Located in Fall River, Massachusetts, Battleship Cove is a nonprofit maritime museum and war memorial that traces its origins to the wartime crew of the World War II battleship U.S.S. Massachusetts. This dedicated veterans group was responsible for the donation of the decommissioned vessel from the Navy and its subsequent public display in Fall River, located in Southeastern Massachusetts. Formally registered as the U.S.S. Massachusetts Memorial Committee, Inc., Battleship Cove was incorporated as a nonprofit educational organization and granted 501 c(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service in 1964.

In its first year open to the public, more than 250,000 visitors explored this historic vessel. Soon after, the battleship was recognized as the official memorial to Massachusetts citizens who gave their lives in WWII (and later, the Persian Gulf War), and its interior spaces were reconfigured to accommodate exhibits. In 1972, the U.S.S. Lionfish, a WWII-era attack submarine, joined the battleship for public display. Also that year, the Nautical Nights overnight camping program commenced as a model program, enrolling more than 500,000 youths to date. The following year, the U.S.S Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., a Gearing-class destroyer, was added to the fleet and immediately designated as the Commonwealth’s official memorial to the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Soon after, the Mayor of Fall River christened this important site, “Battleship Cove.” In 1975 Tin Can Sailors, Inc., a national organization of 24,000 destroyer veterans, was founded at Battleship Cove. The same year marked the arrival of PT Boat 796, joined in 1984 by PT 617, forming the only pair of restored PTs on display on the world. The year 1984 included the addition of a T-28 Trojan aircraft and a new gift shop, fueling the organization’s growth. In 1985, the Commonwealth awarded a $2.5 million grant for the preservation of the Kennedy, and in that same year the National Park Service designated the Massachusetts, the Lionfish, and PT 796 as National Historic Landmarks. Subsequently, both the Kennedy and PT 617 received NHL status, giving Battleship Cove the highest concentration of such south of Boston. Presently comprising eight vessels, the Battleship Cove fleet is the largest and most diverse collection of historic naval ships in the world.

In the 1990s the organization continued to improve with over sixty new exhibitions related to the historic ships and veterans. The success of the overnight program, high visitation from school groups, and general admissions supported an expanded staff and improved ship maintenance efforts. In 1996, the Cove acquired a Cold War relic: the Hiddensee, the world’s only publicly exhibited Soviet-built missile corvette. Three years later, the Commonwealth awarded the Massachusetts and the Lionfish a $10 million grant for significant, dry-dock restoration work.

Since 1964, Battleship Cove has hosted more than 5 million youth, veterans, and tourists. It remains one of the region’s most valuable cultural assets and one of the most appreciated by youth. As goals for continued success as an educational, historical museum, the Cove is dedicated to expanding and sustaining its outreach with programs like the Battleship Cove Community Boating Program, the Raytheon Inspiring Technological Exploration (RITE) Program, and the Veterans’ Voices Oral History Program.

External link

• Battleship Cove homepage