Home of the USS Yorktown (CV-10) and USS Laffey (DD-724), this museum gives a great glimpse of life from WWII to 1970.
USS Yorktown (CV-10) was commissioned in 1943 and is one of the Essex Class Aircraft carriers built during the World War II. She was renamed Yorktown while still under construction, after the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-5), which was sunk at the Battle of Midway. She was commissioned on April, 15, 1943. The ship has played an integral part in safeguarding the Pacific Ocean and has also been a part of the Korean and Vietnam wars apart from the World War. It has also served as a recovery ship for the Apollo 8 mission and has garnered many accolades.
USS Laffey was commissioned in February 1944. At just 376 feet she is dwarfed by the Yorktown’s 824 feet but not in size of heart. The Laffey earned the nickname “The Ship That Would Not Die” for her exploits during the D-Day invasion and the Battle of Okinawa when she successfully withstood a determined assault by conventional bombers and the most unrelenting kamikaze air attack in history. On 15 April 1945, Laffey was assigned to radar picket station 26 miles north of Okinawa, and joined in repulsing an air attack. In total, 13 enemy aircraft were downed that day. The next day, on 16 April 1945, the Japanese launched another air attack with some 50 planes. Despite being badly damaged by four bombs, six kamikazecrashes, and strafing fire that killed 32 and wounded 71 she simply would not quit.
The Laffey
The Yorktown
Recipe for 10,000 chocolate chip cookies
Hangar bay
Flight deck
The command decks
Put me in, coach
