Gaming company builds interactive visitor experiences on USS Iowa in LA

• Details
• Category: Maritime
• Published on Sunday, 24 June 2012 07:26
• Written by Wargaming America
• Hits: 1015

The battleship USS Iowa has made its final voyage to its new home in the Port of Los Angeles and Wargaming America has been hard at work creating virtual battle scenarios for future USS Iowa visitors to enjoy. The battleship is set to become a museum in July, and Wargaming is bringing its history to life by creating a bridge experience and an aerial combat game that will live on the ship and showcase its firepower and aerial defenders in action.

In the ship's below-deck digital theater, Wargaming America will offer a virtual video experience from the bridge recreating the ship's role in supporting the American landings at Okinawa, Japan, in 1945. Visitors will see the ship's impressive turrets as its 16-inch guns rotate and fire at their targets.

In addition, Wargaming is developing a game room on board the ship that will put visitors in Grumman F6F Hellcat warplanes to defend the USS Iowa from attack by Imperial Japanese Zero fighters. There will be 15 defense stations.

The USS Iowa is the only ship in her class to serve in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans during World War II. She served through the Korean War and Cold War and was decommissioned in 1990. She's known as the Battleship of Presidents because her many notable visitors include Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. The ship was officially donated by the U.S. Navy to the Pacific Battleship Center on September 6, 2011, and will open as an interactive naval museum in the Port of Los Angeles at Berth 87, San Pedro in July.

"The USS Iowa is such an important piece of U.S. Naval history and we're extremely proud to be able to sponsor it," said Jeremy Monroe, General Manager, Wargaming America. The North American publisher and service center of the award-winning global video game developer and publisher is committed to working with U.S. causes and organizations that preserve and educate on military history. In addition to its partnership with the USS Iowa, the company has worked with the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation in Portola, Calif., and the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, La., on military history and education initiatives.

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