History

The USS North Carolina was a ship born in turbulent times. With World War I behind it, and the start of World War II on the horizon, this battleship was one built for a purpose that many knew was coming yet few wanted. Yet in an age when naval superiority was key to any nation’s greatness, she was a vital necessity to the coming conflict. The North Carolina saw combat throughout the Pacific Theater of World War II, serving with distinction through some of the war’s bloodiest battles.

Today, the USS North Carolina leads a considerably more sedate life. Now a dedicated museum to the memory of the sailors who served aboard her and the remarkable voyages it took during the Second World War, the USS North Carolina is an icon of Wilmington, North Carolina, and a must-visit attraction whenever you’re in the area. Offering regular tours of several of the ship’s decks, as well as special events, there’s something for every kind of WWII buff when visiting the North Carolina.

If you’re more interested in supernatural experiences… well, the USS North Carolina might have you covered there as well. Though not many sailors died on this ship throughout its many military campaigns, over the years there have been reports of mysterious occurrences throughout the ship. From strange noises to ghostly sailors, there are those who say the USS North Carolina might have a few ghosts and phantoms who haven’t left the war behind…

The War to Come

Though the United States spent the 1930s neutral to the conflicts in Europe and the Pacific, the country was not going to let itself stay unprepared for potential war. Many a ship of every shape, size, and purpose was made during this period to ensure the US would maintain naval superiority in the event of war, and the battleship USS North Carolina was among them.

Construction on the North Carolina began in 1937 in the New York Naval shipyard, and three short years later she was launched in June of 1940, later commissioned into the fleet in April of 1941. She spent much of her early days on a shakedown cruise throughout the Caribbean, but this sedate life was short-lived, as the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, changed the course of world history.

With war declared, the crew of the USS North Carolina began to train for heated battle in the Pacific Theater.

Battles Great & Small

Though her first mission took place in the North Atlantic, waiting for the potential arrival of the German battleship Tirpitz (a ship that never arrived), the North Carolina was ordered in the middle of 1942 to head to the Pacific Theater to take part in the war against the Empire of Japan.

During the Guadalcanal Campaign, the North Carolina provided vital support in protecting American aircraft carriers during the Battle of Savo Island and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, where the North Carolina lost one crewman to a Japanese strafing run. While providing support off the coast of Guadalcanal, the ship was shot at on multiple occasions by Japanese submarines, with one torpedo hitting and killing five crewmen while otherwise doing little permanent damage to the ship.

After this period of fierce fighting, the North Carolina was sent back to Pearl Harbor for a retrofit and repairs, before taking to sea again.

Over the coming years, the North Carolina would provide vital support protecting carriers during both the Gilbert and Marshall Islands and Mariana and Palau Islands campaigns, including taking down several enemy airplanes during the Battle of the Philippine Sea.  She would go back and forth between the US and the Pacific several more times for repairs and refits while serving with distinction aiding the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

The End of the War & Beyond

With the war finished in 1945, the North Carolina steamed back home to the east coast of the United States, operating as a training ship, but this duty was short-lived as the North Carolina was decommissioned in 1947.

Over the years, there were multiple plans to try to refurbish or modernize it for newer military purposes, but few of them gained serious traction. By 1960, she’d sat in the Navy’s inventory for more than a decade and was slated to be torn up for scrap.

A North Carolina man named James Craig became aware of this and set up a successful campaign to have the USS North Carolina sent to its namesake state to act as a museum and memorial. Transferred over in 1961, it was repurposed and opened to the public in 1962, where it has remained since as a monument to the brave men who served aboard her during World War II.