Patriots Point

Patriots Point is on the Mt. Pleasant SC side of Charleston Harbor - within sight of the Ravenel Bridge. The centerpiece of the museum is USS Yorktown, a World War II air craft carrier. It is so big that it will not fit in one picture frame from the parking lot.

There are tours available but we chose to take things at our own pace. The hanger and flight decks have planes displayed.

Walking on the flight deck is quite an experience; the metal deck made odd sounds as I walked toward the edge. I was more comfortable staying toward the center of the flight deck. The bridge towers above- with the World War II ‘kills’ indicated by the Japanese flags.

There were rooms on the other decks set up in museum style (I was disappointed that the room about Navy women did not mention Grace Murray Hopper). The arrows on the floor are helpful; it would be easy to get lost in the warren of rooms!

The ship is in Charleston Harbor and there is some degradation of the metal. Hopefully it can be maintained for years to come - enlightening visitors about a period of 20th Century history. It bridges World War II to the space again since it was the ship that recovered Apollo 8 from the sea in the 1960s.