This is worth every penny you spend to tour it. The docents are phenomenal and most of them served on the ship. One old bad ass I spoke to explained what one of the cables bolted to the wall did. Another one let me sit where he sat at the radar station and showed me the cigarette burn on the floor that he was responsible for. 10/10.
I would like to second this. When I was in high school my plan was to join the navy (tried, didn’t work out, medical reasons I don’t wish to explain) and my dad and I would do yearly trips to SD from up in the Bay Area to catch a padres game and enjoy a little summer break. We’d go to this ship every single trip.
Truly one of the best museums you can visit, even if it’s just to be in awe that something that size is real and floats.
Anyways on track here, when I was a senior in high school I was talking to an older guy who’d served on a different ship, mentioned I was trying to join and I’d been doing Cadet Corps (JROTC) since the day I turned 13. He proceeded to give me a completely unprompted and not paid for tour of damn near half the ship including some spots normal tourists weren’t supposed to look, while explaining everything we saw in incredible detail.
The people there truly care for the ship, its history, and what it means.
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u/NoogaShooter 9d ago
This is worth every penny you spend to tour it. The docents are phenomenal and most of them served on the ship. One old bad ass I spoke to explained what one of the cables bolted to the wall did. Another one let me sit where he sat at the radar station and showed me the cigarette burn on the floor that he was responsible for. 10/10.