Battleship Cove
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Battleship Cove, located in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial that traces its origins to the wartime crew of the World War II battleship USS Massachusetts. This dedicated veterans group was responsible for the donation of the decommissioned vessel from the Navy and its subsequent public display in Fall River, Massachusetts. Formally registered as the U.S.S. Massachusetts Memorial Committee, Inc., Battleship Cove was incorporated as a nonprofit educational organization and granted 501 c(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service in 1964. The site is located at the confluence of the Taunton River and Mount Hope Bay, an arm of Narragansett Bay.
[edit] History
In its first year open to the public, more than 250,000 visitors explored this historic vessel. Soon after, the battleship was recognized as the official memorial to Massachusetts citizens who gave their lives in World War II (and later, the Persian Gulf War), and her interior spaces were reconfigured to accommodate exhibits. In 1972, the USS Lionfish, a Second World War-era attack submarine, joined the battleship for public display. Also that year, the Nautical Nights overnight camping program commenced as a model program, enrolling more than 500,000 youths to date. The following year, the U.S.S Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., a Gearing-class destroyer, was added to the fleet and immediately designated as the Commonwealth’s official memorial to the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
Soon after, the Mayor of Fall River christened this important site, “Battleship Cove.” In 1975 Tin Can Sailors, Inc., a national organization of 24,000 destroyer veterans, was founded at Battleship Cove. The same year marked the arrival of PT boat PT-796, joined in 1984 by PT-617, forming the only pair of restored PT boats on display in the world. PT-617 is the only remaining Elco PT boat on display similar to that of John F. Kennedy's PT-109.
The year 1984 included the addition of a T-28 Trojan. This aircraft served as a US trainer, and also served in the VNAF South Vietnam Air Force, reflecting immigrants in the Commonwealth who had served in the Vietnamese armed forces. A new gift shop helped fuel the organization’s growth. In 1985, the Commonwealth awarded a $2.5 million grant for the preservation of the Kennedy, and in that same year the National Park Service designated the Massachusetts, the Lionfish, and PT 796 as National Historic Landmarks. Subsequently, both the Kennedy and PT-617 received NHL status, giving Battleship Cove the highest concentration of such south of Boston. Presently comprising eight vessels, the Battleship Cove fleet is the largest and most diverse collection of historic naval ships in the world.
In the 1990s the organization continued to improve with over sixty new exhibitions related to the historic ships and veterans. The success of the overnight program, high visitation from school groups, and general admissions supported an expanded staff and improved ship maintenance efforts. On June 14, 1997, the Cove acquired a Cold War relic: the Hiddensee, the world’s only publicly exhibited Soviet-built missile corvette. Three years later, the Commonwealth awarded the Massachusetts and the Lionfish a $10 million grant for significant, dry-dock restoration work.
Since 1964, Battleship Cove has hosted more than 5 million youth, veterans, and tourists. It remains one of the region’s most valuable cultural assets and one of the most appreciated by youth. As goals for continued success as an educational, historical museum, the Cove is dedicated to expanding and sustaining its outreach with programs like the Battleship Cove Community Boating Program, the Raytheon Inspiring Technological Exploration (RITE) Program, and the Veterans’ Voices Oral History Program.
[edit] External links
- Battleship Cove Naval Museum Homepage
- PT-617 Photos of the Elco PT Boat PT-617
- PT-796 Photos of the Higgins PT Boat PT-796
- USS Joseph P. Kennedy Photos on board the Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy DD-780
- USS Lionfish Photos on board the Submarine USS Lionfish SS-298 in Fall River, MA
- Hiddensee Photos on board the Soviet Missile Corvette Hiddensee at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, MA
- USS Massachusetts Photos on board the Battleship USS Massachusetts BB-59 in Fall River, MA
| Parts of the story of John F. Kennedy's PT-109 |
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Air and water craft: PT-109 • PT-109 Loss Report • PT-59 • PT boat • Elco • Japanese destroyer Amagiri • Fubuki class destroyer • Tokyo Express • Nakajima A6M2-N People: John F. Kennedy • Arthur Reginald Evans • Coastwatchers • Biuku Gasa and Eroni Kumana • Andrew Jackson Kirksey and Harold W. Marney • Max Kennedy |
