The Japanese had claimed six times that the battleship had been sunk, yet North Carolina continued to fight on.Īnd while other majestic warships that helped ensure an Allied victory met an ignominious end as they were broken up and sold for scrap, BB-55 was saved and preserved as a museum ship and memorable to the brave sailors of the “Greatest Generation.” Since April 1962 the warship has served as a floating museum in Wilmington, North Carolina, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in November 1982 – in part because the application noted that the ship was in excellent condition and had remained largely in its wartime configuration.įor the past 60 years, the 728-foot decommissioned vessel has been a vital part of the downtown Wilmington skyline. The warship that had proved her worth during the conflict had survived many close calls and near misses, including being hit by a Japanese torpedo. Instead, the mighty battle wagon, which was the lead vessel of a new class of “ fast battleships” constructed just before the Second World War under terms imposed by the Washington Naval Treaty, was arriving at her new home. USS North Carolina (BB-55) wasn’t making a port visit to the city, which at the time was essentially on a downward trek after the closure of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company after the end of the war. 2, 1961, thousands of onlookers came out to the Wilmington, North Carolina waterfront on the Cape Fear River to see the arrival of the state’s namesake World War II battleship.
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