Nauticus and the Battleship Wisconsin

We took an afternoon to explore Downtown Norfolk's waterfront maritime science museum, Nauticus.

Nauticus' permanent exhibits include 1907: The Jamestown Exposition and the Launching of the Steel Navy. It examines the period from 1880, when the Navy began to recover from post-civil war decline, to 1907, when President Theodore Roosevelt sent the Great White fleet around the world as an affirmation of American naval strength.

This exhibit compares the weight of a Volkswagen and the weight of the shell of the projectile.

Admission includes a tour of the Wisconsin next store to the museum.

The Battleship Wisconsin is one of the largest non-carrier warships built by the United States.

The battleship, launched in April of 1944, is 887 feet long and weighs 45,000 tons. The "Wisky," affectionately called by some, served in World War II (in Tokyo Bay for surrender), the Korean War (Inchon Landing) and the first Gulf War (Desert Storm).

Nauticus recently opened previously sealed off interior spaces of the battleship to the public. We toured the Mess Deck and the Officers' Quarters.

In 2001 (on the launch anniversary), the ship opened to the general public, and in December of 2009 it was donated to the City of Norfolk.