The USS Yorktown, docked at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, was the tenth aircraft carrier to serve in the United States Navy. The ship was commissioned on April 15, 1943 and was a key player in the Pacific Offensive that defeated Japan in 1945. The Yorktown received the Presidential Unit Citation and earned 11 battle stars for her service in World War II.
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After World War II, the Yorktown was decommissioned and underwent an extensive modernization. Her new angled deck made it easier to operate jet aircraft, and she was recommissioned in the early 1950s as an anti-submarine attack carrier. She served again in the Pacific during the Vietnam War, earning five battle stars. One of her final missions was the recovery of the Apollo 8 crew in 1968 after its mission to the moon. The Yorktown was permanently decommissioned in 1970.
The ship is famous for more than just her war time missions. The Academy Award-winning movie The Fighting Lady was filmed aboard the Yorktown, as was the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, which recreated the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Yorktown is listed in the National Register and is one of Charleston's most popular attractions.
This May 2009 shot comes to the South Carolina Picture Project by way of Don Baham, who lives in Dublin, California. Don writes, "This picture was taken on a recent trip to visit my daughter who lives in Ladson. As we were leaving, I turned around to see the pier empty and the clouds had gathered, so it seemed like a great opportunity to capture the moment."
Check out an historic photo of the Yorktown in action.
See another modern angle of the Yorktown.
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