Battleship USS IOWA was the fastest, largest, and most armored battleship ever built. The ship was propelled to a top speed of 40 mph (35 kts) by eight boilers and four steam turbines generating 212,000 shaft horsepower or the equivalent of more than 650 Ford F-150 pickup trucks. 

Your guided tour will take you into the heart of the ship as you experience first-hand and hear stories about the anchor windless room, an engine room, a boiler room, after-steering, and several support facilities (like the oil and water testing lab). You will enjoy exclusive access to passageways that have been transited by thousands of sailors during both peace and wartime service, but off-limits to the general public since the ship went into commission in 1943. 

Next, we’ll take you on an epic behind-the-scenes journey that weaves through levels of this historic Navy ship never before opened to the public – down hatches, up ladders, into the lives of battleship sailors throughout history, culminating in an awe-inspiring view of the mechanical marvel at the heart of our battleship: the 16-inch guns – capable of firing the equivalent of a VW Beetle over 24 miles, the largest guns still in existence today.

 

Guests are required to wear closed-toe footwear to traverse ladders and grated decking safely. The guest must be able to negotiate the ladders that will take them up and down to these unique spaces on board.