The USS Yorktown!

At our home marina in Red Wing, MN, there is a 1960’s Hatteras boat across from us, being restored by our friend Jim Hera. Jim is a retired dentist, and served on the Yorktown. He recommended that we take a tour of it if we were in Charleston.

After attending Easter services, the girls decided to go downtown shopping, and Marc and I went to tour the USS Yorktown. The Yorktown was built during WW2, and commissioned in 1943. It served until 1970, and is now a museum ship at Patriots Point, near Charleston. 

The ship housed over 3,500 men. This was their bed and closet.

This shows just some of the plumbing for the steam engines, and one of the engines. This ship has four engines, and can cruise at 33 knots - thats almost 40 MPH!!! Can you imagine an aircraft carrier going that fast!!! Our boat hardly makes 40!

To control forward or reverse, the engineer would open and close the steam valves with these large brass wheels.

The flight deck also had anti aircraft guns.

The unit above is the radar screen. I am sitting in the Captains chair. I don’t think I’d want to try to dock this monster!

And of course, all those men had to be fed.

I think I could retire on their grocery bill for the month!  Got a hankering for chocolate chip cookies - here is the recipe!

You feed the men all those chocolate chip cookies and they will eventually need a dentist.

We found the dental department and photos of those who had served there.

This is a close up of our friend Jim, from the larger photo above!  The photo below had no information about it, but it sure looks like Jim!

Hey Jim - it's about this bad tooth!!!!!

Capt'n Ken