Sports Publications

Museum mecca

Boat/US Magazine, July, 2004 by Michael G. Sciulla

Today, the Newport News yard is the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and one of only two companies capable of designing and building nuclear-powered submarines. It employs about 19,000 people, many of whom are fourth and fifth generation shipbuilders.

Cousteau Society

Just to the east of the yard is the charming city of Hampton which has developed a reputation in recent years for welcoming boaters in a big way. There are three BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas located here: Quantum, Southall Landing and the Sunset Boating Center in addition to the Blue Water Yachting Center, a 200-slip marina catering to vessels 40 feet and larger.

The downtown waterfront area includes two attractions of note: the Cousteau Society has a waterfront gallery showcasing the legacy of Jacques Cousteau and there's also the Virginia Air and Space Center for those who believe that space, rather than the ocean, is the final frontier.

Nauticus

Just across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel is the city of Norfolk, home of Nauticus, the National Maritime Center, a 120,000-square-foot science and technology center exploring the power of the sea.

Among the facility's exhibits are: The Aegis Theatre, named for the Navy's high-tech protection system used by AEGIS-class destroyers to form a 250-mile radius shield around a naval battle group. This command center theater simulates a battle situation, allowing you to feel the weight of command as you make hair-raising, snap decisions; The Modern Navy, where you can look over a large fleet of scale-model vessels showing many different types of navy ships and play computer simulation games and; The Weather Deck, where you can "touch" a tornado and learn about lightning. A variety of exhibits and weather instruments cover all types of weather-related phenomena. You can even step in to be the local meteorologist, making your nightly news-style forecast complete with special effects, and take the tape home as a unique souvenir.

After you finish with Nauticus' simulations, you can explore the real thing by taking a tour of the Battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy. The Battleship Wisconsin remains an asset of the U.S. Navy and is located within Nauticus. There is no fee to tour the battleship. For more information on Nauticus go to www.nauticus.org.

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Within Norfolk's boundaries there are no less than four BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas including Cobb's Marina. Rebel Marine Services, Willoughby and Willoughby Harbor Marina. And, just across the Elizabeth River is the city of Portsmouth with three additional BoatU.S. Cooperating Marinas including: Ocean Marine Yacht Center, Portsmouth Boating Center and Virginia Boat and Yacht.

All in all, there's enough in the Tidewater/Hampton Roads area to keep the nautically-minded busy for at least a week and if you just can't get enough of this stuff make sure to visit just before Halloween, Oct. 27-30, for the Maritime Heritage Conference in Norfolk. This triennial gathering of scholars and maritime enthusiasts will include receptions in Nauticus and aboard the USS Wisconsin, a narrated cruise including the battle of the Ironclads, and a reception at The Mariners' Museum. For more information contact Capt. Channing Zucker, Historic Naval Ships Association, 757-499-1044 or e-mail him at hnsa01@aol.com.