On this month’s edition of Day Trippin’, where we take you to places within a day’s drive of Walterboro, we trip to Mount Pleasant and Patriots Point to visit the USS Yorktown.
The Yorktown sits in Charleston harbor where she has been docked since June of 1975. She is the second carrier to be named Yorktown with the first (CV-5) being sunk in 1942. She was formally dedicated as a memorial on the 200th anniversary of the Navy, 13 October 1975 and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
The museum is an easy ride from Walterboro with a great view of the ship as you cross the Ravenel Bridge. Once at Patriots Point there is a welcome center ticket office and gift shop to greet visitors. After a walk down a pier, there is also a cart available for those who cannot make the trip walking, to get to the ship. There are a number of self-guided tours of many meticulously restored areas of the ship. The tour routs are well marked and take you through the engine room, medical facilities, the bridge, sleeping areas and culinary areas. The ship does require walking up and down narrow and sometimes steep stairway but there is also and elevator to allow access to a number of decks. The Flight deck and hanger deck has an extensive collection of Aircraft, Vehicles and even a Space Capsule. The tour layout exhibits and even the smell of machine oil and paint give a great salute to all that served aboard the Yorktown.
One of the highlights of our visit was speaking to the staff, who are veterans and some even served aboard the Yorktown. Their experience and information about the ship make the visit come to life. Another highlight of the visit is the views of Charleston Harbor, the bridge and the commercial vessels entering and leaving the port.
Patriots Point also serves an embarkation point for The Fort Sumter tours and home to the USS Laffey, replica of a Vietnam Support Base, and the museum of the Medal of Honor Society.
Patriots Point hosts numerous events throughout the year, including a New Year’s event, overnight camping for scout troops, numerous veterans’ events and has even hosted a college basketball event.
For more information visit patriotspoint.org
