San Francisco Rejects the Iowa

The decommissioned battleship Iowa is in the news one last time.  Senator Feinstein arranged for the federal government to spend 3 million towing the ship to San Francisco for use as a floating museum.  But the San Francisco city council doesn't want the Iowa, given the Iraq war and the military's stand on gays.   So it looks like the Iowa is on its way to Stockton, instead.

DiFi is understandably miffed that her home town rejected her tasty little morsel of pork.   But I think that Stockton, a blue collar town where the military is still appreciated, would be a better resting place for one of the greatest battleships ever built.

On a personal note, I was lucky enough to call fire for the Iowa, during  maneuvers off Viegas Garcia (here is a great "sea story", btw, I have one of my own about the island I might tell one day).  This was after the New Jersey  fired into Beirut after the barracks bombing, and we learned that, because of the age of the powder being used, it couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.    So we were doing some shooting of the Iowa's big guns to get the kinks worked out. 

Anyway the Iowa is a magnificent ship, truly a marvel to see, and Stockton is fortunate to have it.   Unfortunately the citizens of that town will never be able to see the guns fire, an awe inspiring sight if there ever was one (oh well, San Francisco is out of range from Stockton, anyway).