A half-million-dollar gift from the Timken Foundation is giving Battleship IOWA’s education mission a significant boost, and could put San Pedro’s iconic warship at the center of a new pipeline for maritime engineers.
Pacific Battleship Center announced the $500,000 grant this week, earmarked for the development of an Engineering Career Track within the National Museum of the Surface Navy experience aboard the ship. The track will use immersive, interactive environments to connect visitors—particularly students—with the engineering systems that powered the Iowa-class battleship and that continue to drive modern naval vessels.
The Timken Foundation’s investment isn’t purely philanthropic coincidence. The Timken Company has supplied bearings to the U.S. Navy for generations and today manufactures the majority of reduction gears used in modern naval shipbuilding. Though the foundation operates independently from the company, the shared legacy of naval engineering gives the gift a certain resonance. “The engineering career track project developed at the Pacific Battleship Center is consistent with that commitment,” foundation president Robert Timken said in a statement, “and also allows the foundation to honor those who served aboard the USS Iowa during the ship’s commission.”
The full project carries a price tag of roughly $1.4 million. Timken’s gift represents the lead funding needed to get it moving, with Pacific Battleship Center now actively seeking additional partners to close the gap. Completion is targeted for the end of 2026.
For San Pedro, the stakes extend beyond the museum experience. The battleship welcomes more than 300,000 visitors annually, and the new track is designed specifically to spark interest in engineering among young people, a goal that aligns with broader regional efforts to build out the Harbor Area’s maritime workforce. The Timken Foundation has supported the Pacific Batteship Center with roughly $100,000 in prior grants since 2019; this gift represents a substantial escalation in that relationship.
More information on educational programming aboard Battleship IOWA is available at pacificbattleship.com. spt
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