THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995 TAG: 9509010486
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
S.O.S. Amber Ale - a brew created to raise money to preserve the Battleship Iowa and return it to Norfolk - is being launched today.
The beer-selling effort kicks off this morning in Philadelphia, where the ship is mothballed. It coincides with a memorial service to be held on the ship's decks by the Veterans Association of the USS Iowa in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The Iowa accompanied the Missouri battleship into Tokyo Bay, where Japanese officials on Sept. 2, 1945, signed documents of surrender for Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
The Dallas County Brewing Co., located in the state of Iowa, has produced the commemorative 22-ounce bottle. The $5 bottle of beer has the ship's silhouette and name baked on the glass in three colors. One dollar from every bottle will go to a fund to restore the battleship.
The idea of returning the Iowa to Norfolk has been brewing since the Navy announced that it was giving away four Iowa-class battleships to whoever could take care of them.
It's been loosely estimated that it will cost $3.5 million to tow the Iowa here from Philadelphia, moor it and open it for visitors. It's still not clear where it would be berthed in Norfolk, although plans have been discussed for docking it beside Nauticus.
The plan to raise a large portion of the necessary money by selling beer developed from talks between Kevin L. Rice, president of the brewing company, and Councilman W. Randy Wright, who has led the ship-saving effort locally. Rice saw an article in the Des Moines Register about the effort to save the Iowa and phoned Wright.
Wright and Rice have set a target goal of raising $3 million from beer sales. The brewing company, which makes a profit on the sales, has set up a hotline to order the beer: 1-800-4OLD-IOWA.
The beer also may be available in Hampton Roads stores; Rice is talking with local distributors.
The dollar per bottle will go into a special fund held by the Veterans Association of the Iowa. The federal government will ultimately decide who receives the ship. Right now, the leading candidates are Norfolk and Patriot Point in South Carolina.
Even if it raises all the required money, Norfolk has no guarantees it will receive the ship. But financial resources will be a factor in which proposal is chosen, authorities have said. Money raised through the beer sales could boost Norfolk's proposal. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
S.O.S. Amber Ale bottles have the ship's silhouette, name baked on
the glass.
by CNB