Above: Southborough scouts at Battleship Cove. Click here to enlarge. (Contributed photo)
Southborough scouts – and some of their parents – got to spend the night on a battleship on a recent trip to Rhode Island’s Battleship Cove. My Southborough reader Robert Flynn sent along the story.
Southborough Cub Scout Packs 1, 26 and 921 recently made a trip to Battleship Cove in Fall River, Mass. to explore one of the world’s largest collections of historic naval warships.
After touring the battleship Massachusetts, destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., the submarine Lionfish, PT Boats 617 and 796 and the Russian missile corvette Hiddensee, the scouts, their parents and adult leaders spent the night of December 10th on board the USS Massachusetts. In all we had 75 people on the Battleship.
Battleship Cove’s Nautical Nights program included a knot tying class, storyteller, living history presenter, major motion pictures and Morse Code class. The trip enabled the scouts to better understand and appreciate the sacrifices made by veterans of all military branches in all wars.According to Pack 26 Cubmaster John Hurley, “the kids had a ton of fun exploring the battleship. Kids started arriving at 11am on Saturday and had the run of the USS Massachusetts until lights out at 11pm. It was a very busy evening for kids and parents alike. We slept in the bunks they actually used during WWII. It may not have been the best night’s sleep any of us had but it was fun!”
“We were woken up at 6:30am on Sunday and had until 4pm to continue exploring the battleship and the other ships they had docked in port” he said.
Battleship Cove serves as the Commonwealth’s official memorial for Massachusetts citizens of all military branches who lost their lives in World War II, the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf conflicts, and more recently the Commonwealth’s victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Preserving five National Historical Landmark naval vessels, Battleship Cove also delivers educational programs that expose a national audience of 60,000 youths to a mission that promotes duty, honor and country.
Battleship Cove is open all day 362 days per year with free parking. Visit www.battleshipcove.org
To participate in events similar to Battleship Cove visit https://beascout.scouting.org/
