Just across from you, the mighty USS Wisconsin looms like a gentle giant. But right here, Wisconsin Square whispers quieter, more solemn tales. These memorials you see pay tribute to the brave men and women who sailed out of Norfolk, facing danger, duty, and sometimes tragedy. They commemorate sailors from the USS Kearsarge, which lost 30 crew in 1948, and the USS Forrestal, where a deadly fire in 1967 tested every sailor’s courage. There are plaques for the tragic 1967 Liberty incident, the eerie, total loss of USS Scorpion in 1968, and the shock of a misfire aboard the USS Newport News in 1972.
It’s not all bow ties and ship’s bells here, but speaking of bells - keep your eyes peeled for the ship’s bell from USS Norfolk (DL-1). And don’t miss the powerful statue, The Lone Sailor, standing ever-watchful, as if awaiting the return of friends.
From the violent explosion aboard USS Iowa in 1989 to the USS Cole bombing in 2000, and even the Pentagon on September 11, these memorials gather pieces of Navy history. Wisconsin Square is small, but if every plaque could talk, you’d be here all week! Soak up the stories - and try not to get ship-wrecked by emotion. Shall we continue?
