On Saturday, April 15, 2023, Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum will host “The Fighting Lady Turns 80” event to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the USS Yorktown’s commissioning. Nicknamed “The Fighting Lady” by her crew during World War II, the USS Yorktown was commissioned in Portsmouth, Virginia on April 15, 1943, officially making her a part of the fleet of the United States Navy.
The museum will open at 9 a.m. with activities running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests are welcome to enjoy hands-on learning opportunities for kids and adults, guided tours, discount flight capsule rides, trivia, music, face painting, food, and a birthday cake cutting. The price of general admission will be reduced for the day by $8 to symbolize the USS Yorktown’s eight decades of service. Parking will be $5 per vehicle.
A new temporary exhibition will open just in time for The Fighting Lady Turns 80 event. The exhibition, entitled “All Who Served: The Uniforms of World War II,” will feature over 20 uniforms and other clothing articles representing each branch of the military. The Charleston Museum, the National Museum of the Marine Corps, the National Museum of the US Army, and the Charleston Air Force Base all generously provided loans to this exciting exhibition. It will be displayed in the temporary exhibition room off the Hangar Bay, to the left of the Smokey Stover Theater.
“This event welcomes the community to enjoy and participate in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the USS Yorktown’s commissioning and the crew who served aboard the ship. Our staff, volunteers, curators, and partners have nourished the ship while working to produce exhibitions and programs we share to keep The Fighting Lady’s story alive after all these years.” – Allison Hunt, Executive Director
Tickets to “The Fighting Lady Turns 80” can be purchased in advance at https://www.patriotspoint.org/. This event is made possible thanks to the USS Yorktown Foundation.
About Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, on the Charleston Harbor, is the #1 attraction in Mount Pleasant, S.C., and is home to a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships, and the only Vietnam Support Base Camp in the U.S. Patriots Point is also headquarters to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and the agency’s official Medal of Honor Museum. Visit the Patriot's Point website for more details or find us at @patriots_point on Twitter and Instagram, and Facebook.
About the USS Yorktown Foundation
The USS Yorktown Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to raising funds to provide scholarships for educational programs at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, as well as supporting new exhibits, symposiums and special programs. The Foundation’s mission is “to cultivate a unique learning environment that connects generations by celebrating America’s history and its heroes, inspiring freedom, patriotism, leadership and service.” For more information, please visit the USS Yorktown Foundation website or call 843.881.5925