Every sailor has a mascot.
During World War II, amidst the steel decks and towering guns of Battleship USS IOWA, one very special crewmember stole the hearts of sailors and presidents alike, a little dog named Victory, lovingly known as “Vicky.” A gift to the crew, Vicky quickly earned his place aboard, wandering the passageways, warming bunks, and even sleeping at the foot of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s bed during his secret wartime voyage in 1943. Vicky became more than a mascot; he became part of the ship’s story, complete with his own military orders and credentials.
Today, kids and families from around the world come aboard to find Vicky and snap a photo with our larger-than-life Vicky mascot statue, a perfect first stop before setting off on his scavenger hunt.
What You'll Experience
- Clues throughout the ship.
- A take home card to track what you find.
- A custom prize.
- Fun for kids and adults alike.
- Included with general admission.
PLAN YOUR VISIT
LOCATION
Multiple decks throughout ship.
OPENED
2015
AVAILABILITY
Free with admission.
Fun Facts About Vicky
- Passed the Navy’s 50-yard swimming qualification test.
- Slept at the foot of FDR’s bed during the 1943 Tehran voyage.
- A certified Shellback after crossing the equator.
- Possibly the first American dog on Japanese soil.
- Logged over 205,000 miles aboard ship.
- Met five different five-star generals and admirals.
- Went AWOL in Long Beach, CA.
Vicky’s Story
On February 22, 1943, Captain John L. McCrea took command of the newly commissioned USS IOWA, and at his wife’s request, brought along his dog to help keep crew morale up. Vicky was sworn in as an Apprentice Mascot, issued a sailor’s uniform, and passed the recruit 50-yard swimming test (the record notes he was “also able to retrieve a stick”). When offered a Navy life insurance policy, the paperwork notes Vicky “does not desire to make application at this time.”
That November, IOWA received a Top Secret mission: transporting President Roosevelt across the Atlantic to the Tehran Conference. When FDR spotted the ship’s dog wandering the deck, Captain McCrea offered to move him out of the Captain’s Cabin for the President’s stay. Roosevelt, missing his own dog, Fala replied, “I see no reason to disrupt this little dog’s routine.” Vicky slept at the foot of the President’s bed for the full 15-day voyage and kept company with Joint Chiefs of Staff Marshall, Arnold, Leahy, and King.
While the President met with Churchill and Stalin in Tehran, IOWA crossed the equator and Vicky underwent the Navy’s traditional Shellback initiation, officially declared a “duly qualified Shellback” by Neptunus Rex himself. IOWA went on to fight in the Pacific, and Vicky earned the Philippine Campaign Ribbon with two bronze stars, was promoted to Mascot First Class, and is noted in ship’s records as possibly the first American dog to set paw on Japanese soil.
Like many wartime sailors, Vicky had a harder time with peacetime racking up a couple of AWOL citations and even a demotion for fighting. In 1949, he was piped over the side of the decommissioned IOWA with full honors, to rejoin his old captain, by then a Vice Admiral McCrea, in Hawaii.
