Well What About That: vacation pt.4

We stayed in North Carolina for the night and then headed to Patriots Point in Mt Pleasant, SC. Patriots Point is where the USS Yorktown (the fighting lady), USS Laffey and USS Clamagore are docked and serve as museums.
The original Yorktown was destroyed and sunk in 1942. The "the fighting lady" was rebuilt in 16 months to replace what the Navy had lost. The Yorktown carried 3,500 men and 90 planes. She also served in the Vietnam War and recovered Apollo 8.
We were able to walk around all the ships... it was an awesome full-day history lesson! See, we did school on vacation!
Since Meagan's foot was still swollen, sore and very tender, we were able to use a wheelchair and had access to the elevators!

This was the bridge we crossed to get to Patriots Point

The USS Yorktown (The Fighting Lady)

Collin and Dad checking out the Twin 40 MM Bofors

Collin sitting in the seat of a Twin 40MM Bofors

We walked all over the land strip of the Aircraft. There were planes everywhere.

Looking over the planes from an outside walkway.

Collin, Meagan, Diona and Kaitlyn checking out the Air groups numbers of planes, trains, subs and ships shot down or destroyed.

The list just keeps going.

Todd and Diona over looking the planes.

Checking out the walkways outside!

Todd in the captains seat.

After we walked around the top of the Yorktown, we went down a few levels to see where the planes were stored, and check out the museum.

A wonderful reminder "When you go home tomorrow, tell them of us and say 'for your tomorrow, we gave our today'".

All the planes in the belly of the Yorktown.

Everyone took turns sitting inside this airplane.

The amount of buttons, switches and knobs were amazing!

Collin in the plane

Dad in the plane

Kaitlyn in the plane

The sign above the museum reads "Charleston Navy Yard Museum 1901-1996"

Kaitlyn, Diona and Meagan checking out how inventions like the typewriter, record player, binoculars, etc, have improved.

Kaitlyn typing on a typewriter

The Yorktown had to operate solely on it's own. So it had a sick ward, library, post office, doctors office, operating room, dentist, and a kitchen! They had the crews favorite recipe for 10,000 chocolate cookies posted! It took 112 lbs of chocolate chips, 165 lbs of sugar, 500 eggs, 100 lbs of sugar, 87 lbs shortening, 75 lbs brown sugar, 12 lbs butter, 3 lbs salt,3 cup vanilla ext,1 qt water, and 1.5 pounds baking soda!

The fighting lady

We left the massive Yorktown and went to see submarine USS Clamagore. Talk about a tight squeeze!

USS Clamagore

The torpedo room... Collin said he wouldn't want to sleep with bombs.

So many knobs and levers!

C and K testing out the controls

I think this was the radio room?

The tiniest toilet. Needs a woman's touch!

This itty bitty four table dining room had to feed 75 hungry men.

Collin, Meagan and Kaitlyn on top the submarine, with the Yorktown in the distance

Same background, this time it's Todd and Diona

After we left the Clamagore, the guys went onto the Destroyer, the USS Laffey. The girls went into the gift shop

Collin on the deck of Laffey

Right before leaving Patriots Point, we ran into some Puppy Raisers for Southeastern Guide Dogs! We enjoyed talking to the Bloom family and their two dogs; Curry a certified therapy dog and Pearl and puppy in training. Ironically, they are from Florida!
After leaving Patriots Point, full of gratitude for the men who served, and are currently deployed and working to protect our country, we headed to Hilton Head, SC.
We called up some long time puppy raiser friends (who raised Clarke, one of our finishing dogs from a pup) and headed to see them for a quick chat. We enjoyed meeting their dogs Duke, Parker and Burke.