USS Wisconsin, Norfolk

"MSW crew-mate Tim Parker (pzkw) took a recent trip to Norfolk, Virginia, and took the opportunity to tour one of the USS Wisconsin, BB-64, one of the famous Iowa-class ships currently berth at Nauticus!"

The Battleship Wisconsin is one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy.

Currently at berth and on display at Nauticus, National Maritime Center in Norfolk, Virginia, you can have a rare look aboard "Wisky" through a self-guided or audio tour that will take you back in time to experience this majestic ship that earned five battle stars during World War II.

Click here for a full "Wisky Facts" fact-sheet in .pdf form of this majestic vessel!

Only the main deck and the 02 level are accessible; nothing on the interior. I was told by one of the docents that its because of the danger of asbestos exposure.

I wanted to show various details aboard the ship, in the event any model builder wanted to know how to "super detail" their model. That's why most of the pictures are close-ups of rather obscure things. This includes the propeller locking nut & prop shaft - in the flesh, these are items are bright stainless steel, but unfortunately, the colors didn't come across in the pictures.

I built a model of either the USS New Jersey or the USS Missouri back when I was a kid, and the model represented the World War 2 version of the ship. What I remember most, was that the model was just bristling with guns - twin 40mm gun mounts, lots of twin 5 inch mounts.

Now, what with the upgrades to the ships, there's no 40 mm guns left, and I think it was only about 3 or 4 (per side) of the 5" turrets are left. Which is a shame, since I'm a believer in lots of firepower! The black material (blast bags) around the 16 inch guns felt like a heavy canvas; it's not rubber! Also, on the aft 16" turret, one can find an "escape hatch" from the turret - and there is also a placard indicating that the hatch swings downwards, and that it weighs about 500 pounds.

If you're planning a trip to Norfolk, or near, don't pass up this opportunity!