by L.A. Jackson

There is a fog that occasionally rises early on still mornings from the Cooper River east of Charleston, SC, and drivers who cross the long Highway 17 bridge over the river to Mount Pleasant often see a fleet of vintage warships at anchor appear out of the mist.

Ghosts? No, not really. It is the Patriots Point Naval and Marine Museum, a first-class display of four fighting ships home from the sea as well as a large collection of historic military aircrafts and hardware. Patriots Point Museum is the result of a mandate by the South Carolina General Assembly in 1972 to develop the state property across the Cooper River from Charleston in Mount Pleasant into an educational, recreational, patriotic site. Within three years, The Point had its first attraction: the USS Yorktown.

Far from being a will-o'-wisp warship, this aircraft carrier is 888 feet and 27,100 tons of real iron and steel. Commissioned on April 15, 1943, the Yorktown played key roles in the World War II Pacific Theater at Truk Island and the Marianas campaign, and also provided desperately needed air support for ground troops at the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

Decommissioned in 1970, this distinguished aircraft carrier languished in moth ball limbo in New Jersey for five years before being turned over to the state of South Carolina and towed to Charleston.

Today, the Yorktown is a floating museum, with a large portion of the ship, including the flight deck, crew’s quarters, engine rooms and bridge, being open to the public. In addition, volunteers are usually available to conduct guided tours and tell the tales of the ship’s high seas adventures.

While the Yorktown itself is a museum, there are actually other smaller museums within the ship, including a Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, a display of modern airplanes on the flight deck and exhibits honoring World War II fast carriers, escort carriers, battleships, cruisers, submarines, destroyers and destroyer escorts.

In addition, on the Yorktown’s hangar deck, there is a special exhibit of World War II-era fighters that includes a gull-winged Corsair FG-1D, a F6F Hellcat, an AD Skyraider and the agile F4F-3A Wildcat used by Naval Medal of Honor winner E.H. “Butch” O’Hare who on February 20, 1942, helped to save the carrier Lexington by shooting down five enemy airplanes in a single sortie.

Keeping the Yorktown company is the USS Laffey (DD-724), a 377-foot, 2,220-ton destroyer that was commissioned on November 21, 1943. The Laffey is the only preserved Allen M. Sumner Class destroyer left in existence, which is remarkable, especially considering the damage this “tin can” endured off Okinawa on April 16, 1945. In one hour—which must have seemed like days—the crew shot down eleven attacking airplanes, but the small ship was struck by three bombs and five suicide planes. Although the damage was extensive, there was enough left of the destroyer to repair so it could sail and fight again. Decommissioned in 1975, the Laffey was brought to Patriots Point in 1981.

Alongside the Laffey is the Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, a similar-sized ship commissioned in 1936 that served in the Atlantic Theater during World War II. The Ingham had the distinction of sinking the German submarine U-626 off Iceland on December 17, 1942. A year after being decommissioned in 1988, the Ingham was brought to Patriots Point as one of only two preserved Secretary Class cutters left. This highly decorated ship also serves as a national memorial to the 912 Coast Guardsmen killed in action in World War II and Vietnam.

The submarine USS Clamagore completes the fleet at Patriots Point. She was commissioned in June, 1945, just a few weeks before World War II ended. Most of her 30-year career was spent operating in the Mediterranean and off the East Coast from New London, CN, to Key West. Her tours also included many crucial patrols during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In 1975 when she was decommissioned, the Clamagore was one of the last diesel-powered subs left in the U.S. Navy.

In spite of all its ships, guns and planes, Patriots Point is more than a museum of military hardware—it is a museum of memories. These mind ghosts are alive at this place deeply steeped in history, which makes The Point not only a destination to enjoy, but a place for remembrance and reflection. In this timeless harbor, there are sights to see, just as there are lessons to be learned.