Battleship Dispatch
News, Stories, and Updates
Mail Call!: Letters, Packages, and Censorship Aboard the USS NORTH CAROLINA
For the men who served aboard the USS North Carolina during World War II, few sounds carried more weight than the signal for mail call. Letters and...
Lift Off: Mary Webb Nicholson
At the edge of the Cape Fear River in Wilmington, North Carolina, the Battleship North Carolina sits in permanence—a battleship turned memorial,...
Five Minutes to Ready: Life at General Quarters Aboard the USS NORTH CAROLINA
Every day aboard the USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55) demanded precision, discipline, and an unshakeable readiness to respond at a moment’s notice....
Aiming High: The Life and Legacy of 2nd Lt. Fred Lorenzo Brewer, Jr.
Fred Lorenzo Brewer, Jr. lived a life that embodied the idea of aiming high. Born in 1921 and raised in segregated Charlotte, North Carolina, he...
The Showboat’s Sweethearts: Weddings in Wartime
During World War II, the number of marriages increased dramatically. With much of the male population pressed into the war effort, a sense of...
Christmas Aboard the Battleship North Carolina: Holiday Memories from 1941–1946
Life at sea during wartime could feel impossibly far from home, but Christmas aboard the Battleship North Carolina carried its own kind of warmth —...
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day: Remembering the USS OKLAHOMA
The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA Living History Crew fly a signal flag that flew on the USS OKLAHOMA the morning of December 7, 1941, and recall the names of the North Carolinians lost on the OKLAHOMA on that day– sailors who are part of North Carolina’s immortal 11,000.
Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Give the Gift of History, Adventure, and Legacy
The holidays are here, and with them comes the familiar search for the perfect gift—something meaningful, memorable, and maybe even a little...
The Capture of HMS MACEDONIAN: A Turning Point in Naval History
On October 25, 1812, the heavy frigate USS United States—under the command of Captain Stephen Decatur—engaged and captured the British frigate HMS...
Next Generation Honors Navy’s 250th: Sea Cadets Raise Commemorative Flags on Battleship North Carolina
In honor of the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, cadets from the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps – Torpedo Squadron 8 – performed a full military flag raising ceremony aboard the Battleship North Carolina. Following traditional protocol with precision and reverence, the young cadets paid tribute to generations of sailors before them as the Battleship launched its “250 Flags for 250 Years” commemoration.