Charleston, South Carolina is full of interesting things to see and do. If you are a fan of the Navy, and naval history, here are two sites that are definitely worth checking out.
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum:
Patriots Point is the fourth largest naval museum in the country. Located right on the waterfront of Charleston Harbor, the museum has a variety of attractions, among them the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, the destroyer USS Laffey, and the submarine USS Clamagore. Each is a floating museum in itself and can be explored in detail.
The deck of the carrier Yorktown is covered with interesting vintage aircraft.
Looking down the flight deck on the USS Yorktown.
The Destroyer USS Laffey
Submarine USS Clamagore
Wandering the decks and compartments of these vessels is like a trip back in time. It gives the visitor an up close and personal perspective of what life was like for the sailors who served on these Navy Vessels. For more information visit the Patriots Point site at Patriots Point.
The H.L. Hunley – Warren Lasch Conservation Center:
The H.L. Hunley holds a special place in naval history. The Hunley was an early attempt to develop and operate a military submarine. A Confederate vessel, on February 17th, 1864 the Hunley successfully attacked and sank the Union vessel the USS Housatonic in Charleston Bay. The event marked the first time a submarine sank another vessel. Unfortunately, the Hunley never returned to port after it’s successful attack. It sank with all hands on board In Charleston Bay. The cause of it’s sinking remains a mystery to this day.
Eventually the Hunley was discovered and on Augst 8, 2000 it was raised and transported to Warren Lasch Conservation Center where she remains in a submersion tank for ongoing restoration. You can visit the center and see a number of informative exhibits detailing the development and history of the Hunley.
You can visit and view the Hunley in it’s submersion tank in Charleston, but photographs are not allowed. The image above shows the Early Pioneer, an earlier developmental version of the Hunley. For more information visit the Friends of the Hunley site at Hunley.