WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Tuesday makes 83 years since the Battleship North Carolina was commissioned into the US Navy on April 9, 1941.
The ship would travel more than 300,000 miles during its time at war, fighting in every major naval offensive in the Pacific.
The vessel even survived a torpedo strike in 1942, going on to earn 15 battle stars.
Eventually it found its way to Wilmington on October 2, 1961.
More than 15 million people have walked the decks of the mighty ship in the years since.