Feinstein Bill to Designate USS Iowa as National Surface Navy Museum to Become Law

December 15, 2021

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today applauded inclusion of the Battleship Iowa National Museum of the Surface Navy Act in the defense authorization bill. The House bill was sponsored by Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán(D-San Pedro). The defense bill, which has passed the Senate and House, now awaits President Biden’s signature.

 The bill designates the USS Battleship Iowa Museum, located in the Port of Los Angeles, as the National Museum of the Surface Navy.

“The USS Iowa is an excellent site for the National Museum of the Surface Navy,” Feinstein said. “From her service in World War II and the Korean War to her days supporting NATO decades later, the USS Iowa has a rich history. She has already served as a museum for years and educated many about the surface navy. I’m glad my bill with Rep. Barragán will bring the USS Iowa the recognition she deserves.”

In 2006, Feinstein called on the Navy to transfer the USS Iowa to California so the ship could be turned into a floating museum. The Battleship Iowa Museum opened in 2012 and is operated by the nonprofit Pacific Battleship Center.

The Feinstein-Barragán bill:

• Designates the Battleship Iowa Museum, located at the port of Los Angeles and managed by the Pacific Battleship Center, as the “National Museum of the Surface Navy.”

• Defines the purpose of the museum as supporting the United States Surface Navy community, as a platform for education, community and veterans programs and to preserve artifacts, documents and history collected by the museum.