Battleships

Back in August my family visited Norfolk, Virginia for a few days.  One of the highlights of the visit was going to the Mariner's Museum in Newport News.  That's where the turret of the Monitor is being carefully restored after having been lifted from the bottom of the ocean off of Cape Hatteras.  The museum has some very impressive displays on the Monitor, including full-scale reproductions of the turret and some of the interior living areas, and a number of other great displays as well.  I highly recommend it.

Not far away in Norfolk itself is a museum called Nauticus.  Attached to Nauticus is the USS Wisconsin, arguably the high-point as well as one of the last of the armored, turreted warships of which Monitor was the first.  You can tour parts of the Wisconsin.   Being able to see her right after seeing so much about the Monitor is really cool.  One other thing about Nauticus was a bit odd feeling, though.  Near the end of the exhibits were some ship models.  I showed my kids a model of a Spruance-class destroyer, while my wife pointed out that the aircraft carrier model was of a ship she had cross-decked on.  It's a very strange sensation to see part of your life in a museum.

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