Trump Picks WWII Battleship in L.A. for Defense Speech [LIVE THREAD]

Times of San Diego ^ | September 15, 2015 | Chris Jennewein

[Red Steel]

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump picked a World War II-era battleship in San Pedro as a backdrop to share his views Tuesday about national security.

Trump’s appearance, organized by Veterans for a Strong America, is expected to draw more than 1,000 attendees to the top deck of the USS Iowa, which has been docked in Los Angeles as a nonprofit tourist attraction, community gathering space and educational museum since 2012.

The Iowa was launched in 1942 and recommissioned in 1984 during the military build up at the end of the Cold War. In April 1989, an explosion of undetermined origin wrecked her No. 2 gun turret, killing 47 sailors.

ome critics contend Trump’s visit — on the eve of the CNN Republican candidate debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library — is not an appropriate use of the battleship. An online petition, “Tell the USS Iowa: We Don’t Want Trump in San Pedro,” had garnered more than 3,500 signatures as of late last week from area residents calling for the event to be canceled.

“This battleship is part of American history and should not allow a man who has injured and insulted a significant portion of the Los Angeles community,” wrote Gabriela Lopez of San Pedro, who started the petition on Change.org. “We are for freedom of speech, however this ship represents freedom, equality and justice; terms that do not align with Mr. Trump’s political views.”

“We are not taking sides — this is neutral ground,” Williams said. “Our number one goal is to be a community platform, and freedom of speech is a great thing, whether that’s from Trump or from protestors. We are happy people are talking.”

This is the first time Veterans for a Strong America has used the battleship, which rents out and hosts a variety of events throughout the year, from free community movie nights and a veterans’ job fair to corporate events that can be much larger in scale than Trump’s appearance, Williams said.

Registration and advance payment is required for those interested in attending the event. For details, visit www.veteransforamerica.org.

[Jane Long]

BTTT.

Will have to watch a replay :(

Will come back to this thread for all of the IMPORTANT highlights :)

Thanks for the thread and link(s).

[GraceG]

[ But critics contend Trump’s visit is not an appropriate use of the battleship, which is docked in L.A. as a nonprofit tourist attraction. ]

As opposed to Air Force One being used by a LAME DUCK president being used to take him to DEM-O-RAT fundraisers.....

[Califreak]

BFL

[RKBA Democrat]

Dear critics: eff off.

Sincerely, RKBA Democrat.

[rdl6989]

The Navy determined a gay suicidal sailor caused the explosion, but even back then there was pressure find another cause.

[Fred Hayek]

And it was a mechanical analog computer as well! The digital fire control computers even from the eighties could not match it!

[dforest]

The critics whine that Trump never gives people details. Frankly, he is the only one who has.

He also does the whole policy thing in ENGLISH!

Novel approach!

[JediJones]

Terrorists were warmer and cuddlier in the '80s.

[TomGuy]

Live streams are showing the ship. Doesn’t look like more than a half-dozen showed up.

MSM will be broadcasting that in their headlines.

:)

[Paladin2]

" a mechanical analog computer"

Well, THAT explains why is was so hugh...

I thought there were real time radar inputs though.

[TomGuy]

Just saw a couple of large birds do a fly-by. Probably with cameras to relay info back to the GOPElites.

[NKP_Vet]

http://www.pacificbattleship.com/awards-commendations

The old gal saw a lot of combat. God bless the sailors that had the pleasure of serving aboard her and God bless the ones that never made it back home. Your memory will live forever.

http://www.ussiowa.org/general/html/detail.htm#WWII

[NKP_Vet]

http://www.pacificbattleship.com/awards-commendations

The old gal saw a lot of combat. God bless the sailors that had the pleasure of serving aboard her and God bless the ones that never made it back home. Your memory will live forever.

http://www.ussiowa.org/general/html/detail.htm#WWII

[Red Steel]

It started earlier than I thought.

[Red Steel]

It started earlier than I thought.

Never mind that's the insert screen from the Dallas rally.

;^)

[tanknetter]

... Balls out Iowa at speed well above stated in the manual ... during high power maneuvers in shallow waters of Chesapeake Bay, VA, 19 Nov 1985

W ... T ... F????

By 1985 had the USN completely forgotten Thimble Shoals???

[SteveAustin]

Please post any radio stream links if you know of them. Hoping to listen in car.

I think KABC 790 in LA might carry it in iheart but not sure

[tanknetter]

Keep in mind that the Iowa has a history of being a friendly place for Republicans.

For Democrats? Not so much:

Don't Shoot, We're Republicans!

"Down on the torpedo mounts, the crew watched, waiting to take some practice shots of their own at the big battleship, which even though 6,000 yards away, seemed to blot out the horizen. Lawton Dawson and Tony Fazio were among those responsible for the torpedoes. Part of their job involved ensuring that the primers were installed during actual combat and removed during practice. Once a primer was installed, on a command to fire, it would explode shooting the torpedo out of its tube.

"Dawson, on this particular morning, unfortunately had forgotten to remove the primer from torpedo tube #3. Up on the bridge, a new torpedo officer, unaware of the danger, ordered a simulated firing. Fire 1, Fire 2 and finally Fire 3. There was no fire 4 as the sequence was interrupted by an unmistakable "whoooooooshhhhing" sound made by a successfully launched and armed torpedo.

"Lt H. Steward Lewis, who witnessed the entire event, later described the next few minutes as what hell would look like if it ever broke loose. Just after he saw the torpedo hit the water, on its way to the IOWA and some of the most prominent figures in world history, Lewis innocently asked the Captain., "did you give permission to fire a torpedo?"

...

Meanwhile, on IOWAs bridge, word of the torpedo firing had reached FDR, who asked that his wheelchair be moved to the railing so he could see better what was coming his way. His loyal Secret Service guard immediately drew his pistol as if he was going to shoot the torpedo.

"As the IOWA began evasive maneuvers, all of her guns were trained on the WILLIAM D PORTER. There was now some thought that the PORTER was part of an assassination plot. Within moments of the warning, there was a tremendous explosion just behind the battleship. The torpedo had been detonated by the wash kicked up by the battleship's increased speed. The crisis was over and so was Captain Walker's career. His final utterance to the IOWA, in response to a question about the origin of the torpedo, was a weak, "We did it."

"Shortly thereafter, the brand new destroyer, her Captain and the entire crew were placed under arrest and sent to Bermuda for trial. It was the first time that a complete ship's company had been arrested in the history of the U.S. Navy. The ship was surrounded by Marines when it docked in Bermuda, and held there several days as the closed session inquiry attempted to determine what had happened. Torpedoman Dawson eventually confessed to having inadvertently left the primer in the torpedo tube, which caused the launching. Dawson had thrown the used primer over the side to conceal his mistake.

"The whole incident was chalked up to an unfortunate set of circumstances and placed under a cloak of secrecy. Someone had to be punished. Captain Walker and several other PORTER officers and Sailors eventually found themselves in obscure shore assignments. Dawson was sentenced to 14-years hard labor. President Roosevelt intervened; however, asking that no punishment be meted out for what was clearly an accident.

"The destroyer was banished to the upper Aleutians. It was probably thought this was as safe a place as any for the ship and anyone who came near her. She remained in the frozen north for almost a year, until late 1944, when she was re-assigned to the Western Pacific.

"Before leaving the Aleutians, she accidentally left her calling card in the form of a 5-inch shell fired into the front yard of the American Base Commander, thus re-arranging his flower garden.

[TomGuy]

Headlines:

Trump gives major foreign policy address from aboard USS IOWA.

¡Yeb! to give major foreign policy address from Taco Bell parking lot.

[US_MilitaryRules]

That is a bada$$ picture. Would love to see a movie of this.