LA Fleet Week — Battleship USS Iowa Events

LA Fleet Week’s main festival and ship-tour program opened Friday, May 22, at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, with the Battleship USS IOWA Museum serving as the center of the public event. Organizers say the free Memorial Day weekend program runs through Monday, May 25, and combines active-duty ship tours, military demonstrations, aircraft flyovers, competitions and family activities. The Pacific Battleship Center’s event listing says the EXPO footprint at the battleship is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., while Battleship IOWA museum tours run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ### Where is the USS IOWA in all of this? Battleship USS IOWA is both a museum and the hub of the LA Fleet Week festival grounds at 250 South Harbor Boulevard in San Pedro, according to the museum’s event page. The main EXPO sits adjacent to the ship, and organizers describe the waterfront area around the battleship as the center of the public festival. (pacificbattleship.com) The museum said its own ship remains open during Fleet Week under normal daytime hours, but some add-on tours are being handled differently during the holiday weekend. The Presidents Tour, Engineering Tour, Gun Tour and Escape the Mothball Fleet experience are not available for advance reservation during the May 22-25 period and instead are being sold on-site on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the museum’s visitor notice. (pacificbattleship.com) ### Which ships can visitors actually board this weekend? LA Fleet Week organizers said free public tours are being offered on USS Essex, the Coast Guard cutter Halibut and the Coast Guard cutter Terrell Horne. A May 15 fleet announcement said USS Essex is berthed in the Outer Harbor, while Halibut and Terrell Horne are docked near the Los Angeles Maritime Museum in the downtown harbor area. (pacificbattleship.com) The Port of Los Angeles said active-duty ship tours run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Friday, May 22, through Monday, May 25. The fleet website says Navy ship tours require visitors to enter a digital queue before joining the shuttle line, while the two Coast Guard cutters are within walking distance of the festival area and do not require that digital queue. (lafleetweek.com) ### What is happening around the ship besides tours? The LA Fleet Week EXPO next to Battleship IOWA includes more than 90 military and first-responder exhibits, according to the Port of Los Angeles. Organizers also list military displays, equipment demonstrations, live entertainment, food vendors, military band performances and competitions including Galley Wars and Military Has Talent. (portoflosangeles.org) The event calendar shows Battleship IOWA tours scheduled daily during the festival, with additional weekend programming layered around them. Sunday’s calendar includes a dodgeball tournament, and Monday’s schedule lists a Memorial Day observance and closing ceremony from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Expo main stage. ### What do visitors need to know before they show up? (portoflosangeles.org) LA Fleet Week’s FAQ says all adults need a valid government-issued photo ID to board Navy ships, and non-U.S. citizens must present a valid passport and undergo additional screening. The same page says photocopies of IDs are not accepted. The fleet website says the only way to board an active-duty Navy ship in the Outer Harbor is by shuttle bus. (lafleetweek.com) Maps and parking guidance posted by organizers direct visitors either to the main EXPO footprint by Battleship IOWA or to a remote lot near 22nd Street and Miner Street, with free trolley and shuttle service operating during the event. ### Is the Battleship IOWA doing anything separately from the main festival? (lafleetweek.com) The museum said active-duty service members and veterans receive free admission to Battleship IOWA during Fleet Week with ID. The museum also advertises an “IOWA Express Experience,” a paid add-on that includes a scheduled shuttle time for Navy ship tours, admission to Battleship IOWA and access to a VIP lounge onboard. (lafleetweek.com) May 25 is the final day of the 2026 event, according to the fleet and museum schedules. Organizers say the most current schedules, maps, parking instructions, FAQ guidance and day-of tour queue information are posted on the LA Fleet Week and Battleship USS IOWA event pages. (pacificbattleship.com) (pacificbattleship.com)