital screen showing a sailors image. The lighting is dim with blue accents.

What’s My Rate?

Find the Navy career that fits you.

Exhibit with dim blue lighting, crates, rope barriers, life-size cutouts of people in uniforms, and a background resembling a ships interior and a library area.

Every Sailor has a Story

Meet the people who serve.

A large battleship with three massive gun turrets and a blue helicopter displayed on its deck at night, with visitors walking nearby and bright lights illuminating the scene.

HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter

Korean War-Era HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter.

Dimly lit museum exhibit with large panels displaying historic photos and illustrations of battleships, Navy personnel, and World War II scenes, surrounded by pipes and industrial decor.

Sticks Art Gallery

Discover IOWA’s story through art.

Exhibit Description: Museum exhibit featuring panels on the USS Mississippi, the first Iowa battleship, and naval history. A large artillery shell stands in the foreground, with photos, artifacts, and an American flag displayed throughout the exhibit.

Gunnery Incidents

A dive into Navy gunnery incidents over the years.

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M
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