NORFOLK, Va. — A ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk Friday morning honored the lives lost aboard the USS Iowa.
With dozens gathered at Iowa point, the location of the USS Iowa Memorial, the Navy hymn was sung.
It was not the first time, however, a ceremony had been held.
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Mary Messina was there for her brother.
“It’s important to remember he was a person who was part of our family," Messina said.
On April 19, 1989 an explosion in gun turret two on the ship and subsequent fire killed Messina’s brother and 46 other sailors.
Messina remembers when she heard about the explosion.
“At the time, I was pregnant. I had felt my daughter move for the first time. I was on my way over to tell my mother and, unfortunately, I heard that," Messina said, visibly emotional.
At the time of the tragedy, the ship was based in Norfolk.
Messina didn’t speak during the ceremony, but family members of other sailors who died did.
"I lost one brother, but I gained a whole family," one woman said, gesturing to the crowd.
Iowa veterans, including one who was tasked with going into the turret and helping respond to the explosion, also spoke.
“I felt like I was imposing on their peace," the man said. "No other way to say it. Erie feeling.”
According to the Navy, the ship saw action in World War II and the Korean War and was brought back into service in the 1980s after being unused for over 20 years. It was decommissioned for the third and final time in 1990.
In 2012, it became a Navy ship museum in California.
In 2023, after a years-long restoration effort, a gun barrel from the battleship was moved to Fort Story where it remains as a permanent memorial.
One woman read a letter written by an Iowa veteran to the current Chief of Naval Operations, expressing continued frustration and what he wants done.
“Many hundreds of the crew and their families continue today to wrestle with the personal impact of the accident and Navy’s follow up," the woman said. "Please consider steps to help these shipmates and families recover their pride on their service on the ship and the Navy and connect, where needed, to VA and other support services.”
Other veterans also feel frustrated, and remind people to never forget.
“Keep all their family members and shipmates in your prayers and your heart," Iowa veteran Mark Gustafson said.
