The history of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum began in the summer of 1975 when the legendary aircraft carrier USS Yorktown appeared on the horizon of Charleston Harbor. A few months later, celebrating the October 13th birthday of the United States Navy, Yorktown was opened to the public as a museum and the Patriots Point mission was underway.
Patriots Point would become one of the largest museums of its kind in the world with the addition of other ships such as the destroyer USS Laffey, known as The Ship That Would Not Die. The Treasury class Coast Guard cutter Ingham would join the Patriots Point battle group along with the Balao class submarine Clamagore.
Priceless war planes from WWII and Korea are featured in Yorktown's hangar deck and on the flight deck an array of aircraft from the Vietnam War and Desert Storm up to modern marvels such as the F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking.
And from the deltas of southeast Asia, the Vietnam Base Camp replica tells the story of the River Patrol Boats and the HAL-3 Seawolves helicopter crews.
Patriotism. Honor. Character.
Patriots Point staff is making repairs to the USS Laffey. Due to this maintenance work, the ship is closed indefinitely to the public.
CV-10 was to be known as the Bon Homme Richard but was renamed in honor of the only American carrier lost in the pivotal Battle of Midway, USS Yorktown (CV-5).
