Battleship Crew Reunion and June Programming

Aboard the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA

WILMINGTON, NC – The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA announces the annual Battleship Association Crew Reunion and programming schedule for June, 2014.

USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship Association Crew Reunion

May 28 - 31, 2014

The USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship Association is an organization of the Battleship's former crew members and their families. The Association hosts an annual reunion in Wilmington with the next one scheduled for May 28 - 31, 2014. The crew and families very much look forward to their annual return to the Battleship to share stories, visit old friends and make new ones. The love they have for their ship makes a powerful bond.

The formation of the Association was greatly helped by former Ship's officer LCDR John Karrer who worked at the Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri. He forwarded crew members names and addresses to Jack Clements and Chuck Paty, two Association officers living in Charlotte, North Carolina. By July 1968, Karrer had located 7,243 names! Today, shipmates are still discovering their Ship.

The crew has been a tremendous asset to the Battleship through the years. They have given thousands of artifacts, recorded oral histories, donated funds, helped found the Friends of the Battleship, volunteered countless hours, and served on the USS NORTH CAROLINA Battleship Commission. The Battleship staff is proud to preserve their ship and share their story.

Battleship Alive

Saturday, May 31, 2014

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Included with Paid Admission

Since 1997, the Living History Crew weekends have been a tradition at the battleship in the program called "Battleship Alive."  The Living History Crew  provides insight into the daily life and routine of the crew aboard the USS NORTH CAROLINA by explaining the duties specific to the sailor's ratings (jobs) and demonstrates activities that occurred aboard the ship. The WAVES/Home Front unit portrays the lives of women in the Navy and of the men and women on the home front during the war. A great event for all ages. Bring your questions and cameras! Included with Battleship admission.

Flag Day Program

Saturday, June 14, 2014, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

The Battleship announces its first Flag Day Program on Saturday, June 14, 2014.  From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, visitors will have the opportunity to raise their own American flags up the halyards on the ship’s foremast. Members of American Legion Post 10 Honor Guard will assist visitors in hoisting and folding the flags.  It sounds very nautical and it is – and it promises to be fun too!  Provide your name and email and a certificate of authenticity will be emailed to you.  Visitors can bring a flag or purchase a 3 x 5 foot nylon flag with embroidered stars from the Ship’s Store for $39.95 plus tax.  Sales from the store benefit the Battleship. General Admission rates apply.

The Continental Congress authorized the “stars and stripes” as the official National symbol of the United States of America on Saturday, June 14, 1777.  Although various schools and states honored the flag’s birthday, it wasn’t until 1949 that June 14 became National Flag Day when President Harry Truman signed the legislation.

Battleship 101

June 14, 2014 (also July 12 & August 9)

Time: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm

Free with Battleship admission

Ship volunteers stationed throughout the ship engage visitors in specific subjects and areas including: gunnery, radar, sickbay, galley, engineering, and daily shipboard life.  A unique opportunity to talk one on one of what life was like aboard a WWII Battleship in the time of combat. A great event for all ages.  Bring your questions and cameras! Included with Battleship Admission.

Legacy Series: Armored Cruiser North Carolina and the Great War

June 14, 2014

Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Free with Battleship admission

June kicks off the annual Battleship’s Legacy Series as part of the 2nd Saturday programs. Come enjoy a premier display of WWI firearms, clothing, and equipment from enthusiastic costumed collectors.  During WWI the Armored Cruiser North Carolina (ACR-12) was assigned to the Cruiser and Transport Force and began escorting troop ships across the Atlantic in July 1917. She made nine round trips covering 60,000 miles and escorting 61 troop ships safely to the French coast. When the war ended in November 1918, the ACR-12 brought the troops home. The ship made six transport voyages and brought nearly 9,000 soldiers home.  Included with Battleship Admission.

About Battleship NORTH CAROLINA

The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is self-supporting, not tax supported and relies primarily upon admissions to tour the Ship, sales in the Ship's Store, donations and investments. No funds for its administration and operation come from appropriations from governmental entities at the local, state or federal levels. Located at the junction of Highways 17/74/76/421 on the Cape Fear River.   Visit www.battleshipnc.com or follow us on Facebook.com/ncbb55 and Twitter.com/battleshipnc for more information. Relive with the crew on the Battleship Blog http://seastories.battleshipnc.com/. The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is an historic site within the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources (www.NCCulture.com).