On our
most recent visit to Charleston we spent some time in Mt. Pleasant, the suburb
that bore the brunt of the massive rain and flooding event just one week later,
closing many of the highways leading in and out of Charleston. Although we saw
a drizzle while on the Mt. Pleasant pier under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge,
it luckily held off on our visit to Patriots Point, home to the Patriots Point
Naval and Maritime Museum.
One of
South Carolina’s largest tourist attractions with more than 270,000 visitors
per year, Patriots Point is located at the mouth of the Cooper River on the
Charleston Harbor. Established in 1975, the 350-acre complex includes not only
the National Historic Landmark ships, a Cold War Memorial, a Vietnam Support
Base Camp, and the headquarters to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society,
but also leases property to a golf course, a hotel and a collegiate athletic
complex. With 29 aircraft on display from conflicts ranging from WWII to
present-day operations, Patriots Point advertises as being the only aircraft
carrier museum in the US to have all of the top ten most significant aircraft types
in U.S. carrier aviation history.
For
the price of parking and admission you are allowed access to the Aircraft
Carrier USS Yorktown, the Destroyer USS Laffey, Submarine USS Clagamore and the
Vietnam Experience. Once you’ve paid and entered this area, my suggestion would
be to start with the Yorktown; the National Historic Landmark ship is also home
to the Medal of Honor Museum, the Apollo 8 Mission Exhibit and dozens of
historic aircraft.
Nicknamed
“the Fighting Lady,” the Yorktown is the 10th aircraft carrier to
serve in the US Navy. Named for the Yorktown CV-5 lost in the Battle of Midway
in 1942, the ship played a significant role in the Pacific offensive and
received the Presidential Unit Citation. During WWII the Yorktown carried 90
planes, but later was modified with an angled flight deck for jets, and finally
converted to an antisubmarine carrier which is how it served in the Vietnam
War.
An information
desk is located at the main entrance staffed with personnel available to help answer
any questions, but the booklet you will have received has 5 self-guided
walking tours to make the most of your time on the ship. We started with Tour
3, as it includes the flight deck and bridge, the two areas of most interest to
the boys. Following the guide we wound our way through operations and control
rooms before emerging onto the flight deck, where various aircraft were
situated with a grandiose view of Charleston and the Harbor.
Climbing
the Bridge we toured a few cabins, the pilot house and radar rooms before
descending back into the bowels of the ship. We chose to continue with Tour 1:
Living and Working, but elected to take a few shortcuts as Lauris and Mikus
weren’t as interested in all the displays. We skipped the rest of the tours,
which take visitors to the engine/fire room, to the WWII Carrier rooms and to
the wardroom and brig.
Having
returned to the hangar deck we took a closer look at the exhibits there,
including the Medal of Honor Museum and the Apollo 8 Mission model capsule. In
1968 the Apollo 8 was the first capsule to orbit the moon, and Yorktown
recovered it upon its return to Earth.
We
disembarked and headed along the pier to the USS Laffey. Named for the Civil
War Medal of Honor recipient Seaman Bartlett Laffey, the Destroyer was targeted
off Okinawa by a massive air strike. Five kamikazes and three bombs struck the
ship killing 32 and wounding 71, but the crew kept the boat afloat and once
decommissioned, the Laffey arrived at Patriots Point in 1981.
Furthest
along the pier adjacent to the Resort and Marina is the submarine USS
Clagamore. The 322-ft sub was commissioned only a few weeks before the end of
WWII and spent thirty years in service before being replaced by a nuclear
submarine. The only ship of its type to survive as a museum ship, the descent
into the ship is tight and slightly claustrophobic so the boys sat this one out
while I had a quick look.
Having
returned to mainland the next exhibit is the Vietnam Experience. Exhibits and
artifacts are accompanied by the sights and sounds of the Vietnam War, and
although educational and interesting, it was overwhelming to the children.
Once
you’ve exited through the ship store you could cross over to the Cold War
Submarine Memorial which is located across from the Patriots Point’s main
entrance, examine the various cannons and the view of Yorktown or, for an
additional fee, take a 5-20 minute aerial tour of Charleston and Patriots Point
via helicopter.
Patriots
Point is also a departure location for one of the Fort Sumter ferries, and just
minutes from the Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park and the Ravenel
Bridge. While the museum does have a few food options, we elected to head to
Mount Pleasant to eat, although you can just as quickly make it to downtown
Charleston. And finally, while the ticket price can be steep for a large family
(adults $20, seniors $17 and children 6 to 11 $12 plus $5 parking), this
weekend is “Pay What You Can Weekend” at Patriots Point; visitors are asked to
name their own admission price January 9-10, to help celebrate their 40th
anniversary. If this weekend isn't the optimal time to visit keep your eye out for groupon deals - the current one is a 2 for the price of 1.
The
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is open daily from 9:00am to 6:30pm,
and active military in uniform and children under six are free. See website for
details on educational programs, event rentals and camping programs as well as
all the details on the ships, aircraft and exhibits on site. This fact sheet
was a handy reference during our visit, and the map/tour guide that comes with
admission was essential in prioritizing and planning our visit.
Hi there, We were there right after Thanksgiving this past year. We had been in Florida visiting George's son and family for Thanksgiving and were on our way to Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina. We spent the night at Mt. Pleasant --and toured Patriot's Point (including the submarine, etc.) --and also Fort Sumpter... Had a great day!!!! Had dinner nearby at the Fish House... Got some good low-country grits and shrimp... YUM..... We love Charleston and Savannah...SO much history.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Yes, a ton of history, and although not all of it is appropriate for the 1-5 year olds, I hope we managed to picque their interest in something - even if only airplanes, or ships. I hope you enjoyed your visit, and good choice in restaurant!
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