Battleship Cove; Fall River MA

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Jul 26, 2004
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New Bri-en, CT
Spectacular day here in Southern New England; a friend and I decided to check out Battleship Cove in Fall River MA. I was probably 10 years old the last time I had visited (1970s)

https://www.battleshipcove.org/ships-and-craft

The signature exhibit is the USS Massachusetts, a South Dakota class battleship, that saw action in several events during WWII

Also there, is the USS Lionfish (submarine) and USS Joseph Kennedy Jr.

The museum is unguided, although some behind the scenes guided tours are also available.
Needless to say, this is real unmolested military hardware so it is not ADA compliant and can be a source of easy bodily injury if not respected.

Much of below deck of the Massachusetts has memorabilia display cases filled with patches, flags, etc.

Not all of the ship is accessible but the portions that are have touchable equipment still in place.
Areas such as the galley, captains quarters etc are behind plexiglass doors.

An amazing piece of American history, while wandering around the various compartments and bunks I imaged the thousands that lived and worked here getting 3 meals and attending to their jobs.
In the engine room, there were hundreds of pieces of equipment with various levers and valves; at one time, many men knew exactly what each one did and were trained to operate with lightening efficiency. Their lives depended on it.


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USS MA



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USS Joseph Kennedy Jr.

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Lionfish Engine (?)

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Lionfish looking aft


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USS MA; Below deck ammunition and mechanism to feed turret

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Steam turbine
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Gear reduction box (windows are only a few " across

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Yes, that is an anchor in the background; perspective issue makes the ship look small; it is not.

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Random car fire on the bridge (there were flames about 10' high)
 
I'm going to pass through Fall River in a few days. I visited the battleship last in 1988 or 89!
 
Glad you had a good time! Thanks for posting.
We love going there. Had a few over-nighters years ago with my daughter and son with Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
Good memories!
 
Thanks from us as well. There's a submarine, the Ling, about 2 miles away from us in the Hackensack River.

We've a friend who's ~25 miles away from Fall River. We'll visit him and go to Battleship Cove.

edit: This just in. Called them and learned that they neighbor a container port. Several containers hit the building where the PT boats and other exhibits are housed. The PT boats weren't damaged.
The effected exhibits are not open and the repair/reopening schedule is not set.
I want to see their ships but I especially want to go on a PT boat.
I was told they were sold after WWII for the aluminum engines and very few remain.
 
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Thanks for those pictures. It’s been a while since I’ve walked her decks. I’m a fan of that vintage of warship. They’re fascinating. I’ve seen quite a few and Battleship Cove is well done.
 
Oh, wow. Thank you so much for sharing.

Muskegon Michigan has the USS Silversides:
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Well over 25 years ago my son and I spent a night with the Boy Scouts on the USS Massachusetts. I never thought my son would end up making a career in the USN.
 
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