We visited The Maritime Museum, http://www.mariner.org/ which tells the story of ship exploration during the 1500’s to the 1800’s when explorers found new lands and vast changes were made in shipbuilding. It tells of the US Navy’s defending our nation and the story of the steamships through fascinating ship models. It has some of the most unusual watercraft from around the world including a handmade boat used by Cuban refugees. Also included in this museum is a replica of the USS Monitor, a Civil War Ironclad ship that sank near Cape Hatteras and was rescued from the bottom of the sea. Artifacts from the ship are on exhibit and the work continues on daily to reclaim more of them.
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We ate lunch at the Crab Shack on the banks of the wide James River and then drove to Portsmouth to see this beautiful old historic town. We took a short walking tour to see the old restored homes in the downtown area. Portsmouth has a large US Naval Shipbuilding port there and we saw what we think is probably a ship being built or perhaps being refurbished. It is very large.
