Norfolk, Virginia, is a city where America’s sea power is blended with the hospitality of a busy seaside town. Few other towns speak so eloquently to this synergy as does the USS Wisconsin, the massive Iowa-class battleship that looms over Norfolk’s skyline and serves as a lasting testament to the city’s relationship to the sea.
Wisconsin’s past cannot be divorced from the course of American naval history. One of the last four battleships ever built for the U.S. Navy, her keel was laid in January 1941 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Measuring 887 feet in length and with a mast high of 165 feet above the waterline, she was—and still is—a force to be reckoned with. Decades witnessed Wisconsin making its contributions to some of the world’s greatest 20th-century wars, including World War II, the Korean War, and the Gulf War.
Her mission profile was very different in the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War when modernization transformed her into a modern command platform.
Her best-known period was from 1986 through 1991, when her modernization programs proved that a 1940s battleship could be made to meet the new requirements of modern warfare. This smooth integration of vintage engineering and newer technology is a testament to both her original design and the vision of those who maintained her currency.
Norfolk’s dedication to its naval heritage is manifest in how it maintains and showcases the Wisconsin. She lies along the city’s downtown waterfront side by side with Nauticus, a maritime discovery center featuring interactive exhibits, a sailing academy, and ship tours. Those who cannot come aboard in person are still able to explore her history through the Ship Experience Access Room (SEAR), a multimedia immersion added in 2018.
Walking onto Wisconsin’s deck is an experience that lingers. The enormous 16-inch guns, the heavy armor, and the enormity of the ship provide a physical appreciation of the deterrent force she represented for almost five decades. She’s more than a warship in a museum, however—she’s a floating school, educating visitors about naval engineering, strategy, and the men who served on her.
Norfolk’s seafaring identity goes beyond its gunpowder and steel heritage. Mermaid statues—rainbow-colored, lighthearted ones—scatter the city streets: they were added in 2000 as part of a public art initiative. They may be worlds apart from Wisconsin’s combat past, but collectively they reflect Norfolk’s entire history: a people who honor both its naval power and its artistic, sea-going nature.
In Norfolk, tradition, history, and imagination blend as the waters of Hampton Roads. At its heart, the USS Wisconsin stands watch—a symbol of victories won, a reflection of innovation, and a proud symbol of America’s maritime strength, which endures.
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