Don,
The only Battleship that could've possibly have fit that date would have been the
USS IOWA. It was struck from the Fleet Reserve roster for the last time in 2005. In 2006 it's status was changed to Donation Status, several cities had vied for it and dropped out until Los Angeles, Ca. finally met all the requirements to acquire it. The
IOWA museum was opened to the public in Dec. 2011. But we sit here at the end of 2014; so the historical record cannot be denied at this point, that being said and with the official naval record provided below, the last effective date the 16 inch guns were available for naval use would've been
31 March 1992 when the last battleship on active service the
USS MISSOURI was Decommissioned for the last time.
That is the date I would use. You must understand unless there is a direct transfer of a U.S. Naval ship to a foreign power (And even then they get decommissioned and stripped of all sensitive and classified equipment.) the process is even more extensive for a decommissioned ship in the "mothball fleet". But they are maintained fully until donated, scrapped or at rare times sold. All surviving ex-USN Battleships are in MUSEUM STATUS.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/b...ps/bb-list.asp
http://www.pacificbattleship.com/
For the folks that understand Naval customs...my connection with the USS MISSOURI is that my retirement flag (Given to me on the
USS PROVIDENCE SSN-719 when I transferred.) after being flown at four other locations was in the home stretch to getting back to me for my retirement ceremony in mid-July 2002. In mid-May 2002 they flew my flag and sent it back to me. Well I received the wrong flag as mine indicated on the white border the dates and locations of the previous sites. We would find out that three flags were flown that day two for funerals and my retirement one. So someone was buried or cremated with my flag
I just hope they were Navy, a Marine or Army veteran sent to his maker in a Naval Flag would never live that down in Heaven!?! Anyway after several calls they felt the only way to make it right was to pull a flag from the
MISSOURI flag locker, I was honored by this gesture given the ships history (The Japanese surrendered to Gen. MacArthur on this ship in WWII.). They resent the flag to the previous locations and on to the
USS ARIZONA Memorial and finally
Gettysburg where it flew on
July 4th 2002. I look at it
with pride everyday in my "Shadow Box".
Have a Merry Christmas with many happy wishes of the season to all!
Regards,
Pat
