Bidding Opened for WWII Battleship Iowa

Bidding for the World War II battleship Iowa has been opened to any California community willing to give it a permanent home.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Rep. Richard W. Pombo (R-Tracy) agreed to open bidding for the ship to any California town or city. The Iowa is now moored in Suisun Bay, about 30 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Pombo had previously supported donating the 63-year-old ship to the Port of Stockton. Officials there have proposed making the Iowa a tourist attraction, pledging a 1,000-foot dock, a 90,000-square-foot building and a 15-acre parking lot.

The latest agreement gives San Francisco another chance to acquire the Iowa. Earlier this year, the city’s Board of Supervisors voted 8 to 3 against bringing it to the Port of San Francisco.