I have been visiting tourist centers all over the world but my 2-hour visit to USS Yorktown Charleston SC remains one of the best moments of my vacation. USS Yorktown is one of the famous aircraft carriers that were built during the second World War.
USS Yorktown is One of American's Greatest - Battle of Yorktown
It was built for the United States Navy. One of the greatest battles fought by the Americans is the American Revolutionary battle known as the Battle of Yorktown. The carrier is named after this battle.
However, it is not the only carrier that has been given the name. In fact, it is the fourth to bear the name.
USS Yorktown is about 266 meters in length and it was launched on 21 January, 1943.
It is open to the public every day from 9AM to 6.30PM. I went there on a Wednesday and it took up to 2 hours to explore every part of the carrier.
Naval History Buff - That's Me!
It is not a must to spend up to two hours. Some other tourists did not stay that long.
As for me, my curiosity took me into every cabin and other significant parts of the ship and I enjoyed every bit of it.
There was a friendly curator that took me and other visitors around. Am sure he answered questions more than he usually answers because I hit him with a lot of questions. I wanted to know everything about the great carrier.
I had heard about the ship several times before visiting it and added it to my travel vacation ideas list.
So I bombarded the curator with thousands of questions and he responded to all of them in a friendly manner and even made explanations where necessary.
Grandeur of the USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier
It carried between 90 and 100 aircraft in its lifetime. Although it was launched in January 1943, it was not commissioned until 15 April in that same year.
The great USS Yorktown was built by Newport News Shipbuilding Company. The ship was decommissioned the first time on 9th January 1947, about 4 years after it was launched.
It was later re-commissioned on 2 January, 1953 and decommissioned on 27 June 1970. I got all these information about the ship because I didn’t stop asking questions. The maximum speed of the carrier was 33 knots or 61 km/h.
It was modified a couple of times to suit the needed purpose. It was converted to an antisubmarine carrier at some point. It was also used as a recovery ship for Apollo 8 space mission
It was also used in two different movies – Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Philadelphia Experiment.
It earned a total of more than 16 battle stars in its life time. It became a museum ship in 1975, about 42 years ago.
Imagine how many tourists would have visited the great ship that can best be described as a national historic landmark.
USS Yorktown - Museum Experience of a Lifetime
You really need to visit USS Yorktown Charleston SC at least once in a lifetime. It was worth every minute of my visit.
Here are some thoughts about the USS Yorktown from several reviewers on yelp:
"There's no question that visiting the USS Yorktown is must for all tourists whether or not a naval history buff. If not for anything else, just the grandeur if her physical size is worth the price of admission."
"This really is a must see if you visit Charleston. The history is so fulfilling from submarines, ships, veterans museum, etc. The view from the flight deck shows everything you could possibly want to see."
On your next journey to the low country, take the time to stop by Patriot's Point and take some photos of the USS Yorktown and other great exhibits.
Or...
Own Your Own Fine Art Print of The USS Yorktown - Framed or Stretched Canvas
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