July 2022 marks ten years since Battleship IOWA opened to the public as a museum in the Port of Los Angeles. We’ve come a long way in a decade, and we thought it would be fun to take a look back at where we started.

CEO Jonathan Williams, COO Mike Getscher, CIO David Canfield, and Volunteer Manager Sue Schmidt sat down together for a panel discussion during our celebration of the anniversary. With Development Manager Kyle Aube moderating, they told stories likely never heard before in public, gave insights into just what it took to get the ship out of “mothballs” and make her fit for humans again, and shared the personal sacrifices they and their families undertook to make the dream of saving the last battleship come true.

Please forgive the audio quality in this episode. We recorded it outdoors on our fantail, so it’s not as crisp and clear as it usually is.

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Want to
– Support the ship? https://pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
– Come aboard for a tour? https://pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
– Volunteer with us? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer

You can also
– Contribute to our transition to become the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate
– Become a Plank Owner for the national museum (it’s free!) https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/plank_owner