Battleship North Carolina becomes movie theater ahead of 65th anniversary coming to Wilmington
WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The Battleship North Carolina is preparing to mark 65 years since its arrival in Wilmington, but Monday night the historic ship took on a different role: movie theater.
A special screening of an episode from HISTORY’s “World War II With Tom Hanks” series was held on the ship’s stern, offering attendees a chance to watch the documentary aboard a vessel that played a significant role in the war.
The screening comes as Wilmington continues to highlight its designation as the nation’s first World War II Heritage City.
“December 7, 1941. At 7:55 a.m., the first Japanese bombs hit,” says a sneak peek of the episode, recounting the attack on Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II.
The war would go on to transform the country — including communities such as Wilmington.
The Battleship North Carolina served in every major naval offensive in the Pacific theater following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Historian Robert Citino, who consulted on the project, said watching the series aboard the battleship gives viewers a connection to the people and events being discussed.
“Sometimes it’s simply that artifact, it’s seeing a rifle or seeing a helmet that a soldier wore in World War II,” Citino said. “And this is that, to the nth degree. It’s a gigantic, a mega-artifact and it really shows me the scale of World War II.”
Before the screening, a panel discussion focused on North Carolina and Wilmington’s contributions to the war effort.
Sen. Michael Lee discussed the community effort that helped bring the battleship to Wilmington and preserve it for future generations.
“North Carolina really chipped in, everything from school students to volunteer groups, to be able to raise the money to keep this ship out of the scrapyard and have it brought here,” Lee said.
He also pointed to the dredging required to bring the massive ship to Wilmington, saying the project relied heavily on volunteers and community members.
The Battleship North Carolina arrived in Wilmington in October 1961 after a statewide campaign raised money to save the ship from being scrapped.
Citino said preserving artifacts such as the battleship is increasingly important as the number of surviving World War II veterans continues to decline.
The 20-part “HISTORY’s World War II With Tom Hanks” series is available to watch online.
The Battleship North Carolina’s 65th anniversary of its arrival in Wilmington will be commemorated later this year.
