USS Wisconsin

The USS Wisconsin is a mid-20th century battleship now moored as a museum at Norfolk's waterfront. The vessel features multiple decks that visitors can explore, massive gun turrets, and various spaces showing the conditions and routines of shipboard life.

The ship entered service in 1944 and participated in the final major campaigns of World War II in the Pacific. After the war, the Wisconsin was later reactivated and saw service again during the Gulf War in the late 1980s.

The name Wisconsin comes from the state where the ship was built, reflecting American regional pride in naval construction during the 1940s. Walking the main deck, visitors can see how sailors once moved through narrow passages and worked together in tight quarters.

The museum ship is accessible from the Nauticus center at Waterside Drive and can be explored on your own or with guided tours. Wear good walking shoes since the stairs between decks are steep and getting a sense of scale requires climbing through various levels.

This vessel was the final battleship ever built by the American Navy, marking the end of an entire era of naval development. Its transformation into a museum shows how a military machine becomes a place where people can directly experience history.