Revving it up onboard the Battleship Iowa for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary in 2026

Celebrants aboard the Battleship USS Iowa in San Pedro gathered on Monday, April 22, to kick off what is an ongoing  three-year-long celebration of the birth of the United Sates, culminating on July 4, 2026.

The rollout locally of the Semiquincentennial anniversary marking the nation’s birth — and the beginnings of the U.S. Navy —  was hosted by the Point Vicente chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Staged onboard the World War II battleship on San Pedro’s waterfront, the preliminary celebration featured speeches, awards, the Los Angeles Fife & Drums, a brass band, water displays by Los Angeles Fire Department port fireboats, and a Tiger Squadron salute fly-by.

Festivities also marked the anniversary, in 2023, of the Boston Tea Party.

Participating were the JROTC members from local schools and Sea Cadets from programs throughout the South Bay.

U.S. Navy and Marine veterans also were on hand, as was “George Washington” and Navy Rear Admiral Mike Shatynski.

On July 4, 2026, the nation will commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Alta Graham, a member of the Point Vicente chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution said that national effort will include events designed to remind and educate attendees about the nation’s history.

“In each generation, we need to focus on preserving and protecting our wonderful country and to be aware of our past,” she said.

The timeframe also will coincide with the USS Battleship Iowa’s plans so create and open the nation’s only museum dedicated to the Surface Navy onboard the ship.

U.S. Navy and Marine veterans were on hand for Monday’s events, as was “George Washington” (Peter M. Small) and Navy Rear Admiral Mike Shatynski.

The America250 celebration is “a nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in commemorating the 250th anniversary of our country. This multi-year effort, from now through July 4, 2026, is an opportunity to pause and reflect on our nation’s past, honor the contributions of all Americans, and look ahead toward the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.”

Congress established the nonpartisan U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016 to plan the anniversary events.

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