I was in Williamsburg recently to attend the 2023 Williamsburg Muster Wargame Convention. Whenever I go to this convention, I always tag on a museum trip to one of the local area museums. One of the museums I have been meaning to go to is the Nauticus Museum, as I wanted to see the Battleship USS Wisconsin.
I had not done it sooner, as I normally check the traffic while I am there and decide on the museum based on the driving time. Well, this time around, I did not see any serious bridge or tunnel backup, so headed to Norfolk (there ended up being a back up anyway, but it was not too bad).
I arrived at the museum, with a friend of mine in tow. While driving, we found out you had to get your tickets online. This is rather annoying, as I am old and like to just walk up and pay for things. Fortunately, I had my buddy and he did it while we were driving, so there was no hassle once we got there.
We went to the museum, presented out email and started the tour. The museum is broken up into three main parts. The first is a lot of interactive booths and items that seem targeted for younger viewers. You then go past a small separate naval history museum run by the USN. There are a number of artifacts and a lot of scale models representing various ships in US history. We actually hit this on the way out, as we wanted to make sure we did not run out of time running around the Wisconsin!
We crossed the walkway to the ship and a couple of veterans gave us a short intro, so we would know where to go on the ship. Most of the exterior of the ship is open to walking around, with the exception of the highest areas (including the main bridge). B turret is also open to go inside and see the back area gun controls, with some port holes that allow you to see part of the breaches for the main guns. You cannot go to the breach or the lower loading areas, but Geta. decent view. Getting in and out of the turret is a bit of a challenge if your tall or having, so beware!
We then went into the side door and walked around the inside of the ship. They have the main deck level mostly open. It is full of stuff to give you the feel of the spaces and how they looked when in use. There are also a few ladders going up and down, so you can see some other areas of the ship. You get to see a lot of crews quarters and all the officer’s quarters. You also get to see all the common areas for the crew and all the ships services areas. All fully equipped (even including a bunch of fake food on the chow lines). There are bathrooms open on ship, so you do not have to leave, if the urge hits you. You cannot access the lower levels of the ship, so cannot see the engine room, power or ammo storage. However, the rest is quite extensive. There are no maps, so it is easy to get lost!
We did our tour for ab out three hours and saw what we wanted and headed out when it was time for closing. It was a great excursion and I really enjoyed it (I may have even lost a few pounds climbing up and down all those ladders!). Another site off my bucket list! If you are into historical warships, don’t pass up a visit if your in the Norfolk area!
- Manteuffel