Most Decorated American Battleship of World War II
1 Battleship Road NE, Wilmington, NC 28401
Age
All Ages
Cost
$$
Daytime general admission runs roughly $16 adult. Evening ghost-hunt and paranormal-investigation programs through third-party operators are priced separately.
Access
Limited Access
Battleship decks connected by ladders; hangar deck and main deck partially accessible
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1941 · National Historic Landmark · Most Decorated American Battleship · Lead Ship of North Carolina-Class · Citizen Preservation Campaign
USS North Carolina (BB-55) was the first American battleship commissioned after the Washington Naval Treaty's expiration. The ship was laid down at New York Naval Shipyard in October 1937 and commissioned on April 9, 1941, the lead ship of a new class of fast battleships designed to operate with carrier task forces at speeds previously beyond standard battleship capability.
During World War II, North Carolina participated in every major Pacific Fleet campaign from the Guadalcanal landings of August 1942 through the Japanese surrender. The ship's anti-aircraft batteries shot down twenty-four enemy aircraft, and the 16-inch main batteries supported amphibious operations from the Gilbert Islands through Okinawa. North Carolina earned fifteen battle stars across the Pacific campaign, more than any other American battleship.
On September 15, 1942, a Japanese submarine torpedoed North Carolina off the Solomon Islands during operations supporting the Guadalcanal landings. The torpedo exploded in a lower-deck washroom, killing five sailors and wounding twenty-three. The torpedo damage was extensive but the ship returned to operational service within weeks. The torpedo-damage compartment is preserved as part of the current museum tour and is among the most-cited paranormal locations aboard the ship.
North Carolina was decommissioned on June 27, 1947 and held in the inactive reserve fleet at Bayonne, New Jersey through the 1950s. The Navy announced the ship's scheduled scrapping in 1960. A citizen preservation campaign led by North Carolina governor Luther H. Hodges and a statewide schoolchildren's penny drive raised the required transfer and towing costs. The battleship was transferred to North Carolina in 1961 and opened to the public on October 14, 1961.
USS North Carolina is designated a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sources
USS North Carolina's paranormal record is among the most-documented of any American museum ship. The reports cluster on two principal locations: the torpedo-damage compartment, where five sailors were killed in the September 15, 1942 submarine attack, and the sick bay, which served as the primary medical facility throughout the carrier's combat service.
The torpedo-damage compartment has produced sustained reports across multiple decades. Visitors and staff describe disembodied voices, with specific recurring phrases including I'm tired and get out reported by multiple witnesses. The sound of running footsteps in the surrounding passageways has been reported during evening hours when the museum is closed to standard visitors.
The sick bay produces reports of the sound of beds creaking and shifting, loud knocks and tapping on the bulkheads, and the sensation of being touched by unseen hands. The figure of a medical officer in 1940s naval uniform has been reported in the central sick-bay passage. Paranormal-investigation groups including the SyFy Channel Ghost Hunters team have filmed in these spaces; the resulting footage and audio are widely circulated in regional paranormal media.
Additional reports cover the bridge, the engine room, the catapult deck, and the crew berthing spaces. The battleship is configured for extensive evening-program access through third-party operators including Haunted Rooms America and Ghost Hunts USA. The museum itself does not directly operate the paranormal programs but provides the access framework through which the third-party operators run their scheduled investigations.
Media Appearances
Self-paced tour of the 1941 fast battleship across multiple decks, including the 16-inch turrets, the bridge, the sick bay, the engine room, and the crew berthing spaces. The North Carolina earned fifteen battle stars during World War II, more than any other American battleship.
Third-party operator programs hosted aboard USS North Carolina include evening ghost hunts with paranormal-investigation equipment use, off-limit-area access (VIP areas closed during daytime tours), and snacks. Programs are scheduled in advance and require booking through the operator rather than the museum directly.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Wilmington, NC
The USS North Carolina (BB-55) was commissioned in April 1941 and served throughout the Pacific War, earning 15 battle stars — more than any other American battleship. When the Navy scheduled her for scrapping in 1960, North Carolina citizens launched a successful campaign to preserve the ship. She has been moored on the Cape Fear River in Wilmington as a memorial and museum since October 1961.
Marietta, GA
The Kennesaw House was built in 1845 as a cotton warehouse on what is now Marietta Square, adjacent to the railroad tracks that would define its Civil War history. Purchased by Dix Fletcher in 1855 and converted into the Fletcher House hotel, it served as both a staging point for the famous Great Locomotive Chase of April 1862 and as a hospital and morgue for Confederate and Union forces during Sherman's Atlanta campaign. Today it houses the Marietta History Center.
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