The Fleet is In

Battleship NORTH CAROLINA will present a Navy ship model exhibit on August 10 and 11.

The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, an authentically restored National Historic Landmark and WWII memorial, is hosting a new onboard Battleship enrichment exhibit on August 10 to 11. “The Fleet is In” Navy Ship Model Show, curated by Mary Ames Booker, combines historic exploration with precision craftsmanship for hands-on family fun. This historical ship model experience is free with admission purchase.

“We are pleased to host a ship model exhibit aboard the Battleship,” Booker says. “Sixteen craftsmen representing four guilds will display a variety of type and scale of World War II-era ships, boats and submarines.”

Booker says exhibit visitors can learn new techniques for building their own models. Model-making techniques that will be demonstrated include modern methods like 3-D printing as well as time-honored traditions such as re-creating special paint schematics. “The Fleet is In” offers a way to discover the nuance in the design of WWII-era battleships, destroyers, cruisers, submarines and more.

Stationed in a normally off-route space, the Wardroom, this special location for the exhibit is temperature-controlled and a perfect rainy day activity.

The four guilds that will be demonstrating techniques and displaying impressive builds are New Bern Maritime Modelers Guild, Eastern Carolina Plastic Modelers, New Bern N.C. Model Ship Builders and Rocky Mount/Wilson N.C. Wilmington Plastic Modelers.

“When you build a model, you hold history in your hands,” says Jim Gower, president of the New Bern Maritime Modelers Guild.

Want to go?
“The Fleet is In” Navy Ship Model Show
Battleship NORTH CAROLINA, 1 Battleship Road NE, Wilmington
Saturday, August 10 8 am to noon
Sunday, August 11, 8 am to 2 pm.
Free with admission. Rain or shine.
battleshipnc.com