THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 26, 1995 TAG: 9503260137
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ALEX MARSHALL, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 143 lines
It would cost a heap of money to bring the Iowa battleship here, moor it, and open it for tourists. But city officials still don't know how much.
J. Douglas Forrest of Colonna's Shipyard, who has been researching the project's cost for the city, has identified about $3 million in start-up costs. That's far less than the $10 million to $15 million estimates bandied about after a group from Norfolk, including Forrest, visited the Iowa in Philadelphia recently.
But Forrest's estimate does not include money to make the vessel accessible to handicapped people or to fund the cost of obtaining environmental permits.
So far, the ad hoc group that has been pushing the issue, which now includes Norfolk council members Randy Wright and Dr. Mason C. Andrews, remains committed.
``I thought the numbers were lower than we anticipated, to be honest,'' Wright said. ``I'm encouraged to pursue it.''
``The numbers that were presented were very interesting,'' Andrews said. ``We need more. It's still very preliminary.''
The basic idea is to bring the mothballed Iowa here, moor it beside Nauticus on the Elizabeth River, and open it for visitors. A battleship, supporters say, would complement Nauticus as well as reflect the city's rich naval history. The big considerations are cost, and whether it's even possible to moor the ship in the Elizabeth River.
Officials at the Naval Sea Systems Command in Arlington, which is responsible for deciding who receives decommissioned battleships, said so far only Norfolk and Mt. Pleasant, a small city near Charleston, S.C., have expressed ``serious interest'' in obtaining the Iowa.
Mt. Pleasant could be serious competition for the Iowa. Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, in Mt. Pleasant, which sits across the river from Charleston, is after the Iowa. The museum already boasts a destroyer, a submarine, a Coast Guard cutter and the aircraft carrier Yorktown.
Forty-seven men were killed on the Iowa in 1989 when one of the ship's 16-inch guns exploded during an exercise off Puerto Rico. The families of the men killed generally support returning the ship to Norfolk.
``I got calls from a lot of people,'' said Kathy Kubicina, whose brother died in the blast.
``They think it's wonderful. They couldn't think of a better tribute to our boys than to have it made into a memorial at the biggest Navy base of the world.''
Mounted on a monument at Vista Point on the Navy Base in Norfolk, the Navy now has a plaque that once was affixed to Turret 2, where the men died.
The plaque reads ``We Remember Turret Two,'' followed by the names of the 47 sailors who died on the ship. Also inscribed is the biblical quote: ``They that go down to the sea in ships, that do their business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep.''
The families would like to see that plaque, or one similar to it, mounted on the ship and to have Turret 2 sealed off from tourists, Kubicina said.
The Navy has already indicated it didn't want tourists in the turret, Forrest said.
Forrest says the city should consider going after the Wisconsin, which is moored beside the Iowa, because the Wisconsin is in better shape.
Although both are about the same age, the Wisconsin has seen only seven years of active service compared to 20 years at sea for the Iowa. In addition, the Navy replaced the Wisconsin's teak decks when the ship was recommissioned in the mid-1980s.
Forrest acknowledges, however, that such an analysis does not include judging which ship is more historically significant.
With its greater use in World War II, plus on-board details like a bathtub built for President Franklin Roosevelt, the Iowa could be more attractive to tourists.
Whether it's a sound investment to bring a battleship to Norfolk depends on one's point of view. From one perspective, the city would be getting an incredible deal. It would cost perhaps $3 billion to build a battleship today, officials estimate.
Such an intricate piece of equipment, loaded with history, has an intrinsic value as something that people will want to see and visit.
On the other hand, the ship will be here a long time and require a lot of expensive, complicated care.
Here is a breakdown of costs that Forrest has identified.
Towing the ship here from the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard: Under $150,000. That's how much two companies told Forrest they would charge. It would require five days and four tugs at each end, as well as one or more oceangoing tugs.
Preparing the ship for towing: $300,000. This is not a simple operation, Forrest said, even though it would seem you could just throw a line on the ship and pull it from its mooring. Before they can tow it, they have to rebolt tightly all the compartments that were opened up for the mothballing, he said.
Preparing a berth for the ship here: $1.5 million. That's what a company charged the Navy, Forrest said, to install the mooring system for the Iowa-class battleship Missouri, which is in Bremerton, Wash.
One plan calls for the Iowa to be moored 80 to 100 feet off Nauticus, adjacent to the pier perpendicular to Nauticus. That large amount of space is needed to allow for cables and underwater chains that must be extended at angles to moor the ship, Forrest said.
Electrical, water and sewage hookups. $250,000 or more. This is a difficult number to estimate, Forrest said. It depends on whether the ship's internal systems could be used. A floating crane may have to be rented for a month or so to hook up utilities, which alone would cost $200,000.
Insurance: The Navy would require the city or whomever is given custody of the ship to have $250,000 in insurance for physical damage to the vessel and $2 million in coverage against liability. This would only insure the Navy against claims. Presumably, the city or whatever non-profit organization actually operates the ship would need insurance as well.
Still unknown: Perhaps the most significant cost could be altering the ship to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which normally requires all new public facilities be made wheelchair accessible.
For a battleship, which is a maze of tight, twisting metal corridors, this could be quite a task.
Officials at the Civil Rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice, which supervises the federal act, did not return phone calls last week about whether the ship would have to conform.
``I think to open the battleship is a very unique project,'' said Carol Jarvis, chairman of the ADA committee for Norfolk. ``The law does allow for accommodations to be made.''
Another hurdle is whether mooring the ship near Nauticus would harm the environment or interfere with shipping in the main channel of the Elizabeth River. Both questions would have to be examined, said a spokesperson for the Army Corps of Engineers in Norfolk.
A permit would be required should dredging be needed to accommodate the ship or a mooring system.
The corps would have to know where the dredged material from the polluted river bottom would be deposited.
But perhaps the biggest question is whether the ship would interfere with shipping. It appears the Iowa, even if moored parallel to the channel, could still cause problems.
``It doesn't necessarily have to intrude into the channel for us to have concerns,'' said Diana Bailey, a public affairs officer for the corps in Norfolk.
She noted that the proposed site is located where ships must turn sharply to proceed farther up river.
``We'd just have to look at it very closely,'' she said, ``because there are a lot of very large ships that come into the channel.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
BILL TIERNAN/Staff file
James Houk, right, who spent two years mothballing the Iowa, led a
tour earlier this month at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for
officials from Hampton Roads who are looking to bring the battleship
to Norfolk as a tourist attraction.
by CNB