As a child I remember taking a tour of North Carolina with my family. Having a mother in the NC education system, she knew my upcoming 4th grade curriculum would include social studies about my home state of North Carolina. She cleverly turned our family vacation into a tour of North Carolina where me and my little sister learned first hand about the various regions - the Mountains, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Plains; about Raleigh, NC our capitol; and about the southern culture that separates North Carolina from anywhere else on earth. It was my first time ever coming to the coastal plains of North Carolina and Wilmington. To this day, I remember coming over the bridge into downtown and seeing one of the most magnificent historical monuments sitting there in the river, tucked away among the marsh grass, retired after a long life in battle with big guns, canons, and all.
Years later, this historic monument is still one of my favorite places to visit and I always look forward to when we’re going downtown to walk along the riverfront. When the US Coast Guard ship, “USCGC Diligence” is in port across from where the Battleship is perched, taking a stroll on the riverfront boardwalk is a must. For directions to and for more information on the USS NC Battleship, visit http://www.battleshipnc.com/ today.
The first of 10 battleships built for the American Fleet in War World II, the USS North Carolina Battleship is still one of Wilmington, NC’s premiere historical monuments. This famous downtown attraction draws hundreds of visitors per year and remains to this day one of my favorite places to watch an outdoor movie on a clear fall night. It’s a great way to spend the day exploring the vessel that carried our US Officers and Veterans during War World II.
The USS North Carolina participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific area in World War II. In 1942, the USS NC was designated “as protector of aircraft carriers.” By the time the war ended, the ship lost only 10 men in action and had 67 wounded and earned 15 battle stars. The USS NC was decommissioned on June 27, 1947 and for the next 14 years, placed in the Inactive Reserve Fleet located in Bayonee, NJ. In 1958 the government was considering scrapping the ship which led to a statewide campaign by the citizens of North Carolina to save the ship and bring her back home. On October 2, 1961, she arrived in her current berth and was dedicated to the WWII veterans and the 10,000 North Carolinians who died during the war.