USS Wisconsin BB-64 Museum
Visit the USS Wisconsin BB-64 Museum in Norfolk, VA. Explore this legendary battleship, interactive exhibits, and naval history. Plan your visit today!
by Celeste Lipford and Terry Lipford - last updated on 3/16/2025
During our trip to Williamsburg and Newport News, VA, we took a detour to Norfolk to explore the USS Wisconsin BB-64 Museum, a fascinating tribute to naval history. Staying near the Hampton Convention Center gave us flexibility to visit key attractions, and our first stop was this historic battleship.
Located on the Elizabeth River’s north shore, the museum offers an in-depth look at the USS Wisconsin’s design, wartime service in WWII, Korea, and Desert Storm. The experience is divided into two parts: an indoor exhibit showcasing the ship’s history, and the battleship itself, where visitors can explore designated areas. While there’s no on-site parking, a convenient public garage is located just across the street on West Main Street.
This immersive museum is a must-visit for history buffs, naval enthusiasts, and anyone interested in experiencing a piece of America’s military legacy firsthand.
The Museum is comprised of an indoor exhibit showing various aspects of the Wisconsin's design, construction, WW2 actions, Korean War actions and it's Desert Storm action. The ship itself comprises the second portion of the Museum, and portions of the ship are designated as "public accessible".
NOTE: There is no parking available on the museum property, however there is a parking lot across the street; West Plume Street Garage, 135 West Plume St, Norfolk, VA 23510. If you arrive via Waterside Drive, watch for East Plume Street and you will see the garage on the corner of Waterside Drive & East Plume Street.
U.S.S. Wisconsin BB-64
USS Wisconsin BB-64 Specifications
This is a beautiful ship and in very good condition, considering that it was commissiioned in 1944 ! This class of ship is not likely to ever be built again, so I have included below a list of the ship's specifications. Note that the armament was extended in 1988 to include missles, which were used during the First Gulf War. Click here to visit the Wikipedia Page.
During the eight months the Wisconsin spent in the Persian Gulf during the first Gulf War, she flew 348 UAV hours, recorded 661 safe helicopter landings, steamed 46,000 nautical miles, fired 319 16 in (406 mm) rounds, 881 5-inch (127 mm) rounds, 5,200 20 mm Phalanx CIWS rounds, and launched 24 Tomahawk cruise missiles.
USS Wisconsin Statistics & Dimensions
| Class and Type: | Iowa-class battleship. Click here for this class's Wikipedia Page |
| Displacement: |
45,000 long tons (46,000 t) light 57,500 long tons (58,400 t) wartime full load |
| Length: | 887 feet 3 in (270.43 meters) |
| Beam: | 108 feet 2 in (32.97 meters) |
| Draft: | 37 feet 9 in (11.51 meters) (full load) |
| Speed: | 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1,921 officers and men |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
AN/SPS-49 Air Search Radar AN/SPS-67 Surface Search Radar AN/SPQ-9 Surface Search / Gun Fire Control Radar |
| Electronic Warfare & Decoys: |
AN/SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite AN/SLQ-25 Nixie Decoy System 8 × Mark 36 SRBOC Super Rapid Bloom Offboard Chaff Rocket Launchers |
| 1943 Armament: | 9 × 16 in (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns 20 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal Mark 12 guns 80 × 40 mm/56 cal anti-aircraft guns 49 × 20 mm/70 cal anti-aircraft guns |
| 1988 Armament: |
9 × 16 in (406 mm)/50 cal Mark 7 guns 12 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal Mark 12 guns 32 × BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missiles 16 × RGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missiles 4 × 20 mm/76 cal Phalanx CIWS |
| Armor: |
Belt: 12.1 in (307 mm) Bulkheads: 14.5 in (368 mm) Barbettes: 11.6 to 17.3 in (295 to 439 mm) Turrets: 19.5 in (495 mm) |
| Decks Armor: |
Main 1.5 in (38 mm) Second 6.0 in (152 mm) |
| 16-inch/50-caliber Mark 7 gun |
These guns were 50 calibers long—or 50 times their 16-inch (406 mm) bore diameter, which makes
the barrels 66.6 feet long, from chamber to muzzle. Each gun weighed about 239,000 pounds without the
breech, and 267,900 pounds with the breech. They fired projectiles weighing from 1,900 to 2,700 pounds
at a maximum speed of 2,690 feet per second with a range of up to 24 miles. At maximum range the
projectile spent almost 1½ minutes in flight. Each turret required a crew of 79 men to operate. The
turrets themselves cost US $1.4 million (WW2 costs) each, to which the cost of the guns had to be added. Note that
these turrets were "three-gun," not "triple" because each barrel could be elevated independently.
Click here to visit the Mark 7 Wikipedia Page and read more about these incredible cannons. |
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