The Palos Verdes peninsula is near the San Pedro cruise
terminal. It is where Jack Kramer established the Jack Kramer Tennis Club; where
Tracy Austin grew up in Rolling Hills; where Lindsey Davenport grew up in Palos
Verdes; and where Pete Sampras honed his game as an adolescent, also in Palos Verdes. We hit at
the Ernie Howlett Park public courts in Rolling Hills.
After tennis, we got badly needed haircuts before visiting the US Iowa, the most advanced US battleship ever built. Along with her sister ships the Missouri, Wisconsin and New Jersey, she was obsolete as a surface combatant the day she was launched in 1942. Nevertheless, she excelled in roles such as VIP transport, taking FDR to summits with Churchill and Stalin; and shelling shore installations during WWII, Korea and Vietnam.
The Iowa’s 16 inch guns fired 16 inch, 2500 pound projectiles up to 25 miles; not only with great accuracy, but also with the ability to penetrate a 30 inch thick concrete bunker.
Would you believe we saw a demonstration firing? No? Well, would you believe our pictures were taken in front of a green screen and superimposed over the Iowa in action? This is Hollywood.
Here the Iowa’s aft guns are trained on the Interstate 110 overpass at point blank range. Do not even think about tailgating.
The Iowa is quite
impressive; easily three or four time larger than the Oceania Insignia. Although smaller than the new
mega-cruise ships like Oasis of the Seas.
Tomorrow: San Diego and more tennis.
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