After decades of action and several stints in mothballs, the USS Iowa has found a new home in San Pedro, Calif., where she will become a museum. The Iowa, one of America's last battleships, has a storied past that includes tours in World War II, Korea, and the Cold War.

She was the first of four fast battleships built during World War II, giving the name "Iowa" to her class.  "The Iowas were the fastest U.S. battleships at [40 mph]," said Paul Stillwell, a naval historian who served aboard the New Jersey. And with nine 16-inch guns the Iowas were, in Stillwell's words, "beautiful, fast, awesome and inspiring."

Besides the Iowa and New Jersey, the other two completed in the class were the Missouri and the Wisconsin.

The Iowa was a monolith of war and power. As Stillwell points out, there was a time when disarmament conferences focused on battleships, not nuclear weapons.

PhotoBlog: Battleship USS Iowa finds a new home as a museum

"For the first half of the 20th century, they really were the embodiment of national power," Stillwell said.

Steven Louie / NBC News

A view from the USS Iowa approaching San Pedro, Calif.

But it didn't take long to notice the changing nature of warfare. Images of sailors at sea fighting broadside battles were quickly becoming a matter of nostalgia, the essence of a bygone era.

"The Iowa ended up not fulfilling the role that was expected of her -- to have gun duels with other battleships," Stillwell said.

But the Iowas also served a symbolic purpose, and they held a special place in their sailors' hearts. Intimidating, each visage held a daunting presence on the horizon all the way to Tokyo bay where Japanese officials boarded the USS Missouri to mark the end of World War II.

That moment, nearly 67 years ago, solidified the Missouri's place in history, but almost immediately it sparked a rivalry that would persist for the better part of a century.

U.S. Naval Institute

The USS Iowa fires its guns during a training exercise in the '80s.

"If [President Franklin] Roosevelt had lived, the peace treaty would have been signed on the Iowa," said WWII veteran John Wolfinbarger. "That was his baby."

And through the years that sailor's tale became anecdote, and anecdote became legend.

The Iowa was considered Roosevelt's ship, but he died months shy of Tokyo Bay, and, as many Iowa veterans contend, President Harry Truman, being a Missouri native, switched the flagships.

The Iowa's claim is just one of many, according to Stillwell.

"The people on the New Jersey have their own claim. The carrier Enterprise probably contributed more to the war effort than any other ship. She had a claim, and the answer is we'll never know," Stillwell said.

While this rivalry makes for a good story at the local Lion's Club, it also illustrates something innate -- the connection between sailor and ship.

"This ship is in my heart. It means so much to me and so many other people," said Michael McEngteggart, who served on the Iowa in the ‘80s and recently helped restore the ship before its final voyage to the Port of Los Angeles.

That connection has inspired countless veterans, family members and others to volunteer to help restore the USS Iowa to her former glory.

U.S. Naval Institute

The USS Iowa fires its guns in this historic Navy photo.

"It's been quite the experience, and it's like we're on a new mission again." McEngteggart said. 

The final journey began nearly 10 months ago when the Navy awarded the USS Iowa to the Pacific Battleship Center in San Pedro. And the museum, set to open July 7, is the culmination of years of hard work.

"We want the public to see, hear and feel what it was like to be a battleship sailor; that's our goal," said Robert Kent, president of the Pacific Battleship Center.

And for the sailors gathered in San Pedro for the Fourth of July ceremonies, it was a moment of great satisfaction, pride and thoughtful reflection.

"It brightened my life," said Alfred Hodder, who served on the Iowa in the ‘50s. "And it's wonderful that it's being made into a permanent museum so the public can understand and enjoy. In those days it was one of the great ships of the sea."

"When I served on the Iowa, it was the greatest experience I ever had," Wolfinbarger said. "The most important thing in the world to me is that the younger generations can go aboard that ship and see what it's like -- you know, it's not in a text book."

Andrew P Johnson / AP

Gabi Hogg, 7, and her mother Jenny Hogg share a moment before mounting a bike for the July Fourth Parade on Highway 77 in Panama City, Fla. Wednesday.

Millions of Americans headed for parades and fireworks shows on Wednesday to mark a sweltering Fourth of July holiday, some even celebrating as the nation's founders did -- without electricity.

Thunderstorms forced a brief delay in the annual Boston Pops concert and people on the Esplanade for the event were told to take shelter, NBC station WHDH of Boston reported. Two people were reported struck by lightning in south Boston around 11 p.m. but their conditions weren't known, boston.cbslocal.com reported.

CBS said three others were struck by lightning at Weirs Beach in Laconia, N.H., but their conditions weren't known.

Thunderstorms also threatened in the nation's capital, where thousands of visitors from across the continent took part in Independence Day celebrations. 

Hosting the 32nd annual Capitol Fourth, "Dancing with the Stars'" Tom Bergeron told the audience how he was feeling the heat, exclaiming at one point that he was "sweating standing still."

Despite the heat, the usual enormous crowds flocked to the Mall and monuments throughout the day. By 7 p.m., the lawn of the Capitol where the concert took place was about two-thirds filled. Men and women lined the steps of the Capitol building and filled the balconies. The Capitol Fourth Concert ended with fireworks behind the Washington Monument.

Elsewhere, storm-ravaged states from Indiana to Virginia carried on celebrations on Day 5 of a power outage caused by deadly winds ripping through the region. More than 735,000 homes and businesses remained affected and thousands of utility workers stayed on the job in a scramble to restore electricity.

Slideshow: Celebrating Fourth of July

Erik S. Lesser / EPA

Americans celebrate 236 years of independence with parades, fireworks, hot dogs and family fun.

Launch slideshow

"We still have a tree on the garage. It's been one of those weeks," said Gary Belniak, 57, of Wheaton, Ill., who has been without power since Sunday. His town canceled its parade and fireworks display.

Exhausted by three sleepless nights in a house where temperatures hover at about 90 degrees, Belniak said he had all but given up on the holiday.

"I decided to come to work today. That's basically my Fourth of July. I'm so irritated," he said.

In hard-hit West Virginia, Karen Allen said she planned to spend the holiday - her sixth day without power - hunting for ice.

"I'm going to go look for ice, cold gold is what it is, it's very scarce," said Allen, 43, of Charleston, W.Va.

Happy Fourth! Could you pass US citizenship test?

That warmth coupled with dry conditions snuffed out annual firework displays in scores of towns and cities in the West that are reeling from deadly wildfires that charred hundreds of homes and displaced tens of thousands of people.

On the East Coast, tragedy struck when a cache of fireworks apparently accidentally exploded on the back porch of a family home in New Hampshire on Tuesday night, injuring nine people, including two young children with life-threatening injuries, according to Pelham, N.H., firefighter Shawn Buckley. The children, both under age 4, were airlifted to Boston-area hospitals, according to Buckley.

'Orange mushroom cloud': Fireworks explosion injures 9 at New Hampshire home

Narrowsburg, N.Y.: The bald eagle, the very symbol of American independence, brought down the show in the hamlet on the Pennsylvania border. The local fire department canceled its planned fireworks display after being warned by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that it could face enormous fines and even prison if any nearby bald eagles were harmed. "We decided we're not going to take the gamble," said Fire Chief George Strumpfler, canceling the show that began more than 100 years ago. "It doesn't look like it's ever going to happen again."

Philadelphia: Ahead of a 5,000-participant parade and what was billed as the nation's largest free concert and fireworks display in the nation's birthplace , Mayor Michael Nutter led a ceremony including a military fly-over, readings from the Declaration of Independence and 13 people, representing the 13 original colonies, becoming naturalized U.S. citizens, NBCPhiladelphia.com reported. The Roots was the house band for the Philly 4th of July Jam on Wednesday evenng, with the band’s drummer, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson serving as musical director. The concert featuring Queen Latifah, Daryl Hall, Common and Joe Jonas and was followed by fireworks over the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Out of wildfire's ashes, a July 4 extravaganza rises

Chicago: The Windy City suffered through sweltering heat. The Navy Pier was the viewpoint for fireworks synchronized to music over Lake Michigan. The city-sponsored Grant Park show was canceled due to budget cuts.

Reuters, The Associated Press and msnbc.com's Jim Gold contributed to this article.  Follow Jim Gold at msnbc.com on Facebook here.

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Kiichiro Sato / AP

Fireworks explode over Lake Michigan Sunday, July 4, 2010, in Chicago.

Summer holidays may be a little quieter this year in some cash-strapped American cities, but others are taking steps to make sure fallen soldiers are remembered on Memorial Day and the nation's birth is celebrated with a bang on the Fourth of July.

New Rochelle, N.Y., last week announced it was canceling Independence Day fireworks costing it $75,000 and axing budgets for Memorial Day and Thanksgiving parades, which cost $30,000 each to put on, NBCNewYork.com reported. Private donors stepped up to keep the parades afloat, officials said. They are not so sure they can raise enough money in time to light up the skies July Fourth.

The city was one of several that announced fireworks cancellations recently. 

Public donations and corporate sponsorships pay for the fireworks in about 75 percent of the nation’s approximately 14,000 municipal displays during the week of Independence Day, Philip Butler, spokesman for Fireworks by Grucci, told msnbc.com. City and town governments -- taxpayers -- mainly pay for the events’ police and fire protection, he said. That's a change from the 1980s and '90s, he said, when more than 70 percent of the pyrotechnics were paid with government funds.

Grucci, which will put on 84 shows ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 each the week of July 4, was scheduled to put on the New Rochelle show, Butler said. Grucci will hold the town's reservation until June 1.

“It’s prevalent all across the country,” Butler said. “It’s a sin politicians pull budgets for entertainment -- and not just fireworks but events like summer concerts, too."

New Rochelle's financial problems mirror other cities' woes. Pension and health insurance costs rose while revenue from sales and property taxes dropped, officials said.

Gregory Minchak, National League of Cities spokesman, told msnbc.com that city budgets across the country are still being cut, although the pace has slowed.

City finances, largely driven by property taxes, lag even if the economy starts to improve, Minchak said. Property tax revenues fell when housing values dropped, he said, but it takes a while for higher assessments to kick in when values start to rise again.

“Any time you have high unemployment – the national rate was 8.1 percent in April – that also affects city finances,” Minchak said. Local governments lay off workers and people spend less in their communities, driving down sales-tax revenues.

But city finances won't keep bombs from bursting in the air everywhere.

"Communities will rally around their fireworks displays," said Stephen Vitale, president of New Castle, Penn.-based Pyrotecnico, which is putting on more than 650 Fourth of July fireworks displays. Vitale said the pyrotechnic industry is largely recession-proof.

Some communities save money by setting off fireworks on July 3 or on the weekends before or after the Fourth, lessening police and firefighter overtime pay, Vitale said. Overtime often is double regular pay on a holiday but only time-and-a-half other days.

Todd Reichenbach, of Billings, Mont.-based Pyro F/X, told msnbc.com his company will put on seven municipal shows ranging from $15,000 to $40,000.

“We had to say no to four towns,” Reichenbach said.

“Montana is a bit more isolated,” he said of the state’s economy. “When the rest of the country is doing good, we’re not as good; when the rest of the country is hurting, we’re not as bad,” he said.

Here's a sampling of communities' approaches to celebrations for Memorial Day, considered the summer kickoff, and Independence Day:

• Batavia, Ill., has put on a fireworks show annually for 60 years and never spent taxpayer dollars on buying the fireworks, Mayor Jeff Schielke told msnbc.com. The Chicago suburb of 26,000 gets behind two annual fund-raisers, he said. One pits a team of police and firefighters against a team of teachers in a basketball game; the other is a citywide garage sale, which last week included 200 homes with owners paying $25 each to host shoppers from throughout the region. This year's fireworks display will cost $35,000 to $40,000, Schielke said.
• Hanford, Calif., will be one of three San Joaquin Valley cities each getting a $10,000 grant in to feature a laser light show that is less polluting than fireworks, Mike Bertaina, president of the Hanford of Chamber of Commerce, told msnbc.com. The other cities in a pilot program that covers about half a laser show's cost will be decided soon, said Jaime Holt, spokeswoman for the valley's Air Pollution Control District. District governors decided to try the substitution to ease ozone pollution, usually a winter problem, seen with a spike in particulate matter after July Fourth fireworks, Holt told msnbc.com. "Fireworks have metals and other toxic materials contributing to ozone through combustion that puts toxic material into the environment," Holt said.
• San Ramon, Calif., wants to get the word out that out-of-town fireworks fans should go elsewhere July 4 since the city cut its annual show, a tradition since 1985, the San Ramon Express News reported. The San Francisco suburb plans to end its Fourth of July festivities by 6 p.m. so its own resident revelers have time to go to other Bay Area communities where fireworks shows survive. The Express News said the city would have spent $318,000 if it put on a fireworks event this year, up from $175,000 in 2011. This year's scaled-back July 4 celebratiion, aimed only at city residents and featuring a symphony concert, a funk-and-soul band and an armed forces salute, will cost only $41,580, the Express News said.
• Chicago in 2010 ended a three-decade tradition of July 3 fireworks linked to the 10-day Taste of Chicago festival at Grant Park, city officials said. The only official July 4 fireworks continue at Navy Pier, run by a civic organization. To save money, the Taste of Chicago this year will be scaled back to five days and not start until July 11, officials said.
• North Providence, R.I., will bring back Independence Day fireworks for the first time in four years and enhance its Memorial Day parade after an April fund-raising dance raised more money, over $10,000, than expected, the weekly Valley Breeze reported. Severe budget cuts had killed July Fourth fireworks, the newspaper said.
• Sea Bright, N.J., last week canceled oceanfront July Fourth fireworks because the 11-person Police Department could not find 10 to 15 officers from other communities to work that day despite offering $72 per hour to patrol an expected crowd of 35,000 visitors, The Hub newspaper reported. Neighboring Red Bank, citing increasing security costs, canceled its 50-year-old KaBoom festival, planned July 3. Town officials said the event was a victim of its own success, bringing 100,000 visitors to town in 2011.
• Woodstown, N.J., will bring back Fourth of July fireworks, thanks to the sponsorship of the Woodstown-Pilesgove Business Association, the Newark Star-Ledger reported.
• Marion, Mass., selectmen canceled their fireworks show because of a lack of fund-raising since last year’s event but hope to bring back pyrotechnics next year, the SippicanVillageSoup weekly newspaper reported.

Follow Jim Gold at msnbc.com on Facebook here.

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