One of the highlights of visiting Hawaii with my mother, sister, and brother (thanks Anthony!) some years ago was going on a tour of Pearl Harbor. My brother and I saw the USS Arizona Memorial and also the USS Missouri. The USS Missouri is most well known historically for being the site for the surrender of the Imperial Japanese forces and the end of World War II.
The USS Missouri was part of the Iowa-class of battleships, along with the USS New Jersey, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Iowa (only four of six were completed).
The reason I'm mentioning this is decisions are being made over the fate of the 'mothball fleet' which has been anchored in the Bay Area's Suisun Bay for many years now. It's something I have been able to view ever since I can remember whenever I traveled across the Benicia Bridge and along the nearby shore. At the end of one of the rows is the USS Iowa.
Unfortunately, the USS Iowa was where a tragic explosion occurred in one of its turrets, resulting in the death of 47 sailors back in 1989. I don't know what the fate of this vessel will be, and that tragedy alone is perhaps reason enough not to create a similar tourist attraction out of it, but every time I pass by the mothball fleet, I am always looking for the USS Iowa. I wonder how many people are aware that it is there?
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