The USS North Carolina Battleship Commission was established by general statutes of the State of North Carolina in 1960 to provide an organization whose charter was to oversee the administration and operation of the USS NORTH CAROLINA as a permanent memorial and exhibit for the state’s World War II veterans.
Specifically, the general statutes call for the Battleship to be an enterprise activity of the State of North Carolina, which means that the ship is required to generate revenue to cover the costs of its administration and operation. The Battleship relies primarily upon admissions to tour the ship, sales in the Ship’s Store, rentals, donations and investments. No funds for its administration and operation come from appropriations from governmental entities at the local, state or federal levels.
The Battleship Commission consists of 18 members selected by the Governor, including the Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources and the Secretary of Commerce, who both serve as voting ex-officio members. The Secretary of Natural and Cultural Resources is permanently designated as Commission Secretary, and from the remaining 17 members, a chairman, vice chairman and treasurer are named as officers of the Commission.