Great Ships Showcase
Experience the FleetEvery sailor remembers their ship
The Great Ships experience celebrates the U.S. Navy ships and sailors that helped shape our nation and protect the freedom of the seas. From historic naval vessels and famous battleships to aircraft carriers, destroyers, cruisers, and modern warships, these ships carried generations of Americans into service. They were homes, workplaces, and communities where careers began and friendships were made.
A first of its kind, Great Ships features a 68-foot high-definition LED wall showcasing more than 300 ships through immersive digital storytelling and dynamic content. Visitors can explore the vessels, missions, and sailor stories that define the history of the U.S. Surface Navy. It creates a powerful connection between past, present, and future generations.
Great Ships is located aboard Battleship IOWA in Los Angeles is presented by the Edward & Marie Matthews Foundation with support from Daughters of the American Revolution and people throughout the Nation.
What You'll Experience
- 300+ Navy ships.
- Ships brought to life by a massive LED display.
- Stories of sailors and shipmates.
- Interactive and ever-changing content.
- Included with admission.
Plan Your Visit
Location
Aft 3rd deck
Date Opened
May 31, 2026
Open
Thurs.-Mon.
Included with all admissions.
Sponsor a Great Ship
Great Ships was a vision that was driven by sailors and families that were passionate about memorializing there ships in the new museum experience. You too can support your favorite Great Ship by nominating or donating below.
Featured Ships: Icons of Naval History
Legendary ships played pivotal roles in naval warfare, innovation, and history protrude from the wall with dynamic content.
Choose the ship below you want to support!
| USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) | USS Monitor (1862)
|
Identifier Ships: Vessels That Shaped the Fleet
Ships representing key advancements and milestones in naval history highlighted with name and class of ship.
Choose the ship below you want to support!
| USS Iowa (BB-4)USS Iowa (BB-61) | USS Cumberland (1842)USS Demologus aka Fulton (1814)USS Hornet (1805)USS Erie (1813) | USS Olympia (C-6)
USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG-58) USS Samuel L Gravely (DDG-107) |
Fleet Ships: The Backbone of the U.S. Navy
Ships showcasing the vast strength, reach, and capability of the Navy’s fleet searchable by kiosk.
Choose the class or ship you want to nominate or sponsor.
Age of Sail
Sloop of War (10)
Frigate (4)
Modern
Aggressive (MSO-427) Class (5)
Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), Flt I & II Class (5)
- USS Benfold (DDG-65)
- USS Carney (DDG-64)
- USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109)
- USS Gonzalez (DDG-66)
- USS Laboon (DDG-58)
- USS Milius (DDG-69)
- USS Higgins (DDG-76)
- USS Howard (DDG-83)
- USS Ross (DDG-71)
- USS The Sullivans (DDG-68)
Bear (WMEC-901), Famous-class (3)
Modern Cont'd
Charles F Adams (DDG-2)/ Mitscher (DDG-35) Class (4)
- USS Ingersoll (DD-652)
- USS Mullany (DD-528)
- USS Taylor (DD-468)
- USS The Sullivans (DD-537)
- USS Uhlman (DD-687)
Gearing (DD-710)/ Sumner (DD-692) Class (7)
- USS Brinkley Bass (DD-887)
- USS Compton (DD-705)
- USS Lowry (DD-770)
- USS McCaffery (DD-860)
- USS Meredith (DD-890)
- USS Floyd B. Parks (DD-884)
- USS Newman K Perry (DD-883)
- USS Rich (DD-820)
- USS Rupertus (DD-851)
- USS Vogelgesang(DD-862)
- USS Wiltsie (DD-716)
Haskell / SS United Victory (APA117) Class (5)
TICKETS
Experience the Life of a Sailor.
Life of a Sailor
Our general admission experience shows how sailors live, work, and serve.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Included with Admission
Life of a Sailor
Our general admission experience shows how sailors live, work, and serve.
Great Ships
Explore the ships of America’s Surface Navy.
Ship Cutaway
See inside a Navy ship from bow to stern.
Vicky’s Scavenger Hunt
Find Vicky throughout your shipboard adventure.
Living Blueprint
Immerse yourself in a blueprint of a Navy ship.
Stewards of the Sea
Explore how the Navy protects the seas.
What’s My Rate?
Find the Navy career that fits you.
Every Sailor has a Story
Meet the people who serve.
HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter
Korean War-Era HUP-2 Retriever Helicopter.
Sticks Art Gallery
Discover IOWA’s story through art.
Gunnery Incidents
A dive into Navy gunnery incidents over the years.
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.