Battleship NC: Military Heritage On The Cape Fear River

North Carolina's Floating WWII Memorial

U.S. military history is never quite the same without traveling to various battlefields and memorials located all across the country. Each place has a story to tell: from the fields of Gettysburg to the oceanic splendor of the Pearl Harbor Memorial.

North Carolina has a wealth of Revolutionary War and Civil War battlegrounds to visit, but when it comes to World War II memorials one standout floating museum retells that war's story well: the USS North Carolina, a decommissioned battleship that has found its rest in Wilmington, North Carolina. My family had the privilege recently of touring the museum and came away from our visit with a renewed appreciation for the sacrifices that our men and women in uniform have made for us down through the generations.

Ported Directly Across From Historic Downtown Wilmington

The Battleship North Carolina is ported in a cove within the Cape Fear River immediately south of the S. Thomas Rhodes Bridge off of Highway 421. Located directly across from the majestic battleship is river walk, part of historic Wilmington's elegant business district which itself is filled with art galleries, eclectic shops, museums, Victorian homes and cobblestone streets.

We chose a clear, mild February day to visit the battleship and I cannot think of better weather conditions for touring the ship. Not too hot and certainly not cold, I cannot imagine touring the ship in extreme heat, although a pair of industrial strength Trane air-conditioning units located on deck may help regulate inside temperatures on the hottest days.

When first arriving at the battleship site, visitors enter a separate building housing a gift shop, food area, bathrooms and information center. After paying admission, the self-guided tour begins with a 15 minute video outlining the history of the USS North Carolina starting with its construction at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard to its deployment and many battles in the Pacific theatre. Decommissioned in 1947, the ship avoided scrap thanks to a North Carolina schoolchildren's fundraising initiative which helped buy the ship from the U.S. Navy and bring it to Wilmington.

After leaving the theatre, visitors pass through a room containing various scale-model naval ships from the earliest days of the republic up until modern times, which are display in glass cases. Informational placards related to other naval ships and events are also present, giving a solid background in naval history.

On to the USS North Carolina

Once the initial segment of the tour was completed, visitors leave the building and climb a wooden plank-way to the battleship.

Onboard, the self-guided tour continues and, thanks to well-marked directional arrows and interpretive signage located all around the ship, visitors have access to all nine decks and most interior rooms, and even to some of the gun turrets. Stairs are steep and many rooms are cramped, giving visitors a good idea how the ship must have felt to the 2339 enlisted men who served on it at any given time.

Some of our favorite rooms included the enlisted men's quarters where our family could see just how tight the sleeping arrangements were, the butcher shop where meat was chopped and grounded up, and the print shop where the ship's weekly newspaper, The Tarheel, was published. The biggest enjoyments for our young sons was being able to climb up and sit on the captain's chair and being able to maneuver the guns near the bow of the ship as they pretended to shoot down kamikaze fighters before they had the chance to inflict major damage.

Only 10 Lives Lost All Throughout the War

The USS North Carolina showed up in Pearl Harbor during the summer of 1942 following America's worst naval defeat that previous December. Quickly, the battleship raised morale and was sent out to join the U.S. counterattack. Every single major battle in the Pacific theatre included the USS North Carolina which sustained major hull damage just once, but survived.

From Guadalcanal to the Marshall Islands and on to Saipan, Palau, and the Philippines, the battleship continued her march closer to the Japanese islands, where she remained for a few months following Imperial Japan's defeat. Perhaps what was the most amazing bit of information our family took away from our visit was learning that only ten lives had been lost throughout the entire war. This was an amazingly small number considering the hundreds of thousands of lives sacrificed in the Pacific campaign alone.

When the USS North Carolina quit Japan, she headed home and passed through the Panama Canal enroute to Boston. In 1947 the USS Carolina was decommissioned and, eventually, sold to and restored by the people of North Carolina.

Your Admission Keeps the Battleship Afloat

The USS North Carolina Memorial does not receive government funds and is entirely supported through donations and admissions which cost $12 for adults and $6 for children aged 6 to 11; senior citizens and active military members pay $10 each. Special group, school and tour rates are also available; contact the museum at 910-251-5797 for more information.

The battleship is open every day of the year including holidays with extended hours between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

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