The bow of the USS North Carolina across the Cape Fear River from historic Wilmington. (Courtesy Battleship North Carolina)

Turns out I'm fascinated by World War II battleships.

On a recent tour of coastal North Carolina -- a rare long-weekend trip from Toronto reserved just for hubby and me -- we'd just wrapped up an equally rare, kid-free round of golf and were zipping into the historic city of Wilmington for spot of lunch. The city rests graciously on the banks of the Cape Fear River -- the entrance into its historic section leads visitors over a massive bridge. There, floating below, is a mammoth, 36,600-ton battleship, its flags proudly flying, the North Carolina sun glinting off the ship's well-polished guns.

"What's that?" I asked Peter stupidly as he piloted the rental car over the bridge and onto the cobblestone streets of old Wilmington.

"Looks like a battleship to me, hon," he said, kindly leaving out any sarcasm.

"But what's it doing here?"

Turns out the Battleship North Carolina is one of Wilmington's top tourist attractions, inviting visitors aboard daily to roam its nine decks and massive depths. It's been moored in the Cape Fear River since October 1961 following a state-wide campaign to save it from the scrap heap.

The North Carolina is now one of the world's few authentically restored World War II battleships, a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a memorial honouring the 10,000 North Carolinians who served in WWII.

We parked the car and took a look.

We were warned at the entrance a tour of the ship would take at least two hours -- more for enthusiasts. I openly scoffed and predicted we'd be there 30 minutes tops. Peter and I reluctantly emerged three hours later -- we could have stayed longer if the ship's crew hadn't insisted on closing it down for the night!

The keel of the North Carolina was laid in October 1937 and the ship was launched in 1940. At the time of her WWII commission in 1941 she was considered the world's greatest sea weapon, with nine 16-inch guns in three turrets and 20 guns in 10 twin mounts.

Carrying a crew of more than 2,000 -- including 100 marines -- the North Carolina took part in every major naval offensive in the Pacific during WWII and earned 15 battle stars. She carried out nine shore bombardments, sank an enemy troopship and destroyed at least 24 enemy aircraft. She was struck once by an enemy torpedo in 1942 but managed to keep afloat.

On board now, visitors can conduct their own self-tours of the North Carolina with the help of well-thought-out signage. Kids especially love to duck into the suffocatingly narrow gun turrets, peep through the telescopes and check out the complicated mix of switches and wheels inside the ship's bridge.

But it's the "everyday stuff" on board we found especially fascinating. A battleship of this size resembles a floating city. Inside there's a church, a post office, a movie theatre, an ice-cream stand, a barber shop, a sick bay, cavernous dining halls and gigantic kitchens.

There are cabins that were reserved solely for the ship's officers, but most of the crew slept in hammocks strung up at night in the ship's dining rooms. During the tour we were fascinated by the way the ship's crew passed their days, and stunned by the hardships and conditions they endured at war on the Pacific.

Like I said, we were reluctant to leave, but vowed when we did to return someday with our kids in tow for a riveting, hands-on history lesson.

-- The USS North Carolina is located one hour north of Myrtle Beach on Hwy. 17 North across the river from Wilmington, N.C. You can't miss it! It's open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for kids aged six to 11. Kids aged four and older are best suited for a tour. Note: Strollers would be too difficult to manoeuvre. For more information, visit battleshipnc.com.

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