USS North Carolina, Battleship museum in Wilmington, United States
The USS North Carolina is a battleship museum in Wilmington, United States, moored permanently along the western bank of the Cape Fear River. Nine decks connect through narrow passages and steep stairs, from the machinery spaces below the waterline to the antiaircraft gun platforms on top.
Laid down at the New York Navy Yard on 27 October 1937 and commissioned on 9 April 1941, the ship was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-19 on 15 September 1942 off Guadalcanal; five crew were killed and 23 wounded, but the flooding was checked and the list of up to 5.6 degrees corrected in about six minutes. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in 1960, she was saved from the breaker's yard by a preservation campaign and opened as a museum in Wilmington in 1962.
The ship's nickname, "Showboat", came from the long repair periods that kept her in home waters and in the press, and the crew's own joke pairing USS with the USO. Displays today cover the 1942 torpedo hit from the Japanese submarine I-19, which killed five men and wounded 23, and the 15 battle stars earned in the Pacific.
Visitors should plan at least two hours and wear sturdy shoes, as there are many ladders and thresholds to cross. An accompanying audio guide explains the function of each space while you navigate through narrow corridors between decks.
A walkway circles the entire ship at waterline level, offering a close view of the hull shape and armor arrangement. Several gun turrets can be entered from inside, letting you see the mechanics of the loading mechanisms up close.
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