Steel Halls and Human Cost, A Reflection at Patriots Point
March 2022
Our Visit to Patriots Point
Marketed as a must-see destination, we visited the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. The main attraction is the massive USS Yorktown (CV-10), an aircraft carrier built during World War II. The visit turned out to be a contemplative experience.
We explored the ship on our own, which gave us an idea of its immense scale. We descended into the humid, cramped rooms, the “bowels” of the ship, before making our way up to the flight deck. The ship was filled with aircraft and artifacts spanning the 1940s through the modern era, tracing the history of aviation from World War II to the ship’s retirement in 1970.
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Continuing our visit, we also stopped by the USS Laffey, a destroyer famously called “The Ship That Would Not Die” for surviving kamikaze attacks. Afterward, we visited the Vietnam Experience, an exhibit that recreates a support base and fire control center with impressive realism.
Reflecting on all we had seen, I found the museum undeniably impressive, showcasing ships and planes that were once at the top of technology. Still, when I walked through the steel hallways and saw the mannequins, I couldn’t help but reflect on the high human cost of war. People fought and died in these conflicts to protect freedom at home and abroad. The old lyrics kept echoing in my head: “War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” This was my first experience on a warship, and I’m content for it to be my last. I don’t feel the urge to revisit this kind of history again.