Battleship USS North Carolina refurbishment to take place in Wilmington
The USS North Carolina battleship, now decommissioned and resting across the Cape Fear River from downtown Wilmington, participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific during World War II. It carried out nine shore bombardments, sank an enemy troopship, destroyed at least 24 enemy aircraft and assisted in shooting down many more. It then survived the scrap yard to become North Carolina’s official World War II memorial.
But when the Battleship Commission announced in 2001 that much-needed refurbishment to the 73-year-old vessel would require a trip up the East Coast to Norfolk, Va., or down to Charleston, S.C., many prepared to cross their fingers. No one knew if the old war horse could survive one more trip.
Now, it doesn’t have to.
During a press conference on the ship’s fantail Thursday, Capt. Terry Bragg, executive director of the North Carolina Battleship Memorial, announced that he and the Battleship Commission voted May 31 to have the refurbishment done where it sits by using a cofferdam.
A cofferdam is a series of walls made of sheet piling, like that along the Riverwalk in downtown Wilmington. The wall is driven into the riverbed surrounding the ship, enabling water inside this watertight “room” to be pumped out, exposing the ship’s hull.
“Our world is changing here on the battleship,” said Bragg…