One of my favorite times of year is quickly approaching – Halloween! A couple of years ago, I did a series on haunted places in America in honor of the holiday and decided to do a few more this year.
A few years back, my family and a friend of ours visited the USS North Carolina in its permanent location in Wilmington. The USS North Carolina was launched on June 13, 1940 during World War II. It was the first of the modern battleships and thus nicknamed “Showboat.” By 1942, she was in the Pacific helping protect aircraft carriers during historic battles such as Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands, Tarawa, and the Marshalls. The crew of 1,880 earned her 15 battle stars.
Not long after the war ended, the ship was decommissioned. She was put in the Inactive Reserve Fleet in 1958 and rather than be scrapped for her iron, she was saved by the citizens of North Carolina in the ‘60s and put on display for all to see in Wilmington.
But, more than just the ship may have been brought to Wilmington. The USS North Carolina didn’t see a large number of deaths during the war – only 10 men died while on it. But, ghosts have been seen on the ship. There is a young blond man that walks the passageways and one that looks out the portholes from time to time. One person even claims to have picked up one of the ship’s ghosts for a ride. Hatches and doors open on their own, lights and televisions turn themselves on and off. Both visitors and employees of the ship have reported strange happenings.
TAPS from the SciFi Channel show Ghost Hunters visited the ship and captured electronic voice phenomena (EVP). They also hear loud bangs, experienced hatches opening and closing on their own, and saw a moving shadow. You can read more about their visit on their web site.
The one “expert” who has seen a lot of the paranormal activity on the ship is Danny Bradshaw. What makes Bradshaw so special? Well, he lived on the ship for over two decades as the night watchman and is certain the ship is haunted. Bradshaw had seen sailors standing in line, waiting for food, and one touched his shoulder while he was checking power boxes. Bradshaw described it as “the horrible-est thing I’ve ever experienced.” Bradshaw says he believes there are still two ghosts on the ship – one good and one evil.
Bradshaw wrote a book about his experiences titled “Ghosts on the Battleship North Carolina,” which my friend bought during our visit. He read most of the stories out loud to me and I have to admit they were frightening and I certainly wouldn’t want to be on that ship at night.
But, Bradshaw says he has learned to deal with it over the years, not even running or screaming anymore. “I don’t want to leave,” he said. “I want him to leave.”
Once we got home, I started looking at the pictures I had taken on the ship. I came across one that was weird, the one I listed on this blog. I am sure it is just the flash reflecting off the chain holding up the beds…right?
More Spooky Places Blogs:
America’s Most Haunted House?
Scary Places: The Farnsworth House Inn
The Winchester Mystery House