Artifact Gallery Items

Description Chrome plated cast iron USS Iowa ship's bell. The bell is 34 inches tall, 34 inches wide at the base, and weighs 900 pounds. Cast into the side of the bell is "USS IOWA 1943". The outside surface has been finished smooth. A steel clapper used with this bell is separately accessioned as object 3000141. The bell was originally painted grey and mounted on the front of the fire control tower under the 08 level conning station, where it could have been used for signaling and time keeping. A second, smaller bell, likely marked only with "USN" or "US Navy", would have been mounted on the superstructure aft, hung under the aft 5" gun director. These two bells would have been used together through the 1940s and 1950s. At the time of the 1982 reactivation of Iowa, this larger bell was taken out of its storage location in the fire control tower, and the ship's officers paid to have it chrome plated. The bell was then relocated to hang under the antenna structure on the bow for the ship's re-commissioning. It was there for a short time, and then to protect it against the sea air, it was moved into the wardroom and installed on a pedestal mount. The bell currently mounted under Iowa's antenna structure forward was installed when Iowa's large bell moved to the wardroom. It was previously carried on the cruiser USS Astoria CL-90 (3rd ship named Astoria) for that ship’s “second” bell and weighs 810 pounds. This bell is simply marked with “US” on its exterior and is still used by Iowa’s staff for functions and various ceremonies. Iowa's aft bell was replaced during the 1982 reactivation with a gong mounted on the aviation hut on the aft main deck. This was for compliance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). The gong is still in place and functional.