The Los Angeles Maritime Museum....

...and other things.

As I was in a quest for the perfect picture of the Iowa, I ended up wandering over to the Los Angeles Maritime Museum.  I looked at the lay of the channel and figured that I would get a decent picture there.  As I suspected, I was correct.  I didn't have alot of time to wander around the museum but it looks like someplace I'll have to revisit when I am out this way again.

 A martime museum wouldn't be complete if it didn't have a torpedo in front of it.  I think this may have been a torpedo from the Cruiser Los Angeles.

 This is a police boat operated by the Los Angeles Port Police.

 An old cannon.

 This smoke stack belongs to the Angels Gate tugboat.  She was launched in 1944 for the Army Transportation Service.  She was used to tow derrick barges and harbor pilots around the harbor.

 In 1992, she was transferred to the museum and is used on the second Thursday of every month.  I have to believe that would be a sight.

 A model of the USS Nevada.  She was a battleship that managed to get underway during the Pearl Harbor attack.  When the Japanese started to bomb her, the Captain decided it would be better to beach than get sunk in the main channel.

 A model of the USS Long Beach which was one of the first nuclear powered surface ships.  I believe she is about to be scrapped which is kind of a shame because it would be nice if she were made into a museum.

 The bow of the Baltimore Class Heavy Cruiser USS Los Angeles.  She was launched in 1944 and as a result didn't see much of World War II.  She was decomissioned intially in 1948 but recomissioned with the advent of the Korean War.  She had five battle stars from that action.  She was again decomissioned in 1963 and this time was permanent.  In 1975, she was scrapped save for the bow above and some other parts.

 I thought this was pretty interesting as it was a statue dedicated to the Merchant Marine.  I presume it is depicting sailors getting plucked from the water after an attack of some sort.

 One of the Los Angeles' anchors.

 I'm not sure if this was one of the guns of the Los Angeles or a gun from another ship.  Given that it was "firing" a 16" round, I suspect another ship.

 This is a statue of Harry Bridges, the man who founded the International Longshoreman's Union.

 San Pedro used to have a thriving fishing industry and this statue is dedicated to that.

 Another shot of the Merchant Marine Memorial.

The Museum itself.

Another shot of the Los Angeles' bow.

I'll have to admit this was a pretty cool area.  Kind of wish I had more time to explore it because I guess there is a Victory ship nearby as well.