From the Pacific fights of World War II to the tense times of the Cold War, America’s big sea ships have been key in navy history. While many were torn down after use, a few were kept as museums, letting people walk their decks, see their hangars, and feel the times they once owned. Here are five great ships you can now visit.
5. USS Yorktown (CV-10) – Patriots Point, South Carolina
Commissioned in 1943, USS Yorktown was initially to be called Bonhomme Richard, but following the destruction of her namesake at Midway, she was named in memory of the lost ship. Yorktown received 11 battle stars in the Pacific during World War II, also serving in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Decommissioned in 1970, she is now docked at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, as a floating museum. Passengers can board to explore interactive attractions such as a replica Apollo capsule that simulates going to the moon, or the “Engine Room Experience,” which uses touch-screen kiosks to reproduce the work of WWII technicians. Movie buffs will also see her featured in films such as Tora! Tora! Tora! and The Philadelphia Experiment.
4. USS Midway (CV-41) – San Diego, California
Commissioned shortly after the close of WWII, USS Midway was the world’s largest ship at the time, so big that she could not fit through the Panama Canal.
She had a remarkable career of 47 years, participating in the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and many peacetime deployments before being retired in 1992.
Today, docked in San Diego, the USS Midway Museum is a treasure trove for visitors. Visitors can experience the Battle of Midway Theater, take part in some simulated flights, and take guided tours around the hangar and flight deck, where historic naval aircraft are on display. It’s an active tribute to decades of naval aviation history.
3. USS Hornet (CV-12) – Alameda, California
Commissioned in 1943, USS Hornet was assigned to the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific and saw action in critical battles, such as the Mariana and the Philippine Sea. Her planes played a legendary role in sinking the Japanese super-battleship Yamato.
Post-WWII, Hornet underwent renovation for service in the modern age, serving in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. She also earned a reputation in space exploration as the recovery ship for Apollo astronauts from the moon.
Today, docked in Alameda, California, the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum houses exhibits on WWII naval aviation, the Apollo space program, and Cold War-era aircraft. Visitors can explore the ship’s control centers, propulsion spaces, and decks filled with both propeller-driven planes and jets spanning four decades.
2. USS Intrepid (CV-11) – New York City, New York
Nicknamed “The Fighting I,” USS Intrepid was commissioned in 1943 and saw intense combat in the Pacific, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After sustaining several kamikaze hits, she returned to action time and again, developing a reputation as a tough ship.
In subsequent decades, she operated both as an attack carrier and as an anti-submarine carrier, participating in the Vietnam War and serving as a carrier recovery ship for NASA’s Mercury and Gemini missions.
Now, she’s the star of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. The museum boasts a star-studded lineup, with the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Cold War Lockheed A-12 spy aircraft, and submarine USS Growler, as well as an extensive collection of aircraft that relates the story of U.S. naval air power.
1. USS Lexington (CV-16) – Corpus Christi, Texas
Commissioned in 1943 as Cabot but renamed Lexington shortly afterward, this Essex-class carrier was the flagship of the Pacific Fleet’s Fast Carrier Task Force. She earned 11 battle stars in WWII and continued after a massive 1950s overhaul, serving in attack and anti-submarine capacities until 1991.
Today, docked in Corpus Christi, Texas, “The Blue Ghost” exists as a colossal, multi-deck museum. Among other things, guests are able to participate in interactive features such as flight simulators, an escape room, and a 3D Mega Theater.
Eleven decks are accessible to the public, ranging from WWII Dauntless dive bombers to contemporary FA-18 Hornets. Lexington is also renowned for its ghost stories, providing a dash of mystery to its already legendary past.
These five carriers aren’t relics—they’re history lessons, engineering marvels, and memorials to the aviators and sailors who crewed them. To walk their decks is to step into a living piece of naval history.