SC: Charleston USS Yorktown

Day 321
May 27, 2016
No Boat Travel

We said our goodbyes to Chris, Heather, and Lillian yesterday as they planned to leave as early as possible to start their long drive back to Connecticut with a stopover in Maryland to see close friends along the way. Jeff, Devon, and Sierra, on the other hand, planned to move on board the boat and travel a portion of the Great Loop with us for the next seven days.

I had been planning on their arrival on board for several weeks and devising and working a solution to the storage / living space puzzle called "5 People Living on Sea Moss".  I was quite proud of myself for finding new hiding places for all of the items that have been stored in our second stateroom during our Great Loop adventure. Over the months, more and more items seemed to find their way into that room and had to find their way out again to make space for our guests. As I awaited Jeff, Devon, and Sierra's arrival I took care of the one last detail to make space - the laundry.

Since Tropical Storm Bonny decided to come to Charleston, we had to modify our boat travel plans for the weekend. We had planned to head north when they came on board, but instead we extended our stay at the marina and took advantage of the weekly rate to avoid traveling in the predicted dense fog and rain.  Making plans and revising them has been the name of the game since we started the Great Loop trip. As such Jeff, Devon, and Sierra immediately got a feel for the planning challenges we have faced throughout this voyage.

Jeff, Devon, and Sierra moved on board shortly after 11:00. After some brief discussion about plans for the day, we decided to visit the USS Yorktown World War II aircraft carrier. We squashed ourselves into the rental car (Sierra's car seat took up quite a bit of the backseat) and headed out. Jeff knew the way quite well, since the road was the same one he had taken to tour Fort Sumter on Wednesday as well as visit the plantation on Thursday.

We stopped at the information desk on board the carrier to learn about our options and found that the USS Yorktown offers five self-guided tours of the ship. The USS Yorktown, known as the "Fighting Lady of World War II", was commissioned in 1943, served active duty from 1943 to 1947 and again from 1952 to 1970, and was decommissioned in 1970. She was built in the midst of WW II entirely by women in under 18 months. Although another name had been identified for her, she was christened the USS Yorktown shortly after the original Yorktown went down in the Battle of Midway.

Given that Clark's eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas when the tour of the engine room was listed, we decided to head that direction first. I found it interesting that the man we spoke with stressed multiple times that the engine room was six floors, and therefore six flights of stairs, down with the stairs becoming more and more like ladders as we descended. He emphasized the words "if you feel you are up to it" several times. I gathered that they really did not want to have to "rescue" anyone who got down there and then decided they could not climb back up the ladders.

Ship's Bell near Information Station

Sierra Working the Wheel in the Engine Room

Lots of Gauges

Lots of Pipes

Clark was thrilled, Jeff appeared moderately interested, and Sierra liked turning the wheels. Although it all looked somewhat interesting and definitely ancient by modern technology standards, Devon and I agreed that we could not identify most of what we saw in the engine room. Consequently, I was ready to ascend shortly after arriving below decks. For me, watching Sierra have fun was the best part of visiting the engine room.

Jeff helping Sierra Climb the Stairs

I found climbing up to be easier than going down the stairs, which I had traversed backwards to arrive in the engine room, much like going down a ladder, as I felt safer that way. As I stepped off the last ladder / set of stairs, I was definitely relieved to be back on the entry-level deck once more.

As we explored this level of the ship we found an Apollo exhibit off to one side. Climbing inside the space capsule, Sierra, Jeff and Devon sat in the seats and watched a launch and descent video. Devon said Sierra was nervous of the motion and loud sounds involved in the display, but she enjoyed it so much she insisted on repeating the experience two more times before leaving the ship.

Simulated Apollo Space Capsule Ride

 Devon and Sierra also squeezed themselves into the seat of a fighter plane to see what it felt like to be a pilot.

Sierra learning to pilot a fighter plane

On this deck, and later when we reached the flight deck, we saw many airplanes on exhibit.

On the Flight Deck

Devon, Sierra, and Jeff exploring the Flight Deck

We did not see any catapults to launch the planes from the carrier, but we did see the hook used to stop them upon their return.

In position to take off

Hook on plane used  to capture the cable when landing

After walking the flight deck we went to see the Captain's Bridge aka the Flying Bridge.

Captain's Bridge with Captain's Chair

A true enthusiast could spend hours viewing the planes on deck, reading about the exhibits, and studying the ship's controls. As we walked the flight deck, I heard someone who must have been a "true enthusiast" as he seemed to know all sorts of facts about each and every plane on display on the carrier. Touring the ship with him would definitely be an all-day event.

For some unknown reason, perhaps the heat and humidity of the day, I found it very difficult to conjure up any true enthusiasm as we prowled the ship. When Clark and Jeff started talking about touring the submarine next, I balked and said quite emphatically that I was done for the day. From her comments as we discussed plans, I felt pretty sure that Devon had had enough warship exploring for one day as well.

Consequently, Clark and Jeff went off to tour the sub while Devon and I took the car and drove to the supermarket to buy some provisions for the boat and pick up something to cook for dinner. I have been on subs before and found them to be very close quarters. The only part I missed that would have been interesting (to me) were the torpedoes. The Submarine Clagamore, commissioned in 1945 and one of the last diesel submarines, contained ten torpedo tubes.

Clagamore - WW II Diesel Submarine

Torpedo Elevator and MK 44 Torpedo on Clagamore

Thank goodness we now use digital cameras. Between the aircraft carrier and the submarine,  Clark took almost 300 pictures.  I think he must have really enjoyed both tours!

Since Devon and I had purchased food to make dinner on board and the day was quite hot, we headed back to Sea Moss immediately after collecting Jeff and Clark. Cooking dinner on board proved to be a new challenge given the very close living quarters. I managed with Jeff's help. I cooked the side dishes inside while Jeff cooked the steaks on our portable grill out in the cockpit. We all enjoyed a home-cooked meal for a change from one restaurant after another.