USS Yorktown and Fort Sumter are both located in the Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. Each played a pivotal role in shaping the United States and stand as an example of American military strength. We only had time for 1 hour on the USS Yorktown which was not nearly enough time. I’d try to plan for a couple hours. Fort Sumter is free, however requires a ferry ride which is not (see pricing below). The ferry ride takes about 45 min. to get to the Fort and is narrated by volunteers. Once on the island Fort, you get 1 hour to explore before taking the ferry back.
The ferry leaves from two locations;
Liberty Square at 11am and 2:30pm
Patriots point at 2pm
If you intend on adding the USS Yorktown, it is good to know that the Yorktown is located at Patriots point. If you take the ferry from Liberty Square to Ft. Sumter, you will need to drive to Patriots point which is just over 4.5 mile away.
The USS Yorktown CV-10 fought against the Japanese for more than two years during WWII, inflicting heavy damage on the Japanese and helping to sink the largest battleship ever built, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato and supporting American ground troops in the Philippines, at Iwo Jima and Okinawa. The USS Yorktown served as an anti-submarine carrier in Vietnam and In 1968 the Essex class carrier was used to recover the crew of Apollo 8, the first manned mission to orbit the moon. The Yorktown was decommissioned in 1970.
Fort Sumter, originally constructed in 1829 was one of 50 forts built as part of the Third System, a coastal defense program implemented by Congress in 1817. The Fort sits on a 2.4 acre island that at that time was in the center of the opening of the Charleston Harbor. On April 12, 1861, the first shots were fired from Ft. Moultrie, kicking off the Battle of Fort Sumter and the Civil War.
On Ft. Sumter there is a museum, exhibits, a small store and the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of men who were directly involved in the rise and fall of the confederacy.
If you intend on adding the USS Yorktown, it is good to know that the Yorktown is located at Patriots point. If you take the ferry from Liberty Square to Ft. Sumpter, you will need to drive to Patriots point which is a just over 4.5 mile away.
Ticket Prices Fort Sumter
Adults$32.00
Seniors/Active Military $29.00
Children (4-11) $19.00
Children under 3 FREE
Ft. Sumter and the USS Yorktown
Adults$52
Children (4-11) $33