San Francisco rejects USS Iowa

[Woodlouse2002]

Only two of the Pearl Harbor "battleship row" ships never returned to service (Arizona and Oklahoma -- although the latter, under tow for scrap, sank enroute in 1946). Three others were named for, basically, land-locked states: Tennessee, West Virginia and Nevada. The Tennessee and West Virginia were scrapped in 1959. The Nevada was left radioactive after atomic tests but still afloat; it was deliberately sunk in 1948 (the Pennsylvania survived Pearl Harbor, contributed more firepower against Japan than any other ship and also survived atomic blasts; radioactive, it was scuttled). So much for memorials.

The same happened with the entire Royal Navy bar the aforementioned HMS Belfast. As nice as it may be it really is not economically viable to have an entire fleet of battleships maintained just for a memorial and In my opinion your lucky to have as many as you do.

[H]

The same happened with the entire Royal Navy bar the aforementioned HMS Belfast. As nice as it may be it really is not economically viable to have an entire fleet of battleships maintained just for a memorial and In my opinion your lucky to have as many as you do.

Not as a fleet (which is the situation while they're "mothballed"); although some are federally maintained in 'memorial' service, most are sold off, whether for scrap or for other than 'federal' memorials.

[myshelf]

i read the other day that the pocket battleship graff spee is to be salvaged. but it isn't so much for historical reasons but because it is a hazzard to shipping.