The history of Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum began in the summer of 1975 when the legendary aircraft carrier USS Yorktown appeared on the horizon of Charleston Harbor. A few months later, celebrating the October 13th birthday of the United States Navy, Yorktown was opened to the public as a museum and the Patriots Point mission was underway.

Patriots Point has become one of the largest museums of its kind in the world with the addition of other ships such as the destroyer USS Laffey, known as The Ship That Would Not Die. The Treasury class Coast Guard cutter Ingham would join the Patriots Point battle group along with the Balao class submarine Clamagore.

The centerpiece of Patriots Point is the world famous aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN, a heavily decorated warship that was at the "tip of the spear" in America's victory in the Pacific during World War II. Find out more about the ships of Patriots Point, the magnificent aircraft, and the rest of the exhibits that make Patriots Point one of the most visited attractions in the Carolinas!

The Ships
“The Fighting Lady”
YORKTOWN (CV-10)
Come aboard and feel the power of the greatest generations greatest weapons. The American aircraft carrier.  Our centerpiece is the world famous USS Yorktown (CV-10). Known as “The Fighting Lady” Yorktown became one of the best known warships in American history because of her service in World War II.

“The Ship That Would Not Die”
LAFFEY (DD-724)  
Berthed alongside Yorktown is the Destroyer LAFFEY.  It is an American legend that participated in the D-Day landing in Europe as well as breath-taking maneuvers in the Pacific where LAFFEY’s service was purely heroic. In the space of one hour, LAFFEY was hit by five Japanese Kamikazes and three enemy bombs. Her crew not only kept LAFFEY afloat but incredibly managed to shoot down eleven planes. LAFFEY would come to be known as the ship that wouldn’t die! Click on the image to the right to take a virtual tour!

CLAMAGORE (SS-343)  
A must see at Patriots Point is the cold-war submarine CLAMAGORE, commissioned in the Summer of 1945.  Head below into the heart of this attack shark of the deep and see if you have what it takes to be a submariner!

 INGHAM (WHEC-35)   
The Coast Guard Cutter INGHAM is a proud member of the Patriots Point fleet having served fifty years on the oceans of the world, becoming one of the most decorated vessels in United States history.