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We've all seen a warship, I'd imagine, but which was the first?

My first was yesterday when I was driving through Liverpool; I got to the traffic lights and there, through a gap, was HMS Invincible. Quite an impressive sight when you aren't expecting it.

USS Alabama, went to Mobile when I was 5 or so.

I remember as a kid that the USS Kennedy was docked at Port Everglades in Florida. She was a very impressive aircraft carrier!

First one I saw was probably a cruiser or frigate in mothballs at the Philadelphia naval yard. First warship I was up close to and onboard was USS Olympia. Floating by a pair of moored battleships is more impressive then driving by some overgrown budget cut ASW cruiser.

I've seen a whole lot of warships; sailing through Norfolk naval yard will do that. Philadelphia also has quite a lot but you can only see them well from I95. Just before the base closed they opened it to the public and let people onboard a number of mothballed ships, which was interesting. I've also been onboard a couple USN frigates and destroyers which docked upriver next to the city center, and one British Type 22, though I can't recall the name. It was a bit strange to see a Land Rover parked inside the hanger next to the Lynx and a bunch of bicycles.

USS Nimitz. That was when I was eight. She made a port call in Achorage Alaska and they allowed tours of the ship. That was damned cool, especialy riding one of the plane elevators.

Back in '83, when one of the Iowas (if not USS Iowa himself, can't remember) made a port visit to Lisbon. Man, those suckers are BIG!

A lot of navies do courtesy visits to Lisbon, so we get to see throughout the year a varied assortment of ships, from mine hunters to the big Nimitz carriers, mainly from Nato countries.

HMS Ark Royal, when she was on one of her regular stops in Newcastle, I think it may have been to do with the Tall Ships race... but it was a while ago.

Aircraft Carrier Intrepid in NYC

Took a tour of the USS Constitution in Boston, also went on a tour of the USS North Carolina.

EDIT: Forgot two others, the U-Boat in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and a WWII carrier whos name I cant think of in San Francisco.

USS Kidd, highly decorated WWII Fletcher class Destroyer now serving as a museum in my home town. Really nice ship.

The German U-boat that's at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

There was also a small WWII era ship in St. Louis that I visited but I don't remember its name or what class it was. I know we got to sit in the gun mounts using the cranks to direct the anti-aircraft guns where we wanted.


After that it was the USS Lexington in it's training carrier status in Pensacola, Florida.

I saw one of the destroyers down at San Pedro Harbor, before they removed the Navy facilities there. I was only around 5 at the time (that would put it around 1989 or so), so I didn't entirely understand what was going on.

The USS Alabama and the nuclear(not sure) submarine USS Drum.

The royal warship Vasa



First cruse 1628 sunk 30 min into the voyage! It had to many guns!

http://www.vasamuseet.se/

HMCS Haida which until a few months ago was a tourist attraction on Toronto's waterfront. One of the most impressive things I've ever seen was what seemed like the entire US fleet in the Persian gulf when I was living in Kuwait just after the Gulf War, wow, that's something I'll never forget.

The Navy used to bring a few ships into Portland for the Rose Festival each year, but they stopped doing that awhile back (I think it was due to the Cole incident). I saw them when I was little.

The Blueback (diesel sub) is at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and once (through some class I took) I even got to sleep in the sub! That was a few years back.

They still do that, but I dont' think you can tour them anymore.

I saw a Ticonderoga at the Rose Festival, I think that was the first. After that, Constellation, North Carolina, Missouri, Blueback. an Arleigh Burke, a Spruance, and a few others. Oh, and a Russian sub in Vancouver, BC. I didn't see the Replicators on it, though

Whatever was in port at San Pedro in january of '82. Enjoyed the open house that U.S.S.New Jersey had there in '89, as well.

A llllooonngggg time ago, way back in'85 when I was a lil tyke living in Monterey, the Missouri was sitting off the coast fireing it's 16 inchers.

I still have the pictures.

Being from a landlocked state, the first warship I saw was the USS Ranger that was on display for the public before she was decommissioned and scrapped. My mom, friends and I went on board her in the fall of 91 at 32nd street Naval yards in San Diego, CA.


My Mom and friends had driven down to San Diego to watch me graduate bootcamp.

Well, there's this decomissioned WWII submarine that people can tour near where I live. That's all.

Was first invited aboard the USS Doyle, a destroyer. Then my dad was invited to spend a week aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy and when it docked, we were invited aboard where out of all the stupid things to do, I tripped and fell over the cable, LOL. Then the USS Eisenhower docked and we got invited aboard too.. we have nifty hats from them, lol.

The USS Requin which is a WW2 era sub they have parked outside the Science Center here in Pittsburgh that you can go on tours of.

HMS Invincible, when she came back from the Falklands. I was three-years-old, but I still remember.

Frank Hipper wrote:Whatever was in port at San Pedro in january of '82. Enjoyed the open house that U.S.S.New Jersey had there in '89, as well.

Hmm... 1989... that was around the time I visited San Pedro as well. Although I can't quite remember what ship it was... it could have been New Jersey, but I don't really think so--the one I visited wasn't all that big IIRC. And Iowas don't have helipads, do they?