{"nrhp_refnum":"81000424","name":"USS NORTH CAROLINA","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Cape Fear River","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wilmington","county":"New Hanover County","state":"NC","lat":34.23637427500006,"lon":-77.95403010362634,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1981-07-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Engineering"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55), a World War II-era warship moored as a memorial in a permanent slip in Wilmington, New Hanover County, North Carolina. It was laid down on Navy Day, October 27, 1937, and commissioned April 9, 1941.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the ship is significant for its direct role in the Pacific naval war against Japan, for its precedent-setting design and new shipbuilding technology as the first modern American battleship after World War I, and as a memorial to the men and women who served in World War II. Its preservation and open-to-visitors condition is also presented as an outstanding example of a period warship.","narrative":"Laid down on Navy Day, October 27, 1937, the battleship USS North Carolina (BB-55) was the first modern battleship built by the United States after World War I. Naval treaties limited its standard displacement to 35,000 tons and its beam, and it used welded construction on about thirty percent of the hull. Its main battery was changed from 14-inch to 16-inch guns after construction began. The ship was commissioned April 9, 1941, and took part in most major Pacific campaigns, including Guadalcanal in 1942 and Okinawa, and was awarded twelve battle stars. After the war it was saved from scrapping through the efforts of Governor Terry Sanford and Secretary of Commerce Luther Hodges. It was moored in Wilmington and dedicated on April 29, 1962, as a memorial to the men and women who served in World War II. Visitors can tour the weather decks, engine room, berthing compartments, and pilot house.","period_of_significance":"1937, 1940-1942","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","B","C"],"status_note":"Restored and open to visitors in Wilmington since October 2, 1961; the document describes it as in excellent condition and essentially unaltered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:41.595642-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/59/7215/47721559/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NC/81000424.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"74001364","name":"Wilmington Historic and Archeological District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/north-carolina/wilmington-historic-and-archeological-district-74001364/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/47721559","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/north-carolina/new-hanover-county/uss-north-carolina-81000424/"}