USS North Carolina (BB-55) - Decommissioning and Battleship Memorial

Decommissioning and Battleship Memorial

After inactivation, she was decommissioned at New York on 27 June 1947. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1960, the North Carolina was transferred to the state of North Carolina on 6 September 1961. She was purchased from the U.S. Navy for $330,000 raised by the efforts of North Carolina school children who saved their spare change and lunch money for the "Save Our Ship" campaign. In 1961, a fleet of tugboats was used to maneuver the 728 ft (222 m) ship through an area of the river 500 ft (150 m) wide. During this move the ship struck the restaurant "Fergus' Ark", near Princess Street. "Fergus' Ark" was formerly a U.S. Army troopship. The river-based restaurant was damaged severely and ceased operation. On 29 April 1962, she was dedicated at Wilmington, North Carolina as a memorial to North Carolinians of all services killed in World War II.

This battleship was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

Visitors to the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial can tour the main deck of the ship, many interior compartments, and some of the gun turrets. Self-guide tours normally require two hours. One may easily see the city of Wilmington from the deck. There is an admission charge. Visitors may also view one of the nine surviving OS2U Kingfisher aircraft in the world, located on the stern of the ship. This particular aircraft was salvaged from a British Columbia, Canada mountainside in 1964 and donated by Lynn Garrison.It was restored by Vought Aeronautics retirees in Grand Prairie, Texas. Various events are held at the memorial including the annual Fourth of July fireworks display from the adjacent battleship park and spaces may be rented for special events. A Roll of Honor in the Wardroom lists the names of North Carolinians who gave their lives in service in all the branches of the military during World War II. The site is accessible by car or a short water taxi ride originating from downtown Wilmington and also features a gift shop, visitors center and picnic area.

The memorial is administered by North Carolina Battleship Commission which was established by statutes of the State of North Carolina in 1960. The memorial relies upon its own revenues as well as donations and does not receive any tax revenues.

In 1999, a reunion was held on the USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial. While standing on the signal bridge, the site of the friendly fire strike during the Okinawa assault of 6 April, former PFC Marine Gunner Richard R. Fox recalled the incident, describing to his daughters and granddaughters how he helped carry a severely injured sailor down to the sickbay. Fox had never been able to find out whether the other man had survived. During his story, Fox was approached by the fellow North Carolina veteran Richard W. Reed, who had overheard the story and interrupted it to identify himself as the injured sailor and offer his thanks. Neither man had known the other's identity for over a half-century.

Recent projects undertaken to maintain the battleship include the replacement of the teak deck. Following a visit by officials from Myanmar, she received the most generous donation in her history: the gift of two tractor-trailer loads of the highest quality teak decking in the world, valued at approximately one quarter million dollars, and a very substantial discount on another eight tractor-trailer loads of the precious wood, valued at another quarter million dollars, to permit the entire re-decking of the ship's more than 1-acre (4,000 m2) of deck.

Several near-term restoration projects are planned which will not require closure of the memorial. The next major restoration project for North Carolina is a refit of her hull. Initially it was announced that this work would require the battleship to be towed to Norfolk or Charleston. However, on 31 May 2010, the Battleship Commission opted instead to have the repair work done in place, using the same cofferdam process recently used to repair the museum ship USS Alabama (BB-60). This approach is expected to save $16 million as well as keep the battleship open to the public during the repair process.