2 Tickets for Self Guided Tour Admission
Exp 9/12/2027
About the Battleship Iowa Museum
250 S Harbor Blvd, San Pedro, CA 90731
Though it's named for the Hawkeye State, battleship USS Iowa has found its permanent home in California. Decommissioned on October 26, 1990, the battleship now cuts a stately figure amid the sea of passenger vessels and shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles.
As the only battleship open to the public on the West Coast, it serves as the main attraction at its namesake museum in San Pedro, located 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles. With educational exhibits, self-guided or docent-led tours, and immersive activities such as an escape room, the museum offers visitors a deep dive into naval history.
Must-See Exhibits at the USS Iowa
Veterans, history buffs, and families will all find something of interest on board, where exhibits draw from an archive gallery holding hundreds of historic photographs and naval artifacts like a ship compass and dress blues. Walk through spaces like sailors' quarters and the captain's cabin, a luxe escape where President Roosevelt lived, slept, and welcomed visiting dignitaries. Inside, you can see the actual table where the commander-in-chief and his cabinet planned strategic moves during WWII. There's also a military aviation showcase with one of the last-remaining HUP-2 helicopters from the Korean War.
Other interior spaces look beyond the battleship, like the Lost at Sea exhibit featuring the explorations of Dr. Robert Ballard, who discovered the RMS Titanic. Photos and objects from his underwater expeditions accompany model displays that shed light on the downed vessels long claimed by the seas.