Fort Story in Virginia Beach, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Movement and Display of the USS Iowa Battleship Barrel at Cape Henry/Fort Story

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 13, 2025

1. Movement and Display of the USS Iowa Battleship Barrel at Cape Henry/Fort Story Marker

Inscription.

Movement and Display of the USS Iowa Battleship Barrel at Cape Henry/Fort Story. . , The Veteran's Association of USS Iowa (www.ussiowavetassn.com) and the Coast Defense Study Group (www.cdsg.org), in partnership with U.S. Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, arranged the movement and display of the historic USS Iowa 16-inch Battleship Barrel at JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, next to the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. The move involved transporting the nearly 7-foot, 120-ton barrel from St. Juliens Creek Annex, Chesapeake, VA, with a layover in Portsmouth for treating and coating the barrel and cradle. Additionally, concrete foundations were constructed at the Cape Henry site, while stanchions for two 16-inch projectiles were fabricated., After several years of planning, the USS Iowa Battleship Barrel #270L moved on May 22, 2023, on a special heavy-duty trailer and prime mover through the streets and highways of Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach from the Marine Specialty Painting facility in Portsmouth to where it is now displayed. The barrel and cradle were placed on its concrete foundations using a special heavy lift gantry crane. Two 16-inch Mark 9 target projectiles are also on display., Displaying the barrel at Fort Story saved this historic barrel from being scrapped and honors USS Iowa veterans who served on this battleship during world war two, the Korean War, and the Cold War, as well as all the U.S. Navy veterans who served on ships homeported in the Hampton Roads area. This display also recognizes the U.S. Army's role in providing coastal defenses at Fort Story during World War II. Similar 16-inch barrels were emplaced here during the war in locations as close as 400 yards from this display site., The CDSG and USS Iowa Veterans thank the following organizations for their strong support of this Navy heritage project: US Navy, CDSG, USS Iowa Veterans, Barnhart Crane, Marine Specialty Painting, E.T. Grisham and Co., Leidos Holdings, Pacific Battleship Center, D.W. Boyd Corporation, Bay Metals and Fabrications, MEB General Contractors, QED Systems, Collins Machine Shop, Kapani Holdings, Mahan Collection Foundation, Seaside Staffing, Hampton Rubber Co., Propeller Club Port of Norfolk, Preservation Virginia, Fulton Bank, and City of Virginia Beach TIP Fund., [Caption:] , At left, Barnhart's 120-wheeled trailer and heavy-duty truck move Barrel #270L and cradle from St. Juliens Creek Annex, while Barrel #270L is shown as above as it was stored since the 1980's (McGovern Collection)., Source: Terry McGovern, CDSG

The Veteran's Association of USS Iowa (www.ussiowavetassn.com) and the Coast Defense Study Group (www.cdsg.org), in partnership with U.S. Navy Region Mid-Atlantic, arranged the movement and display of the historic USS Iowa 16-inch Battleship Barrel at JEB Little Creek-Fort Story, next to the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse. The move involved transporting the nearly 7-foot, 120-ton barrel from St. Juliens Creek Annex, Chesapeake, VA, with a layover in Portsmouth for treating and coating the barrel and cradle. Additionally, concrete foundations were constructed at the Cape Henry site, while stanchions for two 16-inch projectiles were fabricated.

After several years of planning, the USS Iowa Battleship Barrel #270L moved on May 22, 2023, on a special heavy-duty trailer and prime mover through the streets and highways of Chesapeake, Norfolk and Virginia Beach from the Marine Specialty Painting facility in Portsmouth to where it is now displayed. The barrel and cradle were placed on its concrete foundations using a special heavy lift gantry crane. Two 16-inch Mark 9 target projectiles are also on display.

Displaying the barrel at Fort Story saved this historic barrel from being scrapped and honors USS Iowa veterans who served on this battleship during WWII, the Korean War, and the Cold War, as well as all the U.S. Navy

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veterans who served on ships homeported in the Hampton Roads area. This display also recognizes the U.S. Army's role in providing coastal defenses at Fort Story during World War II. Similar 16-inch barrels were emplaced here during the war in locations as close as 400 yards from this display site.

The CDSG and USS Iowa Veterans thank the following organizations for their strong support of this Navy heritage project: US Navy, CDSG, USS Iowa Veterans, Barnhart Crane, Marine Specialty Painting, E.T. Grisham & Co., Leidos Holdings, Pacific Battleship Center, D.W. Boyd Corporation, Bay Metals & Fabrications, MEB General Contractors, QED Systems, Collins Machine Shop, Kapani Holdings, Mahan Collection Foundation, Seaside Staffing, Hampton Rubber Co., Propeller Club Port of Norfolk, Preservation Virginia, Fulton Bank, and City of Virginia Beach TIP Fund.

[Caption:]
At left, Barnhart's 120-wheeled trailer and heavy-duty truck move Barrel #270L and cradle from St. Juliens Creek Annex, while Barrel #270L is shown as above as it was stored since the 1980's (McGovern Collection).

Source: Terry McGovern, CDSG

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Forts and Castles • War, World II • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is May 22, 2023.

Location.

Markers at the entrance to the Cape Henry Lighthouse image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), June 13, 2025

2. Markers at the entrance to the Cape Henry Lighthouse

36° 55.514′ N, 76° 0.445′ W. Marker is in Virginia Beach, Virginia. It is in Fort Story. It is on Antic Avenue west of Attu Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 583 Sicily Rd, Virginia Beach VA 23459, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Hampton Roads,

specifically in Coastal Virginia,

and in the Hampton Roads Metropolitan Area.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Tidewater.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: WW2 16-inch/50 Coast Defense Batteries at Fort Story (here, next to this marker); 16-inch/50 Caliber Gun Mark VII - Mod No. 270L (a few steps from this marker); "A picturesque spot which impresses all who see it" (a few steps from this marker); Expanding Military Operations at Fort Story (a few steps from this marker); The Cottages of Cape Henry at Fort Story (a few steps from this marker); The Guns of Fort Story / Fort Story Rises from the Dunes (a few steps from this marker); Into the 21st Century / The Amphibians Arrive (within shouting distance of this marker); The Emerging Community / Defending the Chesapeake Bay (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Virginia Beach.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 167 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 21, 2025, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.