Battleship! And I Don't Mean the Game

We spent the day yesterday scouring 4 different ships!

We went to Battleship Cove and learned a lot about history.  There were so many displays and exhibits that we could not possibly have covered it all in just one day but we sure tried our best!

It's the perfect way to teach history-- hands on and grabbing whatever snippets they were interested in.   I love that I am able to bring history to life and make it more real for my boys.  They were excited and interested.

By the end of the day we all had a profound respect for those in the military.  Tight quarters, little privacy, and being out away from home held little personal appeal to us all.  We're so thankful for those that do serve.  Here is just a small sampling of what we saw:

The Kennedy 

The Lionfish, the Hiddensee, and the Massachusetts 

Look at the size of that anchor! 

Checking out the guns

That is one big propeller! 

Learning about Vietnam Huey Helicopters 

Ships that transport tanks 

Prop. plane

"Mom, LOOK at that cool old car!" 

Three of the ships were connected by gangways 

Ian was quite taken with the coal plan across the water & it
prompted a whole discussion about why we ship our coal overseas

Aboard the USS Massachusetts BB59 

Checking out the dining hall and watching a movie about what types of
meals were prepared and available on the ship when it was in use.
We loved these movies filmed of actual vets and their on board experiences.

30 to a room?  Look how small the beds are and how close
together too! 

An actual piece taken from the side of the ship
after she took "fire" from an enemy 

Lots of opportunities to learn about fisherman's knots 

Perfect spot for a picnic lunch and a break from walking 

We saw Swans 

It looked like a family with really large babies 

One of the "babies" 

This map, aboard the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, JR DD850,
could not have been more enrapturing for Alec.  He examined every pin.  Read about every boat that sunk in the Pacific and the Atlantic during World War II, talked about Hitler, the bombing of pearl harbor and asked all about typhoons, under water mines,  "surface" contact, We talked about why more boats went down in the Pacific and what types of battles were being fought over German/ European soil. It was fantastic! 

Refreshments anyone?  We checked out the old coke machine, the ice cream vending machine, the coffee pot, the library of books, the lips on the tables, and the backgammon boards painted onto some of them.  Each room we came to we tried to imagine ourselves there with fellow crew mates. 

Aboard the USS Lionfish SS 298:
Manning the guns: "This is the same gun thing they had at the
Nautilus museum!" 

"I would not want to have to sleep over the torpedoes!"  Each time
we came across a bed tucked into a place like this we tried to figure
out how the crewmen got into them and who had to sleep there. 

The washing machine

A torpedo with the sides taken off so we could see the compartments inside 

Alec aboard the Hiddensee pretending to talk to the crew reminding them of good manners and not to liter in the ocean.
It was important to him that the crew think about the safety of the animals that live there. 

Evan manning the periscope

Ian "driving" the ship

One of the bays was open so we could see the ammunition inside 

Back aboard the Massachusetts we saw evidence of shrapnel they took during a battle;
talked about shrapnel and  remembered hearing that they used shrapnel at Fort Adams too. 

Checking out the pilot house 

View from the pilot house 

A poster depicting Japanese planes posted on one of the many, many
gun stations on the deck of the ship 

Manning the guns; taking down enemy ships and planes