My eighth grade class recently participated in the overnight field trip "Camp Battleship," and they had a wonderful time. They learned so much from the guides and they really enjoyed the whole overnight experience. We have been studying WWII and this really gave them a better sense of perspective about life onboard a battleship. I would particularly like to recognize David Demoss, Dale Chitwood,and Don Crowell for their outstanding work with the students. Thank you again and we hope to come back next year.

Bob Abelson was our tour guide. We paid the additional $75 for a personal guide. He was A+ Awesome. We have 6 kids ranging from 7 to 17. He was able to keep them interested and not distractive. Filled with personal, professional and prior service knowledge.

Trip advisor won't let me name the gun tour I was on. Very impressed with the gun tour yesterday. Lady that gave it knew a lot as did other volunteers I have met there. They are interested in the history and know all kinds of fascinating details.

We did the Escape the Mothball Fleet tour and had an amazing time. The 2 hour tour took us throughout the ship on a mission with challenges to find clues. Our guides Delia and Jeff (on his first day) were amazing providing support and adding facts and tidbits about the ship. They shared their passion for the USS Iowa that made the tour feel extremely special.

Our tour of the USS Iowa was amazing, informative, emotional, and historic. Larry, who formerly served on the USS Missouri for 12 years, gave us our tour. He had a genuine interest in making sure we had the best tour possible. His knowledge was second to none, and I think enjoys giving the tour as much as we enjoyed having the tour. The emotional part of the tour was the honor of meeting Mr. Lloyd Glick, World War 2 veteran who had turned 100 the week before our visit. He had served in the Pacific theatre of WW2 on the USS North Carolina. This is the third Iowa class battleship I have been on, and have one more, "The Big Mo" to complete my bucket list. It was also a great pleasure talking with many of the volunteers on the ship, who were also Veterans, and finding out some of their military backgrounds, and where they served. They all received challenge coins from the military/law enforcement motorcycle club I ride with, and were welcomed home, and thanked for their service. Great Day Great Tour!!!!!!!

We did the self-guided tour, which took us about 3 hours and was well worth the time. From the huge 16-inch guns to modern missiles, every inch of this ship is crammed with history. As Iowa residents, we got free admission by showing our Iowa DLs, which was a bonus, but I would have gladly paid the listed admission price. Will hope to get one of the guided tours next time around.

I’m a U.S. Navy Veteran and as such it was a an immensely satisfying experience. We were unable to visit the Iowa last time we visited Los Angeles. Last year we booked a Panama Canal cruise and found a great opportunity to visit the Iowa. We went a couple days early and stayed at a hotel nearby with free shuttle service to various places which included the Iowa. My cousin and her husband and my husband and I traveled together so they joined us. While I’m sure the general access pass is great, we booked a private tour. If you really want a more in depth deep dive into the history of the ship, crew, and mission then the private tour is the way to go. My husband indulges me on these types of tours and thankfully he hasn’t been disappointed, yet. Our very knowledgeable guide (so sorry I can’t recall his name) brought every aspect of the ship to life. One note: I’ve noticed some review comments about the size of the ship not being as large as they thought. One must keep in mind that it is not a ginormous cruise ship made for pleasure ship, but rather a ship of war. It is an impressively large and complex vessel built for one purpose only, to intimidate and destroy the enemy! On another note, our party had two big (not necessarily large men) and we really had no trouble getting in and around the ship. Again, the ship was not meant for comfort. Hence the designation battleship! All in all, despite the terrible weather, it was a fantastic experience that anyone interested in history would enjoy.

We did the Engineering and Gun tours - both of which need to be scheduled well in advance. The tours are small group for a reason. You will go through all sorts of spaces well off the beaten path and NOT part of the general admission tour. These were incredibly informative and interesting. You will get a workout going up and down a variety of narrow and steep stairs. That shouldn't dissuade anyone as this is part of life on the ship. Another benefit to the small tour group limit is that you can ask nearly as many questions as you can think of. The docents had an accurate answer for each and every one that our group asked. You'll get something out of these tours even if you aren't a military/ship nut. At the least, you'll get to imagine how 70+ crew manned one turret or how they bunked in some pretty tight places. Truly a great tour experience!