A group of organizers is stepping up their efforts to bring a historic World War II battleship to San Pedro and turn it into a museum.
According to the Daily Breeze, the recently created Pacific Battleship Center has hired two professional fundraisers and hopes to bid for the USS Iowa, sister ship to the USS Missouri where the peace treaty for World War II was signed.
San Pedro's East Channel is one of two sites being considered by officials. The area was the home of the US Navy from 1919 until shortly after World War II. Another location on Mare Island is also being considered but has run into dredging challenges that would have to be overcome, the Breeze said.
Los Angeles Port Officials are studying the East Channel proposal and hope to have a response to the group in 30 days, the Breeze reported.
The project is estimated to cost around $8.5 million, which Pacific Battleship Center would provide.
Robert Kent of Placentia, acting president of the group, told the Breeze, "We don't need a dime of government money. All we need is a place to put the ship."
The Iowa has had a long history of service including carrying President Franklin Roosevelt across the Atlantic to meet Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference.
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The Iowa was one of four World War II battleships in the Iowa class. It's sister ships, the USS Missouri, USS New Jersey and the USS Wisconsin are all permanent floating museums that draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
