Q. We are concerned that the IOWA will lose its identity during the National Museum of the Surface Navy transition. Will this happen?

A. Our roots are with the Battleship IOWA, which is why we have named the museum the National Museum of the Surface Navy at the Battleship IOWA. We will never lose this identity and instead see the IOWA as one of the iconic ships that represents the Surface Navy. The IOWA is artifact #1 and it is a real world representation of the Surface Navy, as well as an in-situ environment in which it doesn’t need to be recreated in a building. Secondarily, by building it on board the IOWA we can ensure that the ship receives the level of attention it needs versus investing in a building and neglecting the ship. In our opinion, it is a win-win.