Historic Ship Teaches Remembrance and Historic Facts

A Walk Through the History of Patriot’s Point and the U.S.S Yorktown

By Charlotte Hansen

 

Recently, Mayci Rechner, the Public Information Officer from Patriots’ Point, sat down for an interview to discuss the history of the U.S.S Yorktown as well as what families can take away from the experience of learning about the history of the ship.

 

Commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt in 1943, the U.S.S Yorktown CV-10 was named in honor of the U.S.S. Yorktown CV-5 was sunk in the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Described as a floating city, the ship has everything from barber shops to fighter jets and even the honor of retrieving the Apollo 8 astronauts from the sea after they returned home from space. 

 

Accessible by both boat and by car, Patriots’ Point offers a lot for families, including another ship, the U.S.S. Laffey is one of the most decorated ships in World War II history. From simulators to chatting with real veterans who served in the Navy, families can be educated on what the war was like. And not all the history is focused on the ships itself.

 

Partnering with a local veterans’ association, Patriots’ Point also gets to do some fun baking as well. When the ships were still active, the chefs would often bake over 10,000 cookies to help feed the 3,000 people onboard. 

 

Wanting to recreate that special cookie for the veterans who served, the cookie is available in the gift shop for purchase and it is a great way for veterans to remember their time on board the Yorktown. 

 

“It was really cool to get to share that with them and hear not only that they tasted the same, but also talk about how much something as simple as dessert means to them,” said Rechner. “It’s like you're in battle and you're stressed and you're away from your family, but it's a little taste of home.”

 

To help children get a taste of what life was like aboard the U.S.S Yorktown, Patriots’ Point also offers an opportunity to stay the night on board the ship. Children of all ages get to experience what life was like for the sailors and even get to sleep in the same bunks that the sailors slept in. According to Rechner, any group, whether it be a Scouting group or a school group, can join in and stay the night.

 

Patriots’ Point also offers options for adults as well, often throwing veterans’ reunions and conferences on board the ship. Since the Yorktown was decommissioned in the 1970s, it is no longer considered an active ship, but the activities offered leave it as active as possible for anyone who is interested. 

 

With simulators that emulate a combat experience during the Cold War to the launch of the Apollo 8 mission, no stone is left unturned.

 

Families can also experience the Vietnam War in the Vietnam War Experience and see what an actual encampment looked like in Vietnam, complete with real battle sounds. For some of the veterans who visit the museum, this experience can trigger a PTSD attack, so Rechner says to come prepared. 

 

“We have to acknowledge you know casualties and sacrifices made by people as well but we try to make it not just the fighting and the military side of it,” said Rechner. “[There were] cities on here. I mean they had to eat, they had to cook for large amounts of people, they had to go to the doctor, go to the dentist, so we highlighted some of the activities they would do.”

 

But the main part of the museum is to educate the public on the effects of both World War II and the Vietnam War. With so few World War II veterans living today, Rechner points out that it is important to remind people of the sacrifices that these veterans made and understand what their life on the ship was like. 

 

“I hope that they're able to come and really have an understanding of what it was like to serve in the military, “ said Rechner. “Especially back in World War Two, leading all the way up till today and understand the struggles and then also the triumphs of those military members that served on our ships and just have that appreciation and respect for our military.”