You step on to the massive vessel, you are in awe as you stare at the massive turrets. You make your way through the massive ship and you notice that it is a mini city that can level a mountain. This is the USS North Carolina, “The Showboat”. 

It was commissioned in 1941, almost ten years after the last US battleship was commissioned due to the Washington naval treaty. She would be hit by a torpedo in 1942 by a Japanese sub. She did not sink, but two other ships were hit and would sink. She would later sink a Japanese cargo ship. She was decommissioned after WW2.

The ship was 36,000 tons, and she had 9 16-inch guns in 3 turrets (3 guns in each turret). She also had 5-inch guns that served as both anti-air guns and secondary guns. The 5-inch guns are nicknamed “the guns that ended WW2”. She also had dozens of 40mm and 20mm guns used for shooting down aircraft.

The ship is located in Wilmington, NC preserved as a museum ship. She is accessible to the public. I visited the ship back in 2019, and she was an amazing ship to visit. The inside was amazing, it had a kitchen, post office, store, police station, printing room, church, and much more.

I highly recommend visiting this 36,000 ton steel beast. She served in World War 2, and now serves as a museum ship, telling its story for those who are interested. Check out the ships website

https://www.battleshipnc.com/