Scuttlebutt: Official Podcast of the National Museum of the Surface Navy

If you follow this podcast, you know that veterans are a priority at Battleship IOWA. To that end, for over a year, we have been home to the Los Angeles branch of Veterans Peer Access Network (VPAN).  

VPAN is a veterans-helping-veterans program that connects retired members of our armed forces and their families with services, resources, and other veterans to help with everything from the transition from military to civilian life to navigating the complexities of the VA system.

We invited Program Manager Jesse Mendoza to give us a glimpse inside Battleship IOWA's VPAN branch and to talk about what it's like as an army vet to work aboard a "grey hull."

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

How do we think of preservation when it comes to Battleship IOWA?

There are multiple layers to the question. We're a museum, so we have to conserve the ship as an artifact, but we need the functionality of a modern office space. We have to respect the legacies of three generations of sailors (WWII, Korea, the Cold War), who served aboard. We have to keep things relevant for future generations. And we have create connections that pique interest across wide swaths of the population. 

In this video we discuss our thought process on how we care for, preserve, and plan to ensure this incredible vessel is a fascinating must-see years into the future.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

Taking a break from our usual fare to bring you some incredible news: Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson, 64th District stopped by this morning to officially deliver a check for $6.7 million to the National Museum Of The Surface Navy at Battleship IOWA to build the Freedom of the Seas Park Pavilion. 

Here is the check presentation ceremony in its entirety. It was a great event hosted by Battleship IOWA board of trustees chairman Bruce DD Mac Rae and featuring speeches from Senator Steven Bradford, San Pedro Chamber of Commerce CEO Elise Swanson, Port of Los Angeles Senior Communications Director Arley Baker, and LAUSD board member Tanya Franklin-Ortiz.

Thanks to everyone who was there and to all who support projects like this one that will benefit our community for years to come!

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

Battleship IOWA is proud to be a safe haven for veterans as well as a resource and connection to programs dedicated to their well-being. Today, we're highlighting a truly special one:

Warrior Sailing

We chatted with Warrior Sailing director Ben Poucher to find out all about this life-changing program that gets wounded and injured veterans back into life by teaching basic sailing concepts. 

Using specially-designed adaptive gear where necessary, the program offers warriors a place where they can once again be part of a team and build camaraderie they've been missing since leaving the military - all while discovering a sport they can enjoy for the rest of their lives.

• To learn more about Warrior Sailing, please click here. 
• To support or join Battleship IOWA's veterans programming, please click here.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

The second half of our conversation with Dave Way (Battleship IOWA historian and curator) and Jim Kurrasch centers on "Artifact Number 1" - which is the ship itself.

When you have a ship that has served during three different eras, what ethos do you choose when deciding how to preserve it? How do you keep it relevant and interesting to future generations?

Find out what we did in the beginning and where we're going now.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

Battleship IOWA is home to thousands of artifacts.  From the ship herself to a chair from NAGATO - the last Japanese battleship, from physical objects to digital images, all of these artifacts must be cataloged and stored.

Dave Way is the ship's historian and curator, and ten-year volunteer Jim Kurrasch is his "hands and feet." These two are the core of the team that minds our collection. They are walking encyclopedias who can spout amazing episodes from the ship's storied past at will.

Join us for a fascinating discussion that includes the stories behind a few of the lesser-known but still intriguing items entrusted to our care.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

Battleship IOWA volunteers Dave Badgett and Kent Coble are retired fire chiefs - Dave finished his career as an assistant chief in charge of training with LA City Fire Department, Kent as a battalion/division chief for Santa Monica Fire Department.

Dave was also a task force leader for LA City Fire's FEMA Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team. On 9/11/01 he got the call to deploy even before the second plane hit the south tower of the World Trade Center and was on scene in New York hours after the buildings collapsed.

As we approach the 21st anniversary of this world-altering event, he and Kent were gracious enough to give us first responders' perspectives on it, and to share some silver linings born out of the tragedy.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

VJ Alcomindras is a battleship kid. He's been working on Iowa Class BBs since he was 16.

He started as the youngest tour guide ever hired (at that point) by our sister ship, USS Missouri, joined Battleship IOWA in 2015, and was recently promoted to Guest Services Manager.

In this podcast we get to know him - from growing up on Oahu to college in California - and learn how he's turned a part-time job that appealed to the WWII history-lover in him into a permanent career he loves.

We also get a preview of our new ESCAPE THE MOTHBALL FLEET tour, which, if we do say so ourselves, is pretty much a blast and you should come check it out.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach lies on the Southern California coast between Long Beach and Huntington Beach.

Dating back to 1944, this 5,000 acre complex features 230 buildings, 128 ammunition depots, a wharf for loading and off-loading ships, a 900 acre salt marsh wildlife refuge, and all sorts of things that go 'boom!'

In this podcast we get an insider's glimpse into the only full-service weapons station on the west coast from Lt. Adam Tellez and MNC (Mineman Chief) Brian Chickering. And we manage to refrain - mostly - from dropping too many mine puns.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]

With the 210th anniversary of the infamous battle between the US Navy's venerable grande dame, USS CONSTITUTION, and HMS GUERRIERE coming up on August 19, we thought it would be fun to have a conversation with Dr. Carl Herzog, public historian for USS CONSTITUTION Museum. 

We chatted about everything from bottom copper and cathodic protection to what constitutes "original" in ships that have led multiple service lives to the thing that hasn't changed in hundreds of years of naval history: for humans going to sea, the ocean is always the  first adversary.

Oh, and Carl's photo in the thumbnail...? That's CONSTITUTION's keel over his head.

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Want to

❤️ Support the ship? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/donate/donate-online
⚓ Come aboard for a tour? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/museum_visit
🙋 Volunteer with us? https://www.pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/volunteer
🎖️ Get involved in our veterans' programs? https://pacificbattleship.com/get-involved/veteran


You can also

⭐ Contribute to the National Museum of the Surface Navy https://www.surfacenavymuseum.org/donate


Feedback? Questions? Comments?

✉️ [email protected]