Historical Norfolk, VA

     We headed out from Uncle Bob's on Sunday enroute to Virginia, looking forward to some warmer weather and hopefully a continuation of the Fall colors.  It took us two days to make the journey down here since we've adopted the policy of "230".  We try to either drive 230 miles or quit by 2:30 in the afternoon.  That probably doesn't seem like much, but it sure is nice arriving at a new destination early enough to set up camp, and take a quick tour around the campsite.  Sunday night we stayed at a KOA in Williamsport, MD.  We very seldom stay in a KOA since they seem to be a little overpriced for the amenities offered.  But in a pinch they're OK for an overnight.  Monday morning we headed for the American Heritage RV Park, in Williamsburg, VA.  We made a circle around Washington. DC and picked up 95 further to the south, and cruised into Williamsburg, VA with very little traffic.  The park has all paved sites among mature pine and oak trees and is easily accessible to Rt 64.  Cable TV is available along with over the air TV.  My satellite won't work because of the trees, so we are roughing it just a little bit!!  It's a great park and close by Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.  It's less than a 30 minute drive to downtown Norfolk.
     On Tuesday, being Veterans Day, we wandered down to Norfolk to visit Nauticus, the USS Wisconsin, and take a tour of Norfolk Harbor.

 As you can assume by its name, Nauticus is a maritime themed science museum located on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk.   After gaining 1 free admission (Veterans Day), we were guided to a slow moving walkway which took us to the 3rd floor of the museum passing by several exhibits describing the history of Norfolk.  The museum is loaded with Naval History and the role Norfolk and Chesapeake Bay had in both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.  Inside Nauticus is a Naval Museum not associated with Nauticus a free to the public.  Alongside Nauticus, and included in the admission price, was the USS Wisconsin, a WWII Battleship.  We strolled the wooden decks of USS Wisconsin, and were amazed to see the massive guns she possessed from WWII, and the modern armament she carried to the fight in support of the Iraq War.

 Inside Nauticus we remembered a display of a shell fired by a U.S. Navy Battleship and a Volkswagen Beetle  hanging side by side.  Both weighed nearly the same.  Wisconsin could fire the shell about 23 miles.  I also remembered a story told by Spanky Hayden, a BP Agent in Campo, of the USS New Jersey firing 1 round into a fight in Vietnam and saving his platoon.  After seeing the size of the shell, I understood what Spank was talking about.

Probably one of the most fascinating facts we discovered during the tour, was that her initial sea trials were conducted in the James River instead of the Atlantic because of the threat of German U-boats offshore.  And because of her massive length of nearly 850 feet, and the depth of the river, the downward pressure she exerted on the river bed actually propelled her through the water at nearly 59 MPH.  Tour guides located throughout Nauticus and Wisconsin were all Navy Veterans, many of whom served during Vietnam on-board the USS Wisconsin, and they were all eager to add their stories to our tour.  It made the visit extra special.  Norfolk is definitely a Navy town, and is going overboard to thank all Veterans for their service to America.
     Outside of Nauticus, we discovered another tribute to America's Veterans which included letters home from those who didn't make it.

The letters, from all of our wars, were cast in bronze and appeared to be blowing in the wind and scattering along the ground on the waterfront.  They were all very touching and gave an insight into the minds of our soldiers from the Revolutionary War to the present. Reading them you'll soon discover a common theme among them.
     We completed the afternoon by boarding the Victory Rover and taking a 2 hour tour of Norfolk Harbor and the Norfolk Navy Base.  The Captain was very informative of the history and battles which had taken place around Norfolk, and had an impressive knowledge of the Navy ships we cruised past on our journey.  He provided a fascinating insight into the roles the ship have played in our recent history and the weapon systems each ship could deploy.
We cruised past 2 Navy submarines which are always fascinating to see.  I almost had the opportunity to go inside one our nuclear subs up in Groton, CT when I was doing recruiting work for the BP, but that fell through after 9/11.  That would have been amazing.  We saw guided missile cruisers, supply ships, and hospital ships, and the Captain had stories to tell of each of them.  I would highly recommend the harbor cruise if you get the opportunity to visit Norfolk.