A North Carolina Icon Brought to Life: Sea Stories of Sailors Aboard the WW II Battleship North Carolina

The USS Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is a favorite tourist attraction in Wilmington, drawing a quarter million visitors every year. She was the most decorated American battleship of World War II, served in every major battle in the Pacific, and now stands as a memorial to all North Carolina veterans who lost their lives during that war. And though she was a technologically advanced fighting machine, she was nothing without the crew who served aboard her. But what do you know about those boys who grew into men while manning America’s floating fortress? Author Cindy Horrell Ramsey will introduce you to some of them, including North Carolinian Chuck Paty, using her book Boys of the Battleship North Carolina, which tells the story of the ship through the eyes of her enlisted crew. For some, the ship was their home for the duration of the war. For others, she was the last home they knew. The poignant stories will make you laugh, make you cry, make you proud.