Battleship IOWA Engineering Guided Tour with Self-Guided Experience

Go below deck on Battleship IOWA for a 2.5-hour guided engineering tour plus a 2-hour self-guided IOWA Experience with Wi-Fi access.

Getting started

Enter Battleship IOWA using your ticketed admission and step aboard to begin your visit. After check-in, you join your dedicated crew member for the Guided Engineering Tour, which starts below deck. Wear closed-toe shoes and be prepared for ladders, tight spaces, and grated decks during this physically demanding experience.

What to expect

Battleship IOWA

This experience takes place entirely on Battleship IOWA, from deep engineering spaces below deck to historical exhibits spread across five decks. Across roughly 4.5 hours, you first follow a structured Guided Engineering Tour, then continue at your own pace on the Self-Guided IOWA Experience.

Features

• The Guided Engineering Tour, approximately 2.5 hours, leads you into behind-the-scenes engineering spaces that powered what is described as the most innovative battleship of WWII. You traverse areas normally closed to the public, including the Anchor Windlass Room, Engine Rooms, Boiler Rooms, After-Steering Station, and the Oil and Water Testing Labs.
• Along the route, you learn how the ship’s eight boilers and four steam turbines generated 212,000 shaft horsepower. Your dedicated crew member shares stories of sailors’ service and ingenuity that bring these complex engineering systems to life as you move through them.
• After the guided portion, your Self-Guided IOWA Experience, approximately 2 hours, covers five decks of exhibits. You explore historical displays, presidential stories, sailor life, and a scavenger hunt for kids at your own pace, using the ship’s Wi-Fi as needed during your visit.
• Entry to Battleship IOWA and the full combination of the Guided Engineering Tour, 2.5 hours, and the Self-Guided IOWA Experience, 2 hours, are included with your ticket. Complimentary Wi-Fi is provided on board, while parking fees and any food and drinks are not included.

Wrapping up

When you finish the Guided Engineering Tour, you are free to remain on Battleship IOWA for the Self-Guided IOWA Experience until you have completed the exhibits across the five decks, then you can depart the ship at your convenience.