The ship has been restored to resemble what it would have looked like during its service in World War II: the public tour route takes you past its nine 16-inch/45 caliber guns as well as its twenty 5-inch/38 caliber guns. What I found was a fascinating time capsule through which to view American participation in Pacific theatre of operations. I had the chance to visit the USS North Carolina earlier this month and despite being a student of World War II history, I had no idea what to expect. Besides, who wouldn’t want to explore a battleship that fought in the Second World War? Wilmington is easy to access as well, being near several North Carolina beaches and only an hour and a half drive north of vacation hotspot Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Out of her crew, only ten men were killed in action and only sixty seven were wounded.Īfter serving in the United States Navy for twenty years, the ship was converted into a museum in 1961 and is open for the public to visit every day of the year except on holidays. By the time the war ended, the USS North Carolina had earned fifteen battle stars. Following the end of the war, she had sailed nearly 300,000 miles and had participated in every major naval operation in the Pacific Theatre - even surviving a torpedo hit from a Japanese vessel in September 1942. Alongside her sister ship, the USS Washington, the USS North Carolina was a part of the North Carolina class of battleships as well as the first of her kind to join the American fleet in the Second World War. The battleship began construction in 1937 at the New York Navy Yard and was commissioned on April 9, 1941. However, moored in the Cape Fear River is a distinct part of Wilmington’s riverfront skyline as well as a part of American history - the battleship known as the USS North Carolina. As a small and charming Southern city, Wilmington is known for its riverfront as well as its historic district. The city of Wilmington, North Carolina sits along the state’s Atlantic coastline.
0 kommentar(er)
