Haunted places guide · Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
The Haunted USS Yorktown at Patriots Point: History, Ghosts and Ghost Tours
The Fighting Lady fought across the Pacific, lost men to a Japanese bomb in 1945 and plucked Apollo 8 from the sea. Moored in Charleston Harbor for half a century, she has become one of the most talked-about haunted ships in America.
Our nearest ghost hunt: Battleship North CarolinaMeet the ghosts
Across the Cooper River from downtown Charleston, the long grey hull of the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown dominates the waterfront at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant. She has been a museum ship since 1975, and visitors walk her hangar deck, climb to her flight deck and squeeze through her passageways every day.
She is also one of the Lowcountry’s great ghost stories. Patriots Point’s own director has spoken about decades of reports from visitors, employees and police officers, and in 2012 the Syfy series Ghost Hunters spent several nights aboard with the power off. This guide covers her history, what has actually been reported, and how to see the ship after dark.
USS Yorktown at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address Patriots Point, 40 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464
- Commissioned April 15, 1943
- War record Pacific campaigns; Presidential Unit Citation
- Museum ship since October 1975
- Most haunted spots The flight deck, interior compartments and areas below the hangar deck
- Good to know After-hours ghost tours run on select evenings
Our nearest ghost hunt: Battleship North Carolina Visit / tours
History of the USS Yorktown
The USS Yorktown (CV-10) was commissioned on April 15, 1943, with Captain Joseph J. Clark in command. She joined the carrier forces in the Pacific and fought through the campaigns that carried the war toward Japan, earning a Presidential Unit Citation and a long row of battle stars.
The war came aboard in March 1945. Operating off Japan, she was hit by a bomb from a Yokosuka D4Y dive-bomber that struck her signal bridge, punched two holes in her side, killed five of her crew and wounded 26. On March 29 another Japanese plane in a suicide dive crashed about 60 feet off her port side.
She stayed in service for another quarter century, and in December 1968 she was the prime recovery ship for Apollo 8, picking its three astronauts out of the Pacific. She was decommissioned at Philadelphia on June 27, 1970.
In 1974 her donation to the Patriots Point Development Authority was approved. She was towed to Charleston in June 1975 and dedicated as a memorial on October 13, 1975, and the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum opened around her in January 1976. Today the museum also includes the destroyer USS Laffey, a Vietnam Experience exhibit and a Medal of Honor museum.
The ghosts of the USS Yorktown
Decades of reports
Patriots Point’s longtime executive director Mac Burdette has said publicly that the museum has received many reports over the years of unexplained noises, sightings and activity from visitors, employees and local law enforcement officers. He has been careful about it: the museum says it holds the men who served and died aboard in the highest esteem, and whether to believe in ghosts is up to each visitor.
Ghost Hunters, 2012
In early February 2012, The Atlantic Paranormal Society, with Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson, spent several nights aboard. The ship was closed to the public, only Patriots Point security was allowed on the property and all power to the ship was shut off. The episode aired on Syfy on May 2, 2012.
Burdette would not say what the team found, but said the show’s staff described the visit as giving some of the most compelling evidence in the history of the program. The best known moment shows a figure leaning against a wall in an interior compartment, standing up and walking off into nothing.
The airman on the flight deck
Burdette keeps a photograph in his office taken by visitors on the flight deck near one of the displayed helicopters. Behind the seats is what looks like a figure in an airman’s uniform. It could be a person, he has said, and he lets visitors judge for themselves. SCETV has featured photos said to show ghosts aboard the ship as well.
The pulled radio
Brian Parsons, supervisor of museum services, told Live 5 News that while he was alone in a room aboard, the microphone of his radio was pulled about five feet, farther than its cord could stretch. He took it as a sign that he was not alone.
Where to look
- The flight deck: Where the airman photo was taken, among the aircraft and helicopters on display; most atmospheric at dusk.
- Interior compartments: Where Ghost Hunters filmed the figure that stood up and walked away.
- Below the hangar deck: The ghost tours go into normally closed spaces deep in the ship.
- The signal bridge area: Where the 1945 bomb hit and five men died.
Visiting the USS Yorktown
Patriots Point is open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, with the ticket window closing at 4 PM; buy tickets online. Allow at least three hours to see the Yorktown, the Laffey and the exhibits, and wear good shoes: there are many steep ladders.
For the ship after dark, book a ghost tour. Patriots Point launched after-hours ghost tours aboard in 2012, about 90 minutes long, running from deep inside the ship up to the flight deck and including areas normally closed to the public, and Bulldog Tours now sells a USS Yorktown Ghost Tour. Patriots Point also runs an overnight program for groups, Operation Overnight. Check current dates, prices and age limits when you book.
- Visiting Naval museum, open daily
- Tours Guided ghost tours aboard run on select evenings
- Ghost hunting Ghost tours only; Patriots Point also runs overnight camp-aboard programs for groups
Tips for your visit
- Book the ghost tour well ahead in October.
- Bring a small flashlight and wear closed shoes with grip for the ladders.
- Look for the airman photo story on the flight deck and stand where it was taken.
- Pair it with Fort Sumter: ferries leave from Patriots Point.
- Ask your guide about the 1945 bomb hit and the men who died.
Go ghost hunting nearby
Visiting a haunted place by day is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through a historic building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and vigils, and gives you time to explore on your own. These are the nearest ones we run.
- USS Battleship North Carolina Ghost Hunt and Tour, Wilmington: investigate below decks on the World War II battleship moored across the river from downtown Wilmington, from 8 PM to 2 AM.
- Roanoke Island Inn Ghost Hunt and Sleepover, Manteo: investigate the Manteo waterfront inn where Roscoe Jones is said to keep his own hours, then sleep in one of its rooms.
- Berkeley Plantation Ghost Hunt, Charles City, Virginia: an after-hours investigation of the 1726 Harrison family house on the James River, from 6 PM to midnight.
More haunted places nearby
- Fort Sumter: ferries leave from Patriots Point
- The Old Charleston Jail: Charleston’s most haunted building
- Haunted hotels in Charleston
- The Battleship North Carolina ghost hunt: our own after-dark investigation of a WWII warship
- Haunted places in South Carolina
- Haunted places in Charleston
Visited one of these places? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from visitors and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your visit. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the USS Yorktown haunted?
It has one of the strongest reputations of any museum ship in the country. Patriots Point staff, visitors and police officers have reported noises, sightings and activity for decades, and Ghost Hunters filmed a figure in an interior compartment in 2012.
Are there ghost tours on the USS Yorktown?
Yes. After-hours ghost tours of about 90 minutes take you into normally restricted areas of the ship. Book through Patriots Point or Bulldog Tours and check current dates.
When was Ghost Hunters on the USS Yorktown?
The team investigated over several nights in February 2012, and the episode aired on Syfy on May 2, 2012.
Did anyone die on the USS Yorktown?
Yes. In March 1945 a Japanese bomb hit her signal bridge, killing five crew members and wounding 26.
Can you stay overnight on the USS Yorktown?
Groups can, through Patriots Point’s Operation Overnight program. There is no public overnight ghost hunt.
How long do you need at Patriots Point?
Allow at least three hours by day, plus about 90 minutes for a ghost tour after dark.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the official website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as staff, visitors and investigators tell them, and we say where records contradict a story.
- Patriots Point: Syfy's Ghost Hunters offer a glimpse of the paranormal side of the USS Yorktown
- Patriots Point: Patriots Point introduces ghost tours aboard USS Yorktown
- Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum (official site)
- Live 5 News: Haunted Charleston, USS Yorktown
- Wikipedia: USS Yorktown (CV-10)
- SCETV: Five haunting tales, ghost stories around South Carolina
- Bulldog Tours (USS Yorktown Ghost Tour)
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every place in our guides using official sites, historic registers, local archives and news coverage, and we report ghost stories as the stories they are. We review each guide regularly so you are not sent to a place that has closed, changed hands or banned visitors. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.