The USS North Carolina (BB-55) My all-time favorite warship. As an elementary school student in North Carolina, I donated nickels and dimes to save this ship back in the early sixties.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Battleship North Carolina's Sound and Light Show: Dad's Friend Rudely Awakened

From the April 16, 2013, Wilmington (NC) Star-News "Back Then" by Scott Nunn.

APRIL 9, 1963, The North Carolina Battleship Commission was studying the possibility of beginning a $400,000 sound and light spectacular which would show the building of the ship, its launching, life on board, news of Pearl Harbor, training, the battles of Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and arrival in Tokyo Bay just after the war's end.

They did have it and I was fortunate to see it a couple times.  Quite impressive.  The audience sat on bleacher seats and the sound and lights took you right back.  Everyone would jump when the torpedo  explosion happened, sending a plume of water up beside the ship.

Dad used to laugh about it saying once he was there with family friends and the man had been a World War II sailor, but prone to falling asleep whenever he watched something.  The "torpedo" almost caused him to fall out of the stands when it went off and awoke him.

Unfortunately, they don't have it anymore.  Perhaps it is time to bring it back, only minus the mosquitoes.

Wonder if he had ever seen the North Carolina during the war?

Like, BOOM!!!!!!  --GreGen

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