At the time I was gung ho Air Force and was not really not interested in a Naval Career, but as I entered the Turret for the first time and saw how incredible and overwhelmingly massive it was, I stated to both that "I could do this". My Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster were both former Navy and as we were touring the ship, we went into the Number 3 Turret. That Summer I stayed aboard the USS Alabama Museum in Mobile Bay as a Boy Scout. The funny story behind my service on the Iowa goes back to 1984. I served aboad the USS Iowa in Turret 3 from June of 1987 until September of 1990. My father lived long enough to see the IOWA in her new role as a museum, and he rested easier knowing that she was not moth balled, but instead being revered in the manor which she so deserved. Ringing out six bells, then one, six bells, then one. Sometimes he would man the ship's bell when the fog drifted in, covering her massive hull, her 16 inch guns, the silhouette of the mighty Big Stick. Whether he was swabbing the deck, setting gun sights, or acting as the Captain's Talker, he was honored to serve in the United States NAVY. He was on board when she was launched, when she squeezed through the Panama Canal, for her first Equator crossing, as she carried President Roosevelt to the Tehran Conference (and back), when she tangled with Typon Cobra, when she was missed by a Kamikaze plane, as she earned her Battle Stars and for the surrender in Tokyo Bay. The first time he saw her in the Brooklyn NAVY Yard he said that he was never prouder, to know that he would soon be up on her deck. A Seaman 1st Class, he served from 1942-1946. My father, James H Conroy Jr was an IOWA Plank Owner. My memories of USS IOWA will last a lifetime! I can't tell you how proud I am to have served with so many fine shipmates, aboard the finest ship in the Fleet. I can recall several occasions, overseas, when throngs of people were lined up on the pier, waiting for a chance to come aboard and tour one of the most powerful warships on the planet. Whenever she dropped anchor in a foreign port, she elicited the respect of the local population. Her profile was sleek and awe-inspiring, and she bristled with authority. I was thrilled, and jumped at the opportunity! I was truly privileged to have been a member of her crew, from 1988 until she was decommissioned, in 1990. It was well worth the effort as, after meeting with him, I was offered a Master-at-Arms billet aboard USS IOWA. to negotiate my last sea duty assignment with my Detailer.
In 1988, I made a special trip to Washington, D.C. USS IOWA was my last sea duty assignment before my retirement, in 1992. Navy afforded me far more opportunities for world travel than I ever would have realized in the Marine Corps (at least to desirable locations). I have to say, however, that my years in the U.S. Marine, having enlisted at age 17, in 1969. I spent the first ten years of my military career as a U.S. Our time on the Med cruise was awesome, getting paid to go halfway around the world.
It might sound cliche, but we were all brothers, not just shipmates. My time on the Big Stick had ups and downs, but it has helped me become a better person.
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The guys seemed to really get along and they knew how to have fun. I reported onboard Septemand from the beginning, this ship seemed different.
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I was set to be released to full duty at the end of August and I was offered a billet on the Iowa out of Norfolk. In October of 1987 I was diagnosed with bunions and sent in November for surgery and another in April of 1988. It was an impressive sight, and I never thought I would have a chance to serve on a battleship. It was a nice ship and I can remember doing an un-rep with the Wisconsin and I thought that it was cool riding alongside those big guns. I joined in 1986 and went to RTC Great Lakes, and was there until February 1987 when I went to my first ship, the USS Mt.
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