A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
Friday
August7

Open today from 10AM to 5PM

40 Patriots Point Rd.
Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464
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Exhibit Support

Help preserve American history at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum!

Exhibit Support

By enhancing and creating new exhibits, the USS Yorktown Foundation continues to educate our children and visitors and honors our nation’s heroes through informative experiences. We believe it’s important to keep the history alive through realistic exhibits to educate our future generations. 

If you’d like to learn more about our work please contact beverlyhardin@ussyorktownfoundation.org.

Check out a few examples of our latest work

Sea King Operation Restoration After Photo

The 28 historic aircraft on display at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum represent the importance and evolution of military aviation in our nation’s history, from World War II to the present day. These aircraft are essential to honoring the service of our aviation veterans and educating future generations about our country’s proud traditions of service, duty, and sacrifice.

Our aircraft face significant deterioration due to exposure to the harsh saltwater environment of Charleston Harbor. The condition of these historic aircraft reflects the significance of their missions and the stories of the brave men and women who flew them in service to our country.

In partnership with Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum, the USS Yorktown Foundation is committed to restoring and preserving these important artifacts for generations to come. Through the generosity of our supporters, we successfully completed Phase I of Operation Restoration, restoring all 12 aircraft located on the USS Yorktown’s Flight Deck.

With Phase I complete, we are continuing this important work through Phase II of Operation Restoration, focused on restoring the four helicopters located in the Vietnam Support Base. These aircraft tell critical stories of the Vietnam War era and the evolving role of military aviation, and preserving them ensures these stories remain accessible to visitors, veterans, students, and future generations.

Together, we can continue honoring the legacy of those who served by preserving these remarkable pieces of American history. Click here to help support Phase II. 

Patriots Point is dedicated to restoring our vessels to their original glory to honor those who served aboard them and educate future generations. In partnership with Patriots Point, the USS Yorktown supported the restoration of the USS Yorktown Library and restored it to its original glory. 

The library was a space where sailors could come to read, write letters, or play board games with their shipmates. Utilizing historic photos and firsthand accounts, the Patriots Point Curatorial Department restored the space back to its original function. This allows visitors to see an area of recreation and reprieve and experience one of many aspects to life onboard the ship. 

The restoration was made possible by a generous donation from the Grigsby Family in memory of LTJG William C. Grigsby Jr. VBF-12, USS Randolph.

The USS Yorktown Foundation committed $50,000 to update the immersive experience and its structures. 

Originally built in the 1980s, with continued additions up until 2017, the Vietnam Experience contains multiple structures, containers, aircraft, and other vehicles. Currently on display at the Vietnam Experience is: 

  • M113A1 Armored Personnel Vehicle 
  • M42 40mm Self-Propelled Armored Vehicle 
  • CH-46E Sea Knight UH-34AD Seahorse 
  • UH-1 Iroquois 
  • AH-1J Sea Cobra 
  • Vietnam River Patrol Boat 

The USS Yorktown Foundation is committed to the up-keep of our museum’s exhibits and artifacts.

Operation Restoration

Things To Do
Primary Image of F4F Wildcat
From The Collections
F4F Wildcat
Discover the Heroic Legacy of the F4F Wildcat: Unveiling WWII’s Most Courageous Fighter Pilot and Iconic Aircraft This museum treasure represents the WWII American fighter that took on the Japanese...
Primary Image of F6F-5K Hellcat
From The Collections
F6F Hellcat
The lethal F6F Hellcat gained enormous fame during WWII operating from the USS Yorktown. Making their first combat flights from Yorktown in August 1943, the more powerful and agile Hellcat dominated...
Primary Image of A-4L Skyhawk
From The Collections
A-4C Skyhawk
Delivered in 1956, the A-4 Skyhawk answered the Navy's call for an attack aircraft that could be carrier based in the maturing jet age. Designed with minimal size and weight in mind, the A-4 was so...
Primary Image of A-6E Intruder
From The Collections
A-6E Intruder
Developed as a carrier based attack aircraft, Intruder gave the Navy and Marines a high degree of bombing accuracy at night and in poor weather. The A-­6 served in Vietnam, engagements in Lebanon and...
Primary Image of A-7E Corsair II
From The Collections
A-7E Corsair II
The A-7 Corsair was a carrier based light attack aircraft designed to take the place of the A-4 Skyhawk. If the Corsair looked like a shorter version of the F-8 Crusader its because the Navy based its...
Primary Image of AD-4N Skyraider
From The Collections
AD-4N Skyraider
The Douglas Skyraider was the heavy duty torpedo/dive bomber the WWII Navy was looking for in the mid 1940s. But the war ending victory over the Japanese came before Skyraider was able to see action...
Primary Image of AH-1J Sea Cobra
From The Collections
AH-1J Sea Cobra
Following the path of the UH-­1 Huey, the Cobra was originally developed for the US Army. Delivered by Bell in 1967, the Cobra would log more than one million operational hours in Vietnam. This...
Primary Image of E-1B Tracer
From The Collections
E-1B Tracer
The carrier based E-1B Tracer provided critical early warning and guidance support. Its four man crew was able to remain in flight up to seven hours. The most distinguishing feature of the E-1B is the...
Primary Image of EA-3B Skywarrior
From The Collections
EA-3B Skywarrior
The EA-3B Skywarrior was the largest and heaviest aircraft to regularly operate from an aircraft carrier, earning the nickname "Whale." Skywarriors began service in 1956 as a carrier-­based strategic...
Primary Image of F-8K Crusader
From The Collections
F-8K Crusader
Distinctive in appearance, the F-8 Crusader, known as the "Last of the Gunfighters," was one of the US Navy's first supersonic, carrier-based fighter aircraft. Entering service in 1957, the F-­8 was...
Primary Image of F-14A Tomcat
From The Collections
F-14 Tomcat
The F-­14 Tomcat defined air superiority launched from Navy aircraft carriers. Entering service in 1972, the F-14 Tomcat is a supersonic, variable sweep wing fighter designed to attack and destroy...
Primary image for the On The Move: The Aircraft and Vehicles of Patriots Point Collection
From The Collections
F/A-18A Hornet
The single seat F/A-­18A Hornet is an all-­weather fighter and attack aircraft. Hornet holds the distinction of being our nation's first strike-fighter. According to the United States Navy, "it was...
Alternative Image of FG-1D Corsair
From The Collections
FG-1D Corsair
With its signature inverted gull wings and over-sized propeller, the powerful FG-1D Corsair could hit 470 mph, pack a stinging punch and strike fear in the hearts of Japanese Zero fighter pilots...
Primary Image of SH-3G Sea King
From The Collections
SH-3G Sea King
The original SH-3G Sea King was a Navy workhorse for more than 40 years. The last two operational H-­3's officially retired in early 2006, although an updated Sea King model is still in use by the...
Primary Image of S-2E Tracker
From The Collections
S-2E Tracker
Introduced in 1954, the S-­2E Tracker was designed to find, follow, and if necessary, kill enemy submarines. Spanning three decades, the primary purpose of the S-­2 was to be a thorn in the side of...
Primary Image of SBD-5 Dauntless
From The Collections
SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was involved in the WWII Pacific theater from day one. In service for roughly six months prior to Pearl Harbor, the SBD Dauntless was the Navy's primary dive bomber in the...
Primary Image of TBM-3E Avenger
From The Collections
TBM Avenger
Early TBM Avengers went into Navy service in time for the June 1942 Battle of Midway. The Avenger played a pivotal role in the Pacific because of its effectiveness against the Japanese fleet and its...
Primary Image of TF-9J Cougar
From The Collections
TF-9J Cougar
The F9F Cougar was delivered to the Navy and Marines in mid-­1952 but did not see action in the Korean War. Developed as a replacement for the F9F Panther, the Cougar proved to be a superior carrier...
Primary Image of UH-1 Iroquois "Huey"
From The Collections
UH-1 Iroquois "Huey"
One could safely argue the UH-­1 Huey is the best known helicopter in history. It may well be the most widely used helicopter in the world. Developed by Bell, the official name of the UH-­1 was...
Primary Image of UH-34D Seahorse
From The Collections
UH-34D Seahorse
With its first flight in 1954, Sikorsky originally developed the H-­34 Seabat for the Navy as an anti-­submarine helicopter. A utility version, UH-34D Seahorse was used by the Navy and Coast Guard for...
Primary Image of F-4J Phantom II
From The Collections
F-4J Phantom II
The "Phabulous Phantom" remains one of the most imposing fighters ever developed by the United States. First used in 1960 by the Navy as a carrier based fighter­‐bomber, F-4J Phantom II would also...
Primary Image of QH-50 Dash
From The Collections
QH-50 Dash
The Gyrodyne QH-­50 DASH (Drone Anti-­Submarine Helicopter) was a small, drone helicopter built by Gyrodyne Company of America for use as a long-­range anti-­submarine weapon on ships that would...
Primary Image of S-3B Viking
From The Collections
S3-B Viking
Designed to hold up to four crewmen, the Lockheed S-3 Viking is a twin-engine jet aircraft. designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Corporation. The location of the...
Primary Image of UH-1M Iroquois "Huey"
From The Collections
UH-1M Iroquois "Huey"
The Bell UH-1M Iroquois, also called the Huey, is a utility, turbine-powered military helicopter manufactured by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. Furnished with a Lycoming T53-L-13...
Primary Image of CH-46E Sea Knight
From The Collections
CH-46E Sea Knight
The CH-46 Sea Knight is an American tandem-rotor transport helicopter manufactured by Boeing Vertol. It's a medium-lift helicopter with two General Electric T58 turboshaft engines. The engines follow...
Primary Image of B-25D Mitchell
From The Collections
B-25B Mitchell
The B-25B Mitchell found fame as the bomber used in the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942. During the raid, fifteen M-25 Mitchell's led by Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle attacked mainland Japan...
Primary Image of N2S Stearman
From The Collections
N2S Stearman
The Boeing Stearman Model 75 or "Stearman" was first introduced in 1934. The Stearman served as the main training plane across all services during World War II, but the N2S variant was particular to...
Things To Do
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