USS Yorktown
Door-slamming sailors and shifting shadow figures may haunt this historic World War II relic
Ghost Stories of
USS Yorktown
- Phantom footsteps are heard around the ship
- Sounds of slamming doors and hatches are heard at times
- Shadow figures are seen lurking through the hull
- Visitors report capturing anomalies on photos and videos
- Women report being touched by unseen hands
- Vivid apparitions in US Navy uniforms are seen patrolling halls
- Disembodied voices and whispers are heard throughout the ship
History of USS Yorktown
War never fails to leave a wake behind it. Whether it’s scarred bodies, scorched landscapes, or bullet-marked buildings, the remains of war leave lasting memories.
Some of those memories are purposefully preserved. They are constant reminders of the sacrifices war demanded of humanity, and of those who rose to the demands. One preserved wartime memory sits in the salty coastal waters of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.
USS Yorktown spent the later years of World War II tearing through the Pacific Theater. The ship went on to recover space capsules and appear in Hollywood blockbusters.
Today, the Essex-class carrier’s storied career makes for the perfect nautical museum. And the old hull proves a popular stop for South Carolina tourists. But there may be more than relics and artifacts onboard Yorktown. For many years, tales of spiritual sailors and other unknown apparitions have spread across Yorktown’s decks. The immersive museum is now known as one of the Carolinas’ creepiest carriers.
Timeline of USS Yorktown's History
Swipe or use timeline points to see USS Yorktown through the years
1943
USS Yorktown was born into a world of fire and smoke. The ship’s keel was laid down six days before the attack on Pearl Harbor. By the time the aircraft carrier launched, the US was in the thick of the world’s costliest war. Originally named USS Bon Homme Richard, the carrier was renamed to USS Yorktown during construction.
A previous USS Yorktown had just been lost in the Battle of Midway in summer of 1942. The new, state-of-the-art Yorktown was formally commissioned into US Navy service in 1943.
1947
Right away, USS Yorktown helped turn the tides in the Pacific Theater. The carrier conducted numerous air strikes and operations as the US Navy inched closer to mainland Japan. Over the war, Yorktown earned eleven battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation.
In addition, the ship earned the nickname, ‘The Fighting Lady.’ The Fighting Lady fought valiantly until the war’s end in 1945, and she was formally decommissioned in 1947.
1957
The ship saw a massive restructuring in the 1950s. The deck was cantilevered to support launching newer, jet aircraft. In 1957, it was fully refitted into an anti-submarine carrier type. USS Yorktown earned five more battle stars through the 1960s serving in Vietnam. But the ship’s most famous chapter from this period came in 1968.
That year, USS Yorktown was tasked with picking up the Apollo 8 space capsule after its successful landing into the Pacific Ocean.
1970
In 1970, USS Yorktown was decommissioned once more, for what would prove to be the final time. But the vessel still had a bright future ahead. The same year it was decommissioned, USS Yorktown featured prominently in the film Tora! Tora! Tora!. After its first brief stint in movies, Yorktown sat mothballed for several years.
In 1974, the US Navy donated the ship to the Patriot Point Development Authority in Charleston, South Carolina. The organization berthed the ship in Mt. Pleasant and opened it as a museum in 1975.
1984
After opening as a museum, USS Yorktown became a hub of activity for Mt. Pleasant and the rest of Patriots Point. The museum proved popular year-over-year, and in 1984, the ship even made another appearance in a movie. That year, Yorktown appeared in the science fiction film The Philadelphia Experiment.
While it hasn’t appeared in other films since then, the Yorktown remains a popular South Carolina exploration. And though USS Yorktown left war behind, spirits on board may still be waging endless, ghostly battles.
Is USS Yorktown Haunted?
One of the most common paranormal reports aboard USS Yorktown is hearing phantom footsteps. In a thick steel hull, heavy footsteps carry far. Visitors and workers alike often note hearing far off footsteps from empty areas of the ship.
While the footsteps are heard echoing in the distance most of the time, other people have reported much closer encounters. Some have claimed to be followed around the ship, the footsteps always right behind them.
Slamming Doors & Spirit Voices
Chase after some ghostly footsteps on board USS Yorktown, and you may uncover some other paranormal activity. Along with the phantom footfalls, the sounds of slamming doors and ship hatches have also been reported.
The ghosts aboard Yorktown are also said to be quite talkative. Disembodied voices are frequently reported throughout the carrier’s corridors. Sometimes, the unexplained voices manifest alongside ghostly laughter. Paranormal enthusiasts who have toured the ship in the past have even claimed to record EVPs of these phantom sounds and voices.
Shadow Figure Sailors
Along with all the spooky sounds, USS Yorktown is home to a few shadowy figures. Several reports of the phantom footsteps and slamming doors have been paired with sightings of shadow figures. Could these figures be the ones stomping all through the ship, and slamming hatches behind them? It’s possible, though no one knows exactly who these shadow figures are. They often appear only as dark silhouettes.
Paranormal researchers sometimes report capturing the hull’s spectral shadows on photos and videos taken during investigations. When the TV series Ghost Hunters investigated the ship in 2012, they also reported capturing an unexplained shadow stand up and move on camera.
Apparitions Aboard Yorktown
Most of the figures of USS Yorktown appear only as silhouettes, but some visitors have reported seeing more vivid apparitions. One story tells of a Boy Scout troop in the 1980s who stayed overnight onboard the Yorktown. Through the night, life-like figures in World War II sailor uniforms purportedly patrolled the halls around them.
Tour guides on the ship have also spotted vivid figures running down halls and around corners. They will follow the figures to see what is happening, only to find dead end corridors and empty rooms.
Feel the Ship’s Phantoms
When the ghosts of USS Yorktown find someone they like, they just might reach out and touch them. Most often, women touring the ship will be the focus of these physical phantoms. This is thought to be the result of the ship’s history. Women didn’t often make appearances on World War II naval ships, after all.
So today, women who tour the museum have reported cold, unseen hands touching them. Sometimes the unseen hands will grab them by the shoulders, while at other points they’ll simply nudge around them.
Tour the Haunted Hull
of USS Yorktown
USS Yorktown remains a central aspect of the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum. Daytime tours of the ship focus on its colorful wartime history and the tales of its former sailors. In contrast, night time tours often explore the unexplained.
Ghost tours are a popular cornerstone of USS Yorktown’s offerings today. They offer paranormal enthusiasts an eerie evening aboard the ship to see what might go bump in the night.
Booking a ghost tour slot on the USS Yorktown is simply a matter of visiting the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum website. You can also book through the current ghost tour sponsor, Bulldog Tours.
Perhaps you’ll spot one or two of the ship’s shadow figures on your tour, or maybe even more than that. USS Yorktown just may house as many apparitions as it once did aircraft.
