THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502260057
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The proposal to bring a battleship to the city's waterfront has moved from a far-fetched idea to a distinct possibility.
Some of the city's top movers and shakers have been investigating the costs, benefits and drawbacks of bringing a battlewagon to town and parking it by Nauticus, the city's focal point of maritime-inspired tourism.
The informal committee, which includes Councilman Randy Wright, city staff, retired Navy officers and shipyard officials, has set its sights on the Iowa. Now docked in Philadelphia, the Iowa is considered the most likely to be attractive and affordable, Wright said.
In April 1989, one of the Iowa's 16-inch guns misfired during a training exercise. The accident caused an explosion that claimed 47 lives and set off a long-running controversy about the Navy's investigative procedures. Wright said the tragedy should not prevent the ship from being brought here.
``It was on everyone's mind, but no one wanted to hold that against it,'' said Wright, who made mention of the ship's long history as well as the 1989 accident.
The battleship committee was formed after the Navy announced it would give four Iowa-class battleships to cities or non-profit groups. The ships, now ``mothballed,'' date to World War II.
The Iowa was retired in 1958 for 24 years, brought back into service in 1982, and then mothballed again a few years ago as defense budgets became tighter.
The committee has nixed the idea of going after what was many people's favorite ship - the Missouri. Gen. Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender of Japan on the Missouri, an event that links the ship with the local MacArthur Memorial.
But the Missouri is now docked in Bremerton, Wash. To bring it to Norfolk, it would have to be towed around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. Because the ship cannot travel under its own power, it could not be taken through the Panama Canal, Wright said. Officials have estimated it would cost roughly $12 million to tow the boat here, Wright said. In addition, Hawaii and San Francisco have already expressed interest in the Missouri.
Next week, Wright, Duff Porter, marketing manager of the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, and Doug Forrest of Colonna's Shipyard will visit the Iowa in Philadelphia, Wright said.
Porter and Forrest will check the condition of the Iowa and come up with a ballpark estimate of how much it would cost to put the boat in shape for tourists, Wright said.
``Many unanswered questions remain,'' said Forrest, a vice president at Colonna's. ``The Iowa class battleships are probably the most beautiful warships afloat. `Brutish elegance' is the only way to describe them.
``But they are extremely large, and extremely expensive to maintain. Part of our fact-finding trip will be to determine the actual condition of the vessel, and identify potential maintenance costs.''
The battleship committee, in addition to Wright, Porter and Forrest, includes former mayor Roy Martin, deputy city manager Darlene Burcham, acting director Col. Lyman Hammond of the MacArthur Center and representatives from the offices of Rep. Owen B. Pickett, and Sens. Charles S. Robb and John W. Warner.
Pickett's staff is arranging for the group to visit the Iowa next week, Wright said. Earlier this month, the City Council approved a resolution asking the Navy to put the city on its list of those interested in obtaining a battleship. by CNB