Take The Grand Tour Of A Battleship At This Boston Area Museum

If you are a history geek, or you have members of your family who love history, you need to plan a trip to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts.  Actually, if you have children or teens who are in the process of learning about World War 2, there is no better way to educate them about the war's biggest naval battles.

During a visit to the attraction, you can get an up-close look several Vietnam era helicopters and aircraft, see and learn about World War 2 torpedo boats (like the one JFK captained), and tour several massive World War 2 and Cold War-era ships.

USS Lionfish

The USS Lionfish is a Balao-class fleet submarine.  It was built in 1943 - 1944 at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.  She is just over 311 feet long and had a crew of 80 (70 enlisted, 10 officers).  She saw action in World War 2 and was a training ship into the early 1960s.

USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

Named after the older brother of President Kennedy, she is a Gearing-class destroyer.  She was commissioned in December of 1945, just a few months after the war ended.  She spent nearly three decades

USNS Hiddensee

Hiddensee, a Tarantul-class missile corvette, was originally built for the East Germans.  The 140 foot long boat was capable of 42 knots.  Basically, she was a speedboat with anti-ship missiles.  After the breakup of the Soviet Union, the ship was taken by the German Navy.  Eventually, it was given to the United States.  Now, the public can see it at Battleship Cove.

USS Massachusetts

The massive South Dakota-class battleship is really the highlight of Battleship Cove.  Thanks to extensive restoration, much of the battleship is open to the public.  You can visit parts of the bridge, the combat information center, radio room, mess hall, crew berths, engineering sections, and gun turrets.  You can even visit the magazine, where the massive 16-inch shells are stored.  If you are not a navy or marine corps vet, you'll be amazed at just how big everything on a battleship is!

Take a look at some pictures from a recent visit...

With the exception of a few holidays, the attraction is open seven days a week.  Tickets are kind of expensive, especially if you have a bigger family, but the tickets are good for two days.  You'll need both days to really see everything - especially, if you have small kids.  Get more details and plan your visit HERE.