World War 2 sites or places to visit on the east coast of USA

by Ruud_93

Hello historians!

My girlfriend and I are going on a roadtrip on the east coast of USA. We are probably going to visit NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Charleston, Savannah, Atlanta, and some smaller places in between. I'm really interested in anything World War 2 related and have visited lots of interesting sites in Europe (We're from the Netherlands).

I was wondering if there are interesting places to visit to learn more about the US in World War 2. We are probably visiting the Arlington cemetery but other than that we have no clue on interesting sites.

I hope someone is able to help us with some valuable info, anything is appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Ruud

DBHT14

Clarifying Question OP.

Per your comment, this is by car yeah? How long do you have blocked out for it, just to get an idea how far away from the I-95 corridor on a side trip it might be worth it to suggest.

DBHT14

Ok so based on my flair I am going to focus this more on the maritime history options along your route but will try and call out some others!

And will start from Charleston and work North!

  1. Charleston SC. The big one here is Patriot's Point, headlined by the museum ship CV-10 the USS YORKTOWN. The 2nd ESSEX class carrier to be commissioned, she was an integral part of the Fast Carrier Force in the Pacific from mid 1943 on, and later served off Vietnam among other duties. Additionally next to her is the USS LAFFEY, a Sumner class destroyer that served as an escort for the Normandy landings, and then served in the Pacific where she survived a concentrated attack off Okinawa in April 1945 where she survived multiple bomb and Kamikaze aircraft hits that damaged much of the ship and killed or wounded many of the crew. Would also note that from the park you can catch a ferry to Fort Sumter where the first shots of the American Civil War were fired, and Charleston featured heavily in the politics of slavery and the run up to the war.

  2. Wilmington NC. Here you can tour the battleship USS NORTH CAROLINA. The ship, namesake of her class, was the first modern US battleship to go into battle when she served as escort to the carrier ENTERPRISE during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons while defending the US landings on Guadalcanal in Aug-Sep 1942. The fire from her anti aircraft batteries was at one point so intense that at one point observers on other ships wondered if she was actually on fire.

  3. Norfolk VA. The town that hosts the largest naval base on earth, and traffic thats as bad as hosting that would sound. Does also host a museum ship of note. The Nauticus Science center is a neat little museum/aquarium type place. But at the pier next to it is the main attraction in the battleship USS WISCONSIN. 1 of 4 Iowa class battleships(along with IOWA, NEW JERSEY, and MISSOURI) they represent the ultimate evolution of US battleship design and served as flagships and surface combatants during WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and saw their final service in the 80's to the First Gulf War.

  4. Bedford VA. Several hours away on the other side of the state is a pretty unique site. The National D-Day Memorial, with many artifacts, memorial displays, and the like from the invasion of NW Europe, and WW2 in Europe in general. Bedford hosts it because by % of the population it was the town that suffered the most in the landings. A 23 of 34 men from Bedford serving in the invasion would be killed in the process, leaving a massive mark on the small town near the scenic Shenandoah.

  5. Washington DC. Wont hit Arlington again as you mentioned it. Would suggest any of the Smithsonian Museum's! They are free, and honestly are all worth at least a quick visit. For your purposes I would also note the Udvar-Hazy Center at Dulles Airport maybe 1 hours drive from downtown. It is an annex to the Air and Space museum where they put stuff too big to fit in the regular one. Things like a Space Shuttle, Concord, captured Nazi and Japanese aircraft, and the B-29 Enola Gay which carried the bomb used on Hiroshima are part of the collection. And the Holocaust Museum in DC is another notable trip, a very sobering experience but an important one for sure. Sadly unsure if there is a Dutch equivalent, but they do a good job of tracing the origins of the Holocaust, its being put into practice as the Final Solution, the story of the survivors and the dead, and its remembrance and relevance today.

  6. Philadelphia PA. On top of just suggesting Independence Hall to see the space where the US Continental Congress drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain its a fun city in general with lots of history. Notable here are two museum ships, one us the cruiser USS OLYMPIA, did not serve in WW2 but in the 1898 war with Spain and one of the oldest museum ships in the world. Across the river though in Camden NJ is the USS NEW JERSEY. A sister to WISCONSIN, the Black Dragon served through WW2, Korea, and was the only one of the 4 sisters to serve off Vietnam, ending her 45 year career as one of the most well traveled ships in the navy and the battleship with the most service decorations.

  7. New York City. Well its NYC so have fun with that! But there is a notable one here. The ESSEX class carrier USS INTREPID in moored on the West Side of Manhattan, actually right near Hell Kitchen and Midtown. Another big old aircraft carrier that served from WW2, and again in the Cold War. Hosts another of the surviving Space Shuttles too, and in WW2 was attacked and hit several times by Kamikaze attacks.

  8. Boston MA. One last option here! Battleship Cove outside the city hosts the battleship USS MASSACHUSETTS. She is notable for actually exchanging fire with the French battleship JEAN BART as part of the allied landings in North Africa in the Fall of 1942, after that she served in the Pacific as an escort to the carriers.