We spent our first day in Charleston at Patriots Point and toured an
aircraft carrier (USS Yorktown CV-10), a destroyer (USS Laffey DD-724), and a
submarine (USS Clamagore SS-343).
The aircraft carrier was named after the Yorktown CV-5 lost
in WWII’s Battle of Midway. The newer Yorktown CV-10 was active from WWII through
Vietnam
and included the Apollo 8 command module recovery.
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| USS Yorktown CV-10 |
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| Apollo 8 |
The Yorktown was built with
a straight flight deck, but was modified in the 1950’s to have an angled flight
deck. The sheer size is impressive: room for 90 planes, a runway that can
float, and space for 3000+ people. With so many people, they’d have to make
lots of food. Check out this recipe.
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| That's a lot of chocolate chips! |
We saw some of the planes displayed and followed the
self-guided tour from top to bottom.
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F6F Hellcat, the first US Navy plane far superior to the
Japanese Zero
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The destroyer, built at Maine’s Bath Iron Works (a place we’ve
passed often) was commissioned in February 1944. It survived a massive kamikaze
attack in WWII off Okinawa.
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| USS Laffey DD-724 |
Two videos gave the history. The docent on board was from
Wayland MA (next to our former hometown), so we chatted with him a bit. Then we
took the self-guided tour.
After feeling the enormity of the aircraft carrier, we squeezed
into the sub.
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| USS Clamagore SS-343 |
This submarine was commissioned right at the end of WWII,
extensively upgraded, and decommissioned in 1975. We heard that this sub may be
heading for the scrap heap as it is rusting and they don’t have the means to
maintain it. It was interesting to tour it -- no window seats here and bunks
are on top of the torpedoes.
All of the vessels gave us a flavor of life aboard warships
and the sacrifice of those who served.
campground: Buck Hall
Recreational Area, 161mi 3hr from Skidaway Island State Park;29 mi 37min to Patriots Point
