The Navy got the biggest Vehicles

[river rat]

Well did not know were to put this. After I retired just before I moved to MT. The USS Iowa was pulled out of the moth ball fleet to become a museum up in LA. It was over in Richmond CA in the bay area for a short yard period to get the sides and superstructure painted yard birds did that but volunteers did the decks and other work I had nothing to do so I volunteered. Us volunteers got to see spaces not open to the public and some spaces that will never be open to the public that was the cool part the work was hard work never thought I would be on my knee's again with a deck crawler and needle gun chipping paint we did the edges the large bead blaster could not get we removed all the paint to bare metal on the flight deck and repainted it a few photo's.









The black looking covers on the 16 inch guns are called bloomers a volunteer from the Midwest owned a canvas shop made those for free flew in did some measurements flew home and made them and came back. The original ones were missing the original one were made by good year. I got to put those on I sat on the 16 inch barrel bolted the metal hoops on and bolted on the clamps that was a cool job.




The flight deck I helped paint






That's me


I notice no Ships clocks on board so I donated one out of my collection. Anther cool job got to help put on the emergency tow cable they were attached on the side of the ship incase the tow line snapped as it was towed to LA from the bay area dam made me fill like a Boatswain mate again.

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