Latest news with #USSYorktown
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tickets on sale for Patriots Point fireworks blast
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Tickets are on sale now for one of the Charleston area's favorite summer celebrations. The Fourth of July Fireworks Blast will take place aboard the historic USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point on the Independence Day holiday. The celebration will include live music, local food and beverage vendors, family-friendly activities, and great views of the more than 20-minute fireworks show over Charleston Harbor. 'Whether you're a Charleston local or visiting for the holiday, there's no better place to celebrate America's birthday than atop a piece of American history,' the museum said. A ticket to the celebration includes access to the USS Yorktown and all activities associated with the fireworks blast. Food and drink are available for purchase. The event will be held from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. Organizers say parking is available on site and is not included in the event ticket. Space is limited. For more information about tickets, parking, the clear bag policy, and other details, you can click here for the museum's event page. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Everyday Hero: A lifetime of service
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)—The Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian honor, was recently presented to Rear Adm. James H Flatley III aboard the USS Yorktown—the perfect place to honor a man who dedicated his life to protecting others and preserving history. 'It's a man whose given service over himself his whole life and is an example to us all,' said Chauncey Clark with the USS Yorktown Foundation. Similar words are often spoken about Admiral. Flatley, who was surrounded by family and friends for the special ceremony The Order of the Palmetto is presented to the South Carolinian who has demonstrated extraordinary lifetime achievements, service, and contributions of national and statewide significance. Admiral Flatley, who is 91 years old and lives in Mount Pleasant, graduated from the Naval Academy. He was a US Naval aviator from 1956 until his retirement in 1987. He flew combat missions in Vietnam. But what made this ceremony special for Admiral Flatley was that it was aboard the same aircraft carrier in which his father landed the first Hellcat fighter plane. 'That meant a lot because it goes so far back to my dad helping put this ship together and get it to sea. You know he was a World War 2 hero. All the more reason to follow in his footsteps, which I tried to do,' Flatley explained. Admiral Flatley is no stranger to making history. In 1963, he became the first person to complete 21 C-130 Hercules landings on an aircraft carrier. In later years, after retirement, Admiral Flatley also ran Patriots Point for seven years. He has spent a lifetime dedicated to service. 'I think you can't find a lifetime that's more expansive than his was from his Navy career to his community career,' said Clark. He is the kind of person who thanks others who were there to thank him, and now he will always be remembered for his outstanding service and career. 'That's why we honor him here today. It's something we're losing in the American society today. People that give everything for their country and for their family' said Clark. Congratulations, Admiral Flatley! Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The newly opened National Medal of Honor Museum in Texas has SC roots
The National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington, Texas. (Photo Courtesy of the National Medal of Honor Museum) Carlyle Blakeney and Darwin Simpson took different paths to Patriots Point, but their volunteer work there culminated in the National Medal of Honor Museum that opened this spring — just not in South Carolina as they initially dreamed. Blakeney, of Charleston, has spent all of his 80 years in the Palmetto State. Simpson, 81, is a native of Arkansas who split much of his adult life between the Army and being an executive for a chemical conglomerate. He's lived in Spartanburg since McKesson Pharmaceuticals brought him to South Carolina in 1982. They eventually met while volunteering at Patriots Point, a state-owned naval and maritime museum in Mount Pleasant, and found a common passion. Simpson and Blakeney, who came from a military family but could not enlist due to hearing issues, met recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor in combat, through their volunteer work. Since its creation during the Civil War, the medal has been awarded to 3,528 people. Only 61 are still living, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, headquartered at Patriots Point. Since 1994, the society has operated the Medal of Honor Museum aboard the USS Yorktown in Charleston Harbor. SC to finalize environmental cleanup of USS Yorktown Medal of Honor museums, memorials or exhibits can be found in at least seven states. And in 1999, Congress designated three sites, including the museum on the World War II aircraft carrier, as national Medal of Honor sites. But Simpson, Blakeney and others at Patriots Point envisioned a single, large 'official home' of the Medal of Honor on land that pays homage to all recipients and educates visitors about them, Blakeney said. The pair's efforts ultimately helped lead to the construction of a 100,000-square-foot national museum that opened in Arlington, Texas, in March. It's expected to draw millions of visitors each year. Every awarded combat hero is named at the entrance. 'They became recipients because of some historic battles they've been in,' said Simpson, who retired from the Army in 2003 as a major general. 'Most of them have been wounded, shot up and everything else. And some of them are not capable of getting out and about even to this day.' South Carolina has 33 Medal of Honor recipients. Many of their stories were known to Blakeney and Simpson because both had stints on the governing board of Patriots Point. 'They're all remarkable,' Blakeney said. When Blakeney, a real estate broker in Charleston who served in the ROTC at Clemson, and Simpson first discussed the idea of a National Medal of Honor Museum in 2012, they hoped to put it at Patriots Point. It made sense to establish the national museum in military friendly South Carolina at a location already dubbed a national Medal of Honor site. But the effort to build it there ultimately fell apart, partly due to squabbles over the museum's design and height. In 2018, after years of discussions with both local officials and state lawmakers, the National Medal of Honor Foundation announced it was opening up bidding nationwide. 'We absolutely could not raise the money,' Simpson said. 'There were not enough people in the Mount Pleasant and Charleston area willing to support the Medal of Honor museum.' In 2019, legislators redirected the $5 million they approved for the national museum in prior state budgets to fund maintenance at state parks and help cover the costs of turning the USS Clamagore at Patriots Point into an artificial reef. (In 2022, the submarine was instead taken apart for scrap.) In the aftermath of losing out on what was estimated to be a $100 million museum, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society made the decision to renovate its own museum at Patriots Point, which reopened last May. That $3.5 million update was funded by a different nonprofit, the National Medal of Honor Center for Leadership. Since 2021, the Legislature has given $11 million total to that nonprofit, which has also been raising money for a $75 million center at Patriots Point with exhibit and classroom space. Those plans were drawn up after the National Medal of Honor Foundation moved on, and cities from around the country expressed interest. The group screened all applicants and settled on San Francisco, Arlington and New York City as the three finalists. Arlington was ultimately the winner, thanks partly to the backing of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who attended the University of Arkansas the same time as Simpson and donated land for the museum. His daughter, Charlotte Jones, led fundraising efforts that brought in roughly $280 million to design and build the museum and support its programs. 'From a practical standpoint, Arlington was head and shoulders the best location and best choice,' Blakeney said. The opening came six years after Arlington was selected. The museum has five interactive exhibits and five pillars representing the five branches of the military with Medal of Honor recipients. And at night, a line shines upward to represent the U.S. Space Force. The museum is also located less than half a mile from the home stadiums for the Cowboys and the Texas Rangers' baseball team, as well as many bars, restaurants and hotels. 'It's in a big entertainment complex of land. It's well situated,' Simpson said. Simpson, the former head of the Spartanburg Downtown Airport, has yet to visit the museum. However, he's an active pilot — even in his 80s — and plans to travel to Texas in his plane soon, he told the SC Daily Gazette. Blakeney, who attended the March opening, said being at the museum was overwhelming. It was just as great as he imagined. 'It really was a dream come true,' he said.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Patriots Point will honor heroes in Taps Across America event
MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum will pay tribute Monday to those who gave and reflect on their enduring legacy. The museum, which is home to the USS Yorktown, USS Laffey, Vietnam Experience, and Cold War Memorial, will participate in an annual national moment of remembrance this Memorial Day. The event invites people to pause for one minute in silent tribute as musicians perform Taps to honor fallen service members and their sacrifice. Patriots Point will welcome guests on Memorial Day, and the Taps Across America moment of remembrance is planned for 3 p.m. You can learn more by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sunken USS Yorktown leaves researchers ‘flabbergasted' in latest dive
Eighty-three years after sinking, the USS Yorktown is still revealing secrets. During an April 19 expedition, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) — as part of the Beyond the Blue: Papahānaumokuākea ROV and Mapping project — were using a remotely operated underwater vehicle to explore the storied U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, when they found more than they could have hoped for. Since June 1942, the 809-foot-long carrier has been resting on the ocean floor, slipping beneath the waves after Japanese forces torpedoed the ship during the Battle of Midway. Resting 3.1 miles beneath the surface and roughly 1,000 miles northwest of Honolulu, the Yorktown was first discovered in 1998 by Robert Ballard in coordination with the National Geographic Society and the U.S. Navy. An initial investigation of the shipwreck was conducted that year upon its discovery. Another, led by Ocean Exploration Trust on Exploration Vessel Nautilus, was launched in 2023. The April 19 dive, however, was the first exploratory expedition of its kind — revealing a host of discoveries. During the dive, at least three Douglas SBD Dauntless bombers were found on the ship's hanger deck — with one plane still fully armed after 83 years, its bomb secured in its release cradle. The other two, according to NOAA, are believed to have been part of the USS Enterprise's bombing squadron that landed on the Yorktown after releasing their payload. During the battle, SBDs were responsible for fatally damaging all four Japanese carriers. These Dauntless bombers bear the scars of battle, with records showing that the pair were moved to the hangar deck and set ablaze after being struck by three Japanese bombers. The cameras, meanwhile, picked up more than just the vestiges of battle. A hand-painted mural that reads 'A Chart of the Cruises of the USS Yorktown' was found inside one of the vessel's elevator shafts. The mural, only partially visible in historic photographs taken before the ship's sinking, revealed itself for the first time to researchers. The mural, which stretches 42 feet end to end and 12 feet top to bottom, was seemingly painted by a crew member to track the Yorktown's voyage across the world. During the live-feed of the dive, researchers were astounded by the almost perfectly preserved map. 'This is the first time we're seeing this whole image. This is history in the making,' one researcher said as the camera turned its view onto the mural. 'That is amazing,' another noted. 'I am absolutely flabbergasted by the state of preservation of this.' While murals were occasionally painted on other ships during World War II, the Yorktown's had seemingly been lost to history — until now. 'Its motifs showcase the pride that Yorktown's sailors had for their ship, the global scale of Yorktown's activities, and the strategic role that the ship played in defending the United States,' NOAA said in a news release. Along with the aircraft and aircraft debris in Yorktown's hangar, the mural is helping to fill gaps in the historical record of the Yorktown. The 28-day expedition, according to NOAA, has provided 'answers to existing questions and result[ed] in new mysteries for historians and scientists to puzzle out.' One such mystery is the 'surprise automobile' researchers discovered during the April 19 dive. 'Based on the flared fenders, split windshield, rag top, chrome details and spare tire, researchers have tentatively identified the vehicle as a black 1940-1941 Ford Super Deluxe 'Woody,'' the Smithsonian noted. On its front plate, according to a statement, researchers could make out the words 'SHIP SERVICE ___ NAVY.' The presence of the car on the aircraft carrier has puzzled researchers and historians alike. Even more puzzling was the fact that crew members didn't push the 'Woody' overboard after Capt. Elliot Buckmaster, in an effort to keep the ship afloat, gave the order to jettison heavy cargo that included the likes of guns and aircraft. For now, researchers can only surmise as to why the vehicle survived the jettison order. Another mystery for another dive.
