Legends surround the USS North Carolina Battleship. From its journey to Wilmington to its historical past doing combat in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, all the way to ghostly happenings that have recently attracted paranormal investigators from around the world, this is a worthy destination. During war time the battleship (commissioned in 1941) participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific area and earned 15 battle stars. Though the Japanese tried to claim they had sunk our battleship many times, only one torpedo made contact with her hull forcing the crew to make quick choices to keep her even and in line with the fleet. Decommissioned in 1947, she was placed in inactive reserve until 1958 when they announced plans to scrap the ship.

 

Citizens saved the ship by raising money to bring her to her home state. She docked at her current location in 1961. Bumping a floating restaurant during the process and getting stuck in the muddy marsh of the Cape Fear River, she has since served as the States Memorial to the great men and women who served our country and continue to do so. Walk her decks and you can almost here the Big Band music coming out of old time tube radios. Stories circulate of ghosts pinching young ladies and you could see a television show setting up to investigate. Films have shot on the decks and music festivals take place in the Battleship Park. Tours are offered all year round and during the warmer months you may get a bonus festival. You can park at the Battleship but I suggest parking at one of the decks downtown and taking the Water Taxi to the ship. It adds to the mystique of the journey and makes you feel like you are being ferried out to the ship like when they used to pull in to shallow ports during the war. Is that Benny Goodman I hear?