USS Yorktown Museum

Address: 40 Patriots Point Rd, Mount Pleasant, SC 29464, USA

Website: https://www.patriotspoint.org

USS Yorktown (CV‑10) is an Essex-class aircraft carrier preserved as a museum ship at the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Commissioned during World War II, she later served in Korea and Vietnam before being retired and converted to a museum.

Visitors can walk the flight deck, view aircraft exhibits and tour interior spaces including hangar and crew areas, with interpretive displays on the carrier’s wartime service and naval aviation operations. The ship forms the central exhibit at Patriots Point alongside other naval vessels and maritime displays.

Commissioned in 1943, USS Yorktown saw extensive service in the Pacific theater in World War II and remained active through subsequent conflicts, undergoing refits and role changes over the decades. Decommissioned in the late 20th century, she was preserved as a museum to interpret 20th-century carrier operations and naval history.

The carrier is berthed at Patriots Point on the Cooper River in Mount Pleasant, directly across the river from downtown Charleston, South Carolina.

• Class and length: An Essex-class carrier with a flight deck length of roughly 872 feet, preserved as a museum at Patriots Point near Charleston.

What to See#

• Flight Deck: The carrier’s flight deck is approximately 872 feet long and displays carrier aircraft and deck equipment used across its service life.
• Hangar Deck: The hangar deck houses exhibits detailing wartime service, aircraft maintenance and living quarters for sailors and aircrew.

USS Yorktown is located at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Drive from downtown Charleston across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge to Mount Pleasant, then follow signs to Patriots Point (the museum sits on Patriots Point Road off US‑17); there is visitor parking on site.

Public transport options between downtown Charleston and Patriots Point are limited; many visitors use taxis, rideshares, or organized tours from Charleston. The drive from central Charleston typically takes around 10-20 minutes depending on traffic.

• Head to Patriots Point early in the day, especially in summer, to avoid heat and the biggest tour-boat crowds; early arrivals also make getting good views of the aircraft on deck easier.
• Buy a combined Patriots Point admission (covers USS Yorktown and the submarine) to save time and avoid separate ticket lines for each attraction.
• Plan time to explore the below-deck spaces and WWII/Cold War exhibits-many visitors skim the flight deck and miss the informative interior exhibits that explain the ship's history.