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| San Francisco City Supervisors Disdain Battleship USS Iowa |
| 2005-08-20 |
| The USS Iowa joined in battles from World War II to Korea to the Persian Gulf. It carried President Franklin Roosevelt home from the Teheran conference of allied leaders, and four decades later, suffered one of the nation's most deadly military accidents. Veterans groups and history buffs had hoped that tourists in San Francisco could walk the same teak decks where sailors dodged Japanese machine-gun fire and fired 16-inch guns that helped win battles across the South Pacific. Instead, it appears that the retired battleship is headed about 80 miles inland, to Stockton, a gritty agricultural port town on the San Joaquin River and home of California's annual asparagus festival. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a former San Francisco mayor, helped secure $3 million to tow the Iowa from Rhode Island to the Bay Area in 2001 in hopes of making touristy Fisherman's Wharf its new home. But city supervisors voted 8-3 last month to oppose taking in the ship, citing local opposition to the Iraq war and the military's stance on gays, among other things. "If I was going to commit any kind of money in recognition of war, then it should be toward peace, given what our war is in Iraq right now," Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said. Feinstein called it a "very petty decision." "This isn't the San Francisco that I've known and loved and grew up in and was born in," Feinstein said. San Francisco's maritime museum already has one military vessel _ the USS Pampanito, an attack submarine that sank six Japanese ships during World War II and has about 110,000 visitors a year. Officials in Stockton couldn't be happier. They've offered a dock on the river, a 90,000-square-foot waterfront building and a parking area, and hope to attract at least 125,000 annual visitors. After the Korean war, the Iowa was decommissioned and placed in reserve in a Philadelphia shipyard for three decades. In 1988, it was recalled to duty escorting oil supply ships safely in and out danger in the Persian Gulf. In 1989, 47 sailors were killed in an explosion that tore through a gun turret during a training exercise. The warship, decommissioned by the Navy in 1990, is currently anchored with a mothballed fleet in Suisun Bay, near the mouth of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. San Francisco's rejection of such a storied battleship is a slap in the nation's face, said Douglass Wilhoit, head of Stockton's Chamber of Commerce. "We're lucky our men and women have sacrificed their lives ... to protect our freedom," Wilhoit said. "Wherever you stand on the war in Iraq ... you shouldn't make a decision based on philosophy." Rep. Richard W. Pombo, R-Calif., has sponsored legislation authorizing the ship's permanent move to Stockton. Feinstein has countered with a bill to open bidding to any California city. The two versions will have to be reconciled by a House-Senate conference committee considering the Pentagon spending bill. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #13 Looks like Norton didn't leave any heirs. I see no reason, therefore, that I cannot proclaim myself Emperor of these United States, those United States, Protector of Mexico (another of Norton's titles), Latin King of Jerusalem, and Governor-General of Mars and Ceres. My first proclamation will be to order the construction of a dike (not dyke) and large nets around and over San Francisco to contain the Moonbat population. This will be followed by an executive order and Imperial rescript abolishing the Board of Supervisors, with all legislative functions to be taken over by 11 people randomly selected from the Stockton telephone directory. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-08-20 22:37 |
| #12 Hell Fire, Mate! San Francisco would be a saner place with the late, great Emperor Norton as mayor. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-08-20 21:31 |
| #11 A plan: We hunt up one of those ultra-nationalist Japanese whacko groups; you know, like the writer dude who got his followers to cut his head off when the cops came after them back in the 70s. We open secret negotiations with them, extend diplomatic recognition, and conclude a treaty giving them sovereignty over the Moonbat areas of SF. We then fly them across the Pacific en masse to take possession of their new domain, the Greater East Pacific Co-Prosperity Sphere. They can stop off at Midway Island on the way and pick up suitable weapons and NBC gear*. We don't announce this until they have surrounded City Hall and begun cleaning up. Think: samurai swords, San Francisco, a very necessary precaution withal. |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-08-20 20:07 |
| #10 I'd go for it, but welcome Stockton's efforts first - they stepped right up to the plate and should be rewarded. Nice town too. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-20 19:28 |
| #9 The Iowa would look great in San Diego on the Waterfront, eh, Frank? With the Midway and HMS Surprise as neighbors. Ima think that is a good idea. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-08-20 19:06 |
| #8 How far up river (Mississippi) could a lightened Iowa get? |
| Posted by: Mona Gorilla 2005-08-20 18:41 |
| #7 the Midway museum on SD's waterfront is doing great, and expanding their exhibits and number of planes |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-08-20 18:34 |
| #6 They should take the WWII submarine away also. Great exhibit. San Francisco can rot in its syphalitic stew. A once proud city reduced to a town run by for and of asshats. Maybe Bechtel, Bank of America, et al should find a new headquarters. Hit them in their pocketbooks. A pox, a proletariat pox upon the SF board of supervisors. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-08-20 18:28 |
| #5 These SF clowns have any idea of the revenue they lost? A battleship on the waterfront is perhaps the most popular of attractions. Most cities would kill for such an opportunity. |
| Posted by: john 2005-08-20 18:18 |
| #4 Oops...I meant re-taken. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-08-20 18:18 |
| #3 One of these days San Francisco will have to be taken by force. |
| Posted by: Rafael 2005-08-20 18:17 |
| #2 I wanted to jump on the bandwagon on hating SF city council but this also had to do with economics. The other Naval display in the bay area are losing money and it would be wrong to bring the ship there just to have nobody visit. Stockton just refurbished their port and it would make a nicer home for this ship. I had hoped that they would bring it to Sacramento but that would be too much to ask for given we have a witch for a mayor and her coven ould rather make sure the homeless use the sidewalks as their bathrooms than support a project like this. Friggin liberals. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2005-08-20 18:15 |
| #1 Typical asshatedness that is in the liberal areas nowadays. Never mind the fact that the USS Iowa helped free millions of people from tyranny and kept our homeland (especially SF) from being conquered by the Japanese. Hypocritical fuckwads. |
| Posted by: mmurray821 2005-08-20 17:37 |