Aaron Headly/Flickr Creative Commons
I thought I would write about a somewhat unusual RV destination today, Battleship museums! They’re great for physical exercise because they’re very large ships with lots of climbing involved, they’re covered in big guns so the kids will love making bang noises, and you have a chance to appreciate what the previous generations have gone through to ensure our freedoms are preserved. Needless to say these museums and memorials are out on the coast, or on major rivers, so if you’re headed to the seaside for fishing, boating, or beaching, why not swing by one of these steel behemoths and pay respects?
Luckily these floating memorials are scattered out across the country, so regardless of which part of the nation you are traveling through there should be one or two in the region. Here is a list of the surviving Big Boys on display:
- Mobile, AL – USS Alabama at Battleship Memorial Park
- San Pedro, CA – USS Iowa at Pacific Battleship Center
- Pearl Harbor, HI – USS Missouri at Battleship Missouri Memorial
- Fall River, MA – USS Massachusetts at Battleship Cove
- Wilmington, NC USS North Carolina
- Camden, NJ – USS New Jersey at Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial
- Norfolk, VA – USS Wisconsin at Nauticus Maritime Center
- LaPorte, TX – USS Texas at San Jacinto State Park
Needless to say, the USS Texas is our favorite here at PPL Motorhomes. She is the oldest museum battleship in the country and was the first to be commemorated back in 1947. She served with distinction in operations during World War 1 and World War 2 where she fought in all major theaters of operation and earned 5 battle stars and only lost one man. Ironically she is a member of the New York class of ship, but we won’t hold that against her because she’s a beautiful old Lady who was commissioned 100 years ago this March!