Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum facts for kids
Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum and USS Razorback in the Arkansas River
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| Established | 2005 |
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| Location | 120 Riverfront Park Drive North Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Type | Maritime museum |
The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum is a cool place in North Little Rock, Arkansas, where you can learn all about ships and boats! It opened on May 15, 2005. This museum has many interesting items from different ships that are important to Arkansas history. It even has two real ships that were used during World War II!
Contents
Discovering the Museum's History
How the Museum Started
The idea for this museum began in 2001. A group of U.S. Navy veterans wanted to bring a special submarine, the USS Razorback, back to America. This submarine had been serving in Turkey and was no longer needed there. The veterans talked to the Mayor of North Little Rock, and he agreed to help them.
Opening Day and What You'll See
The museum officially opened in July 2005, just a month after the USS Razorback arrived. The museum itself is built on three large barges. These barges float on the water and hold the museum exhibits, a waiting area, and a spot where you can look out at the river. In November 2013, a special memorial was added to honor the submarine USS Scorpion.
Amazing Exhibits to Explore
USS Razorback (SS-394): A Submarine Hero
The most exciting part of the museum is USS Razorback. This is a real Balao|submarine that was used in many important events. It started serving in 1944 during World War II. After that, it was part of the Korean, Vietnam, and Cold Wars.
Later, the submarine was given to the Turkish Navy and was called TCG Muratreis. It served there until 2001 before coming back to the U.S. to become a museum ship. The USS Razorback is thought to be one of the longest-serving submarines still around today. It was active for 57 years with both the United States and Turkey! You can take tours inside the Razorback and even have sleepovers on the submarine.
Hoga (YT-146): A Brave Tugboat
The museum also has the Hoga, which is a tugboat from the U.S. Navy. This amazing boat was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked at the start of World War II. The Hoga helped out during that difficult time. The museum got this tugboat on November 28, 2015.
It's really cool because the museum has two ships that mark the beginning and end of World War II for the U.S. The Hoga was there at Pearl Harbor at the start, and the Razorback was in Tokyo Bay when Japan officially surrendered.
USS Arkansas (BB-33): A World War I Battleship
You can also find an exhibit about the World War 1 battleship, USS Arkansas. This exhibit includes the ship's bell and some of the dishes used by the officers. The USS Arkansas was an active ship in the U.S. Navy for 34 years. It even saw action during the occupation of Vera Cruz and Operation Overlord in World War II.
USS Arkansas (CGN 41): A Nuclear-Powered Cruiser
The museum has another exhibit about a ship named USS Arkansas. This was a powerful, nuclear-powered cruiser. In this exhibit, you can see the ship's bell and its anchor.
See also
