Patriot Point Maritime Museum, Full Review, Charleston, SC

The Fighting Lady is Very Impressive

Visiting Patriots Point, the nation’s oldest aircraft carrier museum was an awesome family experience. We visited on a very rainy morning in the fall but the weather cleared by lunch and we were able to enjoy the flight deck. The remaining clouds provided decent cloud cover, and as it turns out, they also provided a great backdrop for many of the photos. 

Retired warplane located on the flight
deck of the Yorktown CV-10

The USS Yorktown CV-10, The Fighting Lady as she is referred to, is a retired World War II aircraft carrier. She is not plush or pristine, but at over 70 years old she is well taken care of and still very impressive. The inside of the USS Yorktown, CV-10 it is laid out similar to a museum. There are lots of military artifacts, scaled models, and several full-size airplanes. When you step out onto the massive flight deck, which is small by todays standards, you will be in the midst of even more full-size jets and military planes. This part of the tour was especially exciting to my seven-year-old son as we inspected each retired aircraft one by one. 

The Destroyer

The USS Laffey (DD-724) is more interactive, my son enjoyed this exhibit more than the CV-10. This amazing vessel is much smaller than the CV-10. Touring this nostalgic destroyer made me realize the sacrifice that many brave men made to call this home for months on end. The USS Laffey does not feel like a museum. I have already mentioned that it is more interactive and there are far less exhibits and artifacts inside as well. My advice would be to resist the urge to go straight for the enormous aircraft carrier. Take in the military destroyer and all it has to offer before embarking on the journey of exploring the CV-10.

USS Laffey (DD-724) Retired Military destroyer

I am not a huge military buff nor do I typically enjoy touring museums. I thought this would be a fun and educational day trip for my family and as it turns out, I was correct. I highly recommend visiting this exhibit, I would suggest that you allow at least 4 hours to enjoy this tour. Keep in mind that the the CV-10 was designed for young marines, not for those with bad knees. Many of the stairways are more like ladders than steps and it may be necessary to duck as you enter certain doorways. So plan accordingly and be sure to wear your walking shoes.

Note: Due to Covid-19, the retired submarine was closed. This gives us a good reason to return and to continue or tour.

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www.patriotspoint.org