California: Vallejo loses out on bid for USS Iowa

From the Times Herald: Vallejo loses out on bid for USS Iowa
After a nearly year-long struggle between two cities, the Navy finally made its choice Tuesday -- the USS Iowa is heading to Los Angeles, not Vallejo.

The famous World War II battleship, made notable for transporting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to peace talks, will be donated to the Pacific Battleship Center and placed in the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro.

"We're very excited. There's been a lot of work over the years to get to where we are today. We're thrilled," Pacific Battleship Center board vice president Jonathan Williams said.

But Vallejo Mayor Osby Davis said he was "surprised and disappointed," given the amount of time and effort devoted to trying to secure the ship for this city.

Square tried to get the ship for the Mare Island waterfront, but had not met key challenges, including location and funding.

The Navy had already donated the ship to Historic Ships Memorial but reopened bids when an intended Mare Island spot was later occupied for a ship dismantling and recycling operation. Further, the Vallejo group had not made enough progress in meeting its own fundraising goals, officials said.

Between the two groups, the Pacific Battleship Center was the only one which met "minimum requirements" including sufficient financing, a viable port facility, business and tow plans and community support, said Chris Johnson, Naval Sea Systems Command public affairs officer.

The Pacific Battleship Center has a combination of $9 million in loans, pledges and the possibility of up to $3 million from the state of Iowa, Williams said.

Merilyn Wong of Historic Ships Memorial at Pacific Square said her group would be willing to work with the Navy again if the Los Angeles donation proved unsuccessful.

She cited the difficulty of finding another Mare Island spot along the waterfront as a major hindrance for the group in its second application to secure the Iowa.

"This project has had numerous ups and downs in the 15 years we've worked with it," Wong said. "We were the only standing party for many years. We would stand ready to work with the Navy in the event the donation did not come to fruition."

Historic Ships raised about $1 million in pledges, she said, adding the group did not rule out the possibility of securing another historic vessel.

Councilwoman Marti Brown called the Navy's decision to donate the ship to Los Angeles, "unfortunate but understandable."

"The group that's been working to bring it to Vallejo has not had the financial capacity at this point and hasn't been able to raise the funds over the last several years," Brown said.

"It felt like a long shot," she added.

Formal transfer of the ship's ownership will occur after completion of National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act regulatory requirements, according to the Navy.

Pacific Battleship Center had already surveyed Suisun Bay and determined the only appropriate time to tow the boat without dredging would be during "extreme high tides," Williams said. He said the Iowa may be towed by tug boat in late October.

Meanwhile, Vallejo Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Mike Browne said he was disappointed the Iowa would not be coming to Mare Island as a museum attraction, tourist draw and tool for economic development.

"It would have meant a lot to Vallejoans," Browne said. "It would have meant a testimony to the men and women who worked on Mare Island for all those many years. That would have been a premiere attraction."