Showboat Success

Battleship NORTH CAROLINA has its best year of visitation ever.

With more than 232,000 visitors and gift shop sales exceeding $1.1 million, Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is celebrating 2023 as its most successful financial year since the ship’s homecoming to Wilmington.

Captain Bragg and the entire Battleship NORTH CAROLINA team are proud of the tireless work to restore, repair and make dramatic improvements to the WWII memorial. The upcoming year promises to be equally thrilling as Living with Water, their environmental solution to mitigate flooding, comes to life in the coming months.

“It’s exciting to learn that the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, one of the state’s most iconic attractions, recorded its highest visitation numbers in 20 years,” states Kim Hufham, president/CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority. “This is a testament to the dedication of the Battleship’s management and staff who work hard to provide new ways for visitors to experience the ship with special events, programming and exhibits.”

The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is self-supporting, not tax supported, and relies on ticket sales, sales in the Ship Store and donations to operate. No funds for its administration and operation come from appropriations from governmental entities at the local, state or federal levels.

Construction projects are underway, including Battleship Superstructure Uplighting, and the Battleship staff is increasing its community involvement – look for them at Azalea Fest 2024.

The captain and staff offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to growing Battleship NORTH CAROLINA’s presence as a go-to destination for people of a wide-range of interests, from military tourism to engineering enthusiasts to history buffs to locals who contributed to bringing her home and more. They are proud of the Showboat’s legacy of success; because of the extensive restoration accomplished, the entire state honors the ship’s presence, and thanks to excellent marketing partners, the whole country is proud of BB55 and wants to visit Wilmington.

Want to go?
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA
Located at the junction of Highways 17/74/76/421 on the Cape Fear River, 1 Battleship Road, Wilmington.
(910) 399-9117
Follow them at battleshipnc.com, at Facebook.com/ncbb55 and at Instagram.com/battleshipnc for more information.