Events

Host An Event Aboard Battleship IOWA

Battleship USS IOWA Museum is a waterfront event venue at the Port of Los Angeles (San Pedro – near Long Beach). We’re ready to host you and your guests for your special event, meeting, picnic, party, or outing. The ship boasts many unique and memorable settings: celebrate on her teak decks, in the quiet shade of her large-capacity fantail, or in more intimate locations, including our verandas and stately indoor officers’ spaces.

Special Events

Weddings & Receptions

Corporate Events & Meetings

Family & Class Reunions

Team & Leadership Building

Birthdays & Bar Mitzvahs

Private & Company Picnics

Festivals & Concerts

Battleship IOWA Welcomes You Aboard

In 2012, Battleship USS IOWA arrived at the Los Angeles Waterfront and became a vital touchstone of Los Angeles and Long Beach naval maritime history. Now, you can create your own memories aboard this proud and historic naval warship.
Battleship IOWA is a monument to American ingenuity and engineering innovation, and her crew welcomes you and your guests to celebrate upon her teak decks, whether in the quiet shade of her officers’ verandas, her stately officers’ spaces, or on the large-capacity covered fantail.
Groups of all sizes are easily accommodated onboard Battleship IOWA, and your guests will long savor the memories and experiences they create with you aboard the Battleship of Presidents.

Whatever the occasion, we have the perfect venue for your future events. Book your event now

Vision: The American Spirit

Battleship IOWA is operated by the Pacific Battleship Center, an organization whose vision is to “Celebrate the American Spirit by Connecting the Past with the Future.”

When you host an event on IOWA, you help realize this vision by bringing the iconic ship to life, as your guests are treated to a unique venue in the heart of the Los Angeles, CA Waterfront.

Proceeds earned from events held aboard IOWA are invested by the Pacific Battleship Center in the restoration and preservation of the ship’s proud heritage.

Continue the Legacy

Guests at your event will walk the same teak decks and interior passageways as did five U.S. Presidents, Fleet Admirals William “Bull” Halsey, Ernest J. King, and William D. Leahy, and Generals of the Army George C. Marshall and Harold “Hap” Arnold.

Your guests can arrange tours in conjunction with your special event. Along the tour route, they will be awed by IOWA’s 16″ main guns, visit the crew mess decks, and take bedside photos where FDR rested on the voyage to the historic Tehran Conference.

Your special event aboard IOWA will certainly create incredible, unforgettable memories for your guests!

The LA Waterfront
Global and Regional Crossroads

Standing guard along Berth 87, IOWA evokes the proud naval and maritime heritage of the historic Los Angeles Waterfront. From 1919 to 1940, the San Pedro breakwater was home port to the U.S. battleship fleet along with its dozens of cruisers, destroyers, and support craft.

Today, IOWA is moored in the heart of the nation’s busiest seaport. Pleasure boat marinas dot the waterfront; your guests will watch as sleek sailing craft and massive cargo carriers slip through the channel under the soaring towers of the Vincent J. Thomas Bridge.

Barely a mile from the southern terminus of the 110 Freeway, and just off the 710/405 interchange, Battleship IOWA is easily reached by freeway from the San Fernando Valley, West Los Angeles, South Bay, Downtown Los Angeles, or anywhere in Los Angeles county. It is also easily accessible from locations in Orange County. Neighboring convention centers and family attractions make IOWA convenient to any Southern California vacation destination or business gathering.

Special Locations For Your Special Event

INTIMATE • EVOCATIVE • MEMORABLE

Your guests will enjoy the gentle seaport climate of outdoor special event locations aboard Battleship IOWA. Concerts, weddings, prom night, military ceremonies, and corporate functions are seamlessly hosted at the ship.

From the fantail views of the LA Harbor Main Channel to the sweeping vistas of Palos Verdes and Long Beach from her upper deck verandas, IOWA’s special event venues are breathtaking.

Indoor settings evoke naval history and understated maritime grace: Officers’ Wardrooms, In-Port Captain’s Cabin, and other unique surroundings will leave your guests buzzing with excitement and wonder. Gatherings aboard Battleship IOWA feature a backdrop of quiet strength with a uniquely American accent: born of war, witness to war’s end, the ship is at once a monument to both the nation’s commitment to victory and its devotion to peace.

Click on any event space below to find out about its characteristics and amenities.

SPECIAL OPTIONS FOR YOUR SPECIAL EVENT

IN-HOUSE RENTALS AVAILABLE

  • 72″ round tables.
  • Cocktail tables.
  • Folding chairs.
  • Folding chair covers.
  • Expanded stage.
  • Expanded Audio / Visual including a TV wall.
  • Media multi-box.

CATERING

Our onboard Vicky’s Cafe provides catering options for small to mid level events including breakfast, lunch, reception, and dinner.  We also have our beer & wine license, allowing us to provide beverage service for your event.

Download the Vicky’s Cafe catering menu.

Want to bring on your own caterer?  That is also an option.  Reach out to our team to ask about the different options available.

Battleship IOWA is an exclusive Pepsi property for soft drinks.

 

VIP Tours

There are many areas of Battleship IOWA not yet open to public tours. Among these are engineering spaces, senior officer’s wardrooms, sick bay and the post office. Special VIP tours can be arranged for your special event guests. Please inform IOWA in advance if you desire a VIP tour.

Exclusive Tour Guides

Bring Battleship IOWA alive for your special event guest by reserving an Exclusive Tour Guide. Many of IOWA’s Tour Guides are US Navy veterans, and their personal insights will create a unique experience for your guests.

Ship’s Store

When Battleship IOWA was an active Navy vessel, this was the spot for sailors to buy official IOWA stationery for letters home, IOWA ball caps, and new dungarees. Today’s IOWA ship store is an exciting source for all things IOWA! You can arrange a gift package for your special guest from among the many affordable sourvenirs stocked in the ship’s store. With advance notice, IOWA will extend the store hours for your evening special event guests.

Make this year’s prom unforgettable

As a prom committee, you want to choose a theme and venue that will truly make the night special. IOWA has several spaces that can serve as a remarkable setting as you enjoy the city lights and views of the open water under a night sky.

We especially recommend the Fantail or the Foc’s’le.

For one of the best prom venues in the city, skip the Natural History Museum and enjoy the romantic ambiance of the sea.

CONTACT Battleship IOWA

For more information on how to reserve Battleship IOWA for your special event, please contact events@labattleship.com or click here and fill out the form.

 

BATTLESHIP IOWA

Pacific Battleship Center
250 South Harbor Blvd
San Pedro, CA 90731
877.446.9261

Site developed by Wicked Code, Inc. and funded by The Edward E. & Marie L. Matthews Foundation •  Photos by Rick Stipa Photography
Other photos - US Navy Archives and National Archives

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