Students beginning the excursion’s first guided tour on the forward deck of the USS Iowa, facing the six forward guns. Photo by Jimmy Mai, MSCE-Transportation Engineering 2017.

Fifty USC students toured Navy ships as part of METRANS’ first field trip excursion of Fall 2016, boarding both the retired Battleship USS Iowa and the active USS America Museum during the annual LA Fleet Week event on the San Pedro waterfront on Saturday, September 3, 2016. The students first received a private, 90-minute guided tour of the USS Iowa, a decommissioned 887-foot U.S. Navy battleship notable for its roles in WWII and the Korean War, and then a 40-minute guided tour of the USS America, an 844-foot active amphibious assault ship launched by the Navy in 2012. The trip included a complimentary lunch and countless opportunities for students to speak with active military officials about their knowledge of these vessels.

Field trip transit riders waiting at the 37^th St Metro Silver Line station, en route to the Fleet Week site in San Pedro. Photo by Griffin Kantz.

The students traveled in groups to downtown San Pedro by carpool and public transit, with coordination and cost reimbursement by METRANS.  When they arrived at the Port, students boarded the USS Iowa and were given a historical introduction to the Iowa by Iowa staff, then were led on a detailed tour of the ship. Students had the opportunity to walk the main deck, examine artillery installations, explore the crew and captain’s quarters and operating areas, and navigate the extensive interior mess hall. Unique highlights of this tour included witnessing the admiral’s bridge and the custom bathtub installed for Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wartime journey across the Atlantic in 1943.

Students observing preserved ballistic ammunition on board the Iowa, with narration courtesy of experienced museum staff. Photo by Yihao Xia, MSEE student.

Lunch separated the Iowa and Fleet Week tours. From Iowa, students traveled outside as a group toward the USS America, docked just north,  where METRANS Associate Director Victoria Deguzman and METRANS student assistants distributed sandwiches, snacks, and water. Students briefly dispersed to enjoy their food, and then met one final time at the security entrance to LA Fleet Week to prepare for the final tour, arranged specifically for the student attendees by Naval Colonel Christopher J. Michelsen and Commander Julito T. Antolin.

Naval Chief Select Scorza and Chief Perry greeted the group and welcomed the students to LA Fleet Week and to the USS America. They guided the students on board the ship via the interior hangar deck, where active crewmembers gave hands-on demonstrations of armored land vehicles and combat gear. On the flight deck, students had the opportunity to tour numerous different aircraft including AV-8B Harrier IIs, MV-22B Ospreys, and AH-1Z Viper helicopters. Students commented that they were enthralled to have such a unique hands-on experience.

After this second tour, field trip attendees gathered for a concluding group photo on the America’s flight deck, then dispersed into travel groups to return to the USC campus area by transit and carpool. The students arrived at their destinations by late afternoon.

Students marveling at the amphibious assault ship USS America before boarding for the day’s second tour. Photo by Jimmy Mai.

IPPAM student Friezca Rara Juta posing with a Marine in front of a UH-1Y Venom helicopter on the America. Photo by Griffin Kantz.

The field trip as a whole garnered positive feedback from attendees. Yifan Chen, an MPA student, found it “very informative.”  “I really learned a lot from this experience!” she added.  Amir Eftekharian, a Ph.D. student in Civil Engineering, called experience event “truly inspiring.”

METRANS would like to extend its sincere gratitude to Colonel Christopher J. Michelsen, Commander Julito T. Antolin, Chief Select Scorza, and Chief Perry for their assistance in coordinating this field trip. Thanks are also owed to the staff of the Battleship USS Iowa Museum and LA Fleet Week for preparing an entertaining and educational experience for our student attendees.

Facing forward from the admiral’s bridge of the USS Iowa. Photo by Yifan Chen, USC MPA.

Griffin Kantz

Kantz is a third-year undergraduate studying sustainable planning in the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. He can be reached at [email protected].