Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum is a naval museum located in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, at the mouth of the Cooper River on the Charleston Harbor, across from Charleston.

History

The museum was born out of an idea by former naval officer Charles F. Hyatt to develop a major tourist attraction on what had once been a dump for dredged mud. Initial plans for the museum called for a large building onshore to display exhibits related to the history of small combatants ships in the U.S. Navy. On 3 January 1976, the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) was opened to the public. The destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724) was added to the museum in 1978. The museum was expanded again in 1981 with the addition of the submarine USS Clamagore (SS-343) in May and NS Savannah in October. USCGC Comanche (WPG-76) was acquired in 1984. The Patriots Point Development Authority attempted to capitalize on its financial success in 1987 when it announced an plans to build a hotel and marina. However, the museum encountered controversy in 1989 when it was revealed that Comanche, which never opened to the public, had been used to conduct cruises for private tours and VIP parties. The same year, USCGC Ingham (WHEC-35) arrived at the museum, replacing Comanche. The latter was removed from the museum and sunk as a reef in 1992, but not before suffering damage during Hurricane Hugo. By that time, the development project had failed and the development authority was forced to declare bankruptcy. A replica of a Vietnam War-era naval base was opened in 1993. Savannah was removed from the museum and towed to the James River Merchant Marine Reserve Fleet in 1994. On 2 September 2003, Yorktown served as the backdrop for the formal announcement of Senator John Kerry's candidacy as he sought, and ultimately won, the Democratic nomination for President of the United States for the 2004 election. Laffey was towed to a shipyard for repairs on 19 August 2009. The following day, Ingham was removed by the Coast Guard. The destroyer returned to the museum in 2012. Clamagore was towed away for scrapping in 2022.

Exhibits

Ships

Aircraft collection

Vietnam Experience

Other exhibits