USS Iowa Begins Final Voyage From San Francisco Bay To Port Of Los Angeles

Richmond (CBS13) - On Saturday, the USS Iowa, the last remaining World War II battleship, embarked on its final voyage to the Port of Los Angeles, where it will be renovated into an interactive naval museum.

It was scheduled to leave Richmond on Sunday but was delayed due to an approaching storm.

The battleship left the Port of Richmond, crossed San Francisco Bay and then passed under the Golden Gate Bridge in the midst of its 75th anniversary celebration.

As the historic ship passed the Saint Francis Yacht Club, club members honored it with a farewell gun salute and a signal flag message, "Farewell My Dear Friend."

The battleship is more than 15 stories high, 887 feet long and weighs more than 45,000 tons. It's known as the Battleship of Presidents because it hosted Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

"This is the final journey for the USS IOWA on open water," said Robert Kent, president of the Pacific Battleship Center. "We thank the citizens of the San Francisco Bay area, and Richmond in particular, for their interest and support of the preservation of the Battleship of Presidents."

The museum will highlight the contributions of the battleship and its crew during World War II, the Korean War and the Cold War.