All Aboard the USS Wisconsin - A Road Trip to a Retired Battleship in Norfolk, Virginia

Dear Henry,

While in Norfolk, Virginia, we got to tour the USS Wisconsin! Let me tell you all about it! 

The USS Wisconsin, BB-64, is one of four Iowa-class battleships built in response to World War II and the second boat to bear the name.

The Iowa Class is a fast battleship. She is 887 feet, 3 inches long on deck and 860 feet at waterline. She has a beam of 108 feet 2 inches and a draft of 37 feet 8 inches. The USS Wisconsin was powered by four steam turbines, each driving one screw propeller, which were in turn powered by eight oil-fired boilers. She has 212,000 shaft horsepower and was designed for a top speed of 33 knots.

She also had an impressive amount of firepower. The USS Wisconsin has nine 50-caliber Mark 7 guns on three triple gun towers. As well as 20 38-caliber dual-purpose guns. She was also equipped with an anti-aircraft complement of 20 quadruple mount 40 MM guns and 49 20 MM guns. She also has two rotating catapults for float planes.

Her armor belt is 12.1 inches thick, with extra armor in the forward and aft bulkheads, and her sailors know her as "Big Wiskey."

The USS Wisconsin launched on December 7, 1943, and was assigned to the Pacific Theater during WWII, participating in the Philippines Campaign, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa. She also participated in the shelling of Japan shortly before the war ended on September 2, 1945.

During the Korean War, she shelled mainland North Korean targets, remaining in Korean waters until the Armistice on July 27, 1953.

She was used as a training vessel until 1958, and then decommissioned until 1986,when she was reactivated and modernized. Big Wiskey deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1990-1991 in support of Desert Storm/Desert Shield and the Gulf War. Her final decommission occurred in 1991, and she has earned six battle stars and a Navy unit commendation.

The USS Wisconsin was removed from the US Naval registers on March 17, 2006, and donated to the Nauticus museum in Norfolk, Virginia. The ship was transferred on December 14, 2009, and the formal dedication took place on April 16, 2010. Big Whiskey was added to the Register of Historical Places on March 28, 2012.

The USS Wisconsin was so much fun to explore and makes you appreciate the tight quarters and restricted movement that the sailors of our Navy live with while at sea. Most shocking, at least to me, were the tiny little beds, and I'm not sure how Fish, a former Seabee, would have fit.

The ship offers a couple of different tour options. There is a self-guided tour that is included with the Nautilus admission, as well as a 45-minute guided tour for an additional fee. You can also purchase guided command and engine room tours, and a VIP experience that really gets you into the secret places of the ship. You can also schedule overnight stays. There is a great gift shop, which sells deck pieces, ship models, and, of course, shot glasses. We added another one to our collection.

The USS Wisconsin is a must-see if you're in Norfolk, Virginia. We had a great time.

xoxo a.d. elliott

P.S. You can check out the YouTube video of our adventure here: https://youtu.be/Gaz9P0kKMZg

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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

Her online photography gallery can be found at shop.takethebackroads.com

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