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Battleship Cove

Battleship Cove

Battleship Cove
4.5
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Home to five National Historic Landmarks and Official Veteran Memorials on both state and national levels, Battleship Cove has been providing the preservation of both the military heritage of the New England region and that of the United States since 1965. A non-profit memorial and museum located in Fall River, Massachusetts, veterans, families, schools, Scouts, and interested visitors from around the world have walked the decks of these historic vessels and viewed the legendary aircraft on display. Day visits, overnight camping experiences, and special events allow the public to immerse themselves in the exploration of the historic entities on exhibit and see for themselves the sacrifices made by both the military personnel who served on these amazing ships and aircraft and those who supported their construction See battleship USS Massachusetts BB59, destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr DD850, submarine USS Lionfish SS298, PT Boats 617 and 796.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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  • Marc C
    Fort Lauderdale, Florida3,523 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    “Needs A New Teak Deck”
    This was the first time that I have had the opportunity to visit the USS MASSACHUSETTS since my last visit to the area in 2018. I love this ship, but was a bit disappointed at the condition of the teak deck. It needs a total replacement. I understand that funding is scarce, so I implore everyone who reads this; to contribute to the ship in any way you can; whether it be donations, volunteer work, or both. This is a wonderful ship, and well worth visiting….and preserving. As always; I give it a top rating of two rabbit ears up!! ( ( ( -.-) o_(“)(“)
    Visited September 2023
    Traveled solo
    Written October 7, 2023
  • chesa c
    Grafton, Massachusetts67 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Lucky to have this in MA!
    My 6yo is all things Navy obsessed and I am so glad we have this in MA! The submarine is still under construction - but seeing it in the water with the restorers working on it was cool too! Bring a lunch and take your time - it took us 2 hours to get through the whole thing. We received a "Museums for All" discount which was greatly appreciated and it was just a nice laid back day of wandering around.
    Visited April 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written April 24, 2024
  • Sarah A
    Middletown, Connecticut76 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great visit, lots to see and do!
    We took our 4 year old for the day and had a great time. We spent about 3 hours touring the ships. The submarine wasn’t open because it’s being worked on. The staff was nice and helpful. Remember to wear sneakers, definitely not sandals, for safety reasons and because you’ll be doing some climbing up and down steep stairs. There is a cafeteria on the USS Massachusetts, which was a lifesaver towards the end of our 3 hours as we were getting thirsty and hungry. The prices are very reasonable for a quick lunch. The museum down the street (within walking distance) has some very nice models of ships and a large model of the Titanic. We only spent about a half hour at this museum but was nice to pop in and see their displays. If you’re very interested in maritime history I would imagine that this museum would be interesting. We had our 4 year old with us so it didn’t hold his interest like it did for me and we ended up leaving earlier than I would have liked. There is also a carousel near the parking lot that looks really fun too. Lots to do in the area for the day!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 6, 2024
  • Glenn E
    Pomfret, Connecticut23 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great day trip !
    This historic site is a great place to visit. Especially if you have pre teen kids. We were treated to a private tour of the bridge and communications room of the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. by a former sailor aboard this vessel. (He had the keys and we had the time!) He was kind enough to spend some time explaining the equipment and even telling a couple of stories. Thank you Steve. Within the decks there are many exhibits and relics from past wars. Another nice feature were the videos at different sections of the ship that played stories from past sailors describing their duties while on board. I was able to explore deep into the USS Massachusetts where there are great displays of below deck. Featured were the sleeping quarters, ammunition depot, power rooms and hospital bays to name a few. The ships do need a little TLC however, this does not take away from the experience. Remember, if you don't visit these and other historic sites and pay the admission, then someday they won't be there.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 12, 2024
  • Patti C
    East Bridgewater, Massachusetts7 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Enjoyable afternoon
    My husband and I took our 16 year-old grandson to Battleship Cove. He thoroughly enjoyed it. We met a volunteer veteran who served on the ship and was able to explain to us the ins and outs of the heavy artillery - quite a fascinating story. We were disappointed because we could not visit the submarine, but it is in the process of renovations and repair. I was a little surprised at the price of admission but you only live once, right. We're just thankful that our grandson still wants to spend time with us at his age.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 20, 2024
  • IrvingBrown
    Dartmouth, Massachusetts121 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Tour of Duty--and Then Some
    The submarine was closed for repairs, but we saw a PT boat and the Battleship Massachusetts. However, the highlight of our visit was the destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy. We got lucky and arrived when hardly any other tourists were there (lunch time). One man who was on the ship, however, was a guide named David, who gave us one of the most informative and entertaining tours we've ever had. David had served on a destroyer like the Kennedy, and my brother (who was visiting from California) had served on an ammo ship. They exchanged stories of what it was like to be a sailor half a century ago. David showed us details about the ship, many of which we would have never have noticed if we had been there on our own. My brother knew about some of them but not others. For landlubbers like my wife and me, it was all new and consistently fascinating. My brother tried to give David a tip, but he waved it off. I guess he got his satisfaction from sharing his knowledge with people who appreciated it.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 26, 2024
  • Marc C
    Fort Lauderdale, Florida3,523 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    “Still My Favorite”
    I alway love to visit here every time I’m in the area. In fact, I’m a contributing annual member. There is always something to see, and even volunteer work to be done. I encourage everyone to come visit this wonderful time capsule of historic ships. A top rating of two rabbit ears up!! ( ( ( -.-) o_(“)(“)
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled solo
    Written September 16, 2024
  • Jack C
    Newtown Square, Pennsylvania8 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    USS Dewey's Visit
    The Ship that our Association all served on, holds an annual Memorial on a ship in the City where our reunion is held. This year, we were in Newport RI and held the Memorial on the USS Massachusetts. The event staff had our chairs, bell and all other needed items set up when we arrived. Steve was our sound technician and handled the music needed for the event with no issues. We enjoyed a catered lunch in the ship's Ward Room. I would recommend having this type of event if your group requires this service. Battleship Cove was educational and more people need to reach out to them for both events and tours.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written September 23, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles815 reviews
Excellent
538
Very good
209
Average
51
Poor
10
Terrible
7

raj0302
Swansboro, NC981 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2022
If my review is useful, please give me a "helpful" vote.

1.. USS Massachusetts (battleship). I booked my entry (2-day Kilroy pass) two weeks prior to my visit. I drove 8 hours only to find out that the Battleship Massachusetts was closed for maintenance. This ship was the primary purpose for my visit. This fact was posted on their website the day of my visit by not when I booked my entry. Having previously served as a tour guide on another museum ship, I can tell you that this is unacceptable and reflects poorly on the staff! Closings for maintenance should be planed, scheduled and communicated to the public well in advance.

2. USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (destroyer). This ship is in good condition but there is no tour route delineated; this is very "JV". Additionally, informative placards are lacking; example: there is what appears to be a "box launcher" on the upper decks but there is nothing to tell visitors what it is.

3. USS Lionfish (submarine). This boat is in good condition and there were a good deal of informative placards.

4. PT Boat. This is in an indoor structure; the PT boat is very well outfitted and in excellent condition. This exhibit is very well put together.

5. It bothers me to post a negative review but I always research my travel/vacations very well and this was somewhat of a waste. To get an idea of how well I prepare, check out my other reviews to see how well I compose my reviews after the fact.

6. Conclusion. My tour of the USS Salem (heavy cruiser) in Quincy was very enjoyable. I was able to get a guided tour that was very comprehensive and it was well worth the admission fee and the 3-hour tour.
Written November 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Quint
29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2020 • Couples
The cold steel of these ships resonate with the collective experiences they have had.
I was here last Saturday but I have been here many times now, ranging all the way back to when I was a toddler.

The thing to realize with this collection is that due to the harsh New England Winters, these near 80+ year old ships are slowly deteriorating.

BB-59, USS Massachusetts, Maime is looking near fantastic inside. The new Rosie the Riveter exhibit is a recent nice touch to the collection, and near every time I am here I can find something else.

I find it odd some have mentioned inaccessibility on parts of the ships. I disagree. There is a remarkable amount of space available on the big ship, and even onboard the other 3 don't seem unavailable. A 6 hour day would be daunting to attempt to appreciate everything available.

I am generally excited to see more than the watering hose treatment of J.F.K's PT59.

However I would be amiss if I didn't have one complaint.

Perhaps I should show up in near future with chemical and buckets to remove weeds, weeds form a Battleship deck, seriously let me know the chemical and I will come do it. And especially on the "risking life and limb" upper portions of the ship could seriously use a sand blaster and paint job.

Eh they are behind.
Written July 20, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

FarAway195750
9 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021 • Couples
As a former sailor this brought back memories,I was able to show my girlfriend and tell her things about ships only A former sailor would know,there is alot to see they have an impressive amount of hardware, unfortunately it also requires a ton of resources to maintain and some things are in desperate need of care and painting. I wish they didn't paint over the original compartment tags I would have loved to have read what the originally were.I wanted to stay overnight but unfortunately it's for families and groups only. But it was a good value 2 days and they do the best they can with resources they have. (Personally I'd rather see the federal government take some of my tax dollars to keep historic places like this maintained rather than sending that money overseas for nothing that's my personal opinion on it. ) Overall this was a great pleasure to visit!!!
Written October 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

69Cyclone
Feeding Hills, MA3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2019
My now husband and I have visited here for many years and we were thrilled to introduce our 2 year old to one of our favorite places this year. She may not have a full understanding of what this place is all about but she stayed entertained for hours exploring all the ships. It's a can't miss destination if you're in the area.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonnyrotten
Bogota, Colombia23 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2020
Plenty of free parking which really helps. Only one restaurant across the big parking lot, otherwise you just have popcorn and soda to buy.

You really could easily spend a whole day here. Carousel was kind of rubbish. Ride is very short, ride spins too fast, music speakers are so quiet that you can barley hear it unless you stand right next to them and the staff only allow 24 people on at a time even though there are at least 40 seats, so line ends up goimhvery slow. The ships are great.
Written May 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jd2870
Union, NJ29 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2020
Stopped here for the opening leg of last summer's road trip through NE. Came here a few times as kid and now brought my own (9, 7 & 4). Lots and lots to see between all the ships and the shore exhibits (unfortunately the PT boat exhibit was closed at the time we visited). We had a blast. Plan on spending the better part of the day touring everything. Be aware that you will be doing a lot of walking and climbing up ladders and through hatchways. There will also probably be something undergoing maintenance (something unavoidable in the preservation game).
Written July 2, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Something Tookish
Cheyenne, WY3,736 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2021
Flew out to specifically visit the site. They have not only WWII ships but a cold war ship and Vietnam era airships.They are working hard to maintain these ships so work is always going on. A truly unique item is the East German missile ship. It took me about 4 hours to really tour all the ships they have. Highly recommend this if history is you interest.
Written October 6, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

chesa c
Grafton, MA67 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2024 • Family
My 6yo is all things Navy obsessed and I am so glad we have this in MA! The submarine is still under construction - but seeing it in the water with the restorers working on it was cool too! Bring a lunch and take your time - it took us 2 hours to get through the whole thing. We received a "Museums for All" discount which was greatly appreciated and it was just a nice laid back day of wandering around.
Written April 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

vlodpg
Shelton, CT81 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2020
My parents visited years ago due to the Destroyer on display (USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD850 ) being a sister ship to the ship he served on (USS William R,Rush DD714 ) during the Korean War. My father told of his stories at sea and now I had the opportunity to experience what he spoke about in great reverence.
They called these ships"Tin Cans" and after setting foot on the "Joey P" I was in total awe to the men who sailed the world on such a small ship.
My wife and I spent about 5 hours touring the ships and submarine (really need 2 days to take it all in) and due to time constraints,could not return for the second day. Sadly my parents are no longer with us but I felt their presence while walking the decks of the ships they toured so many years ago. I imagined my father and remember the excitement of his stories as a young sailor,who cherished his time as a "Tin Can Sailor"learning a trade along with receiving three hots and a tiny shared cot to sleep on.

I will return again and plan for more time.
Written September 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah A
Middletown, CT76 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2024 • Family
We took our 4 year old for the day and had a great time. We spent about 3 hours touring the ships. The submarine wasn’t open because it’s being worked on. The staff was nice and helpful. Remember to wear sneakers, definitely not sandals, for safety reasons and because you’ll be doing some climbing up and down steep stairs. There is a cafeteria on the USS Massachusetts, which was a lifesaver towards the end of our 3 hours as we were getting thirsty and hungry. The prices are very reasonable for a quick lunch. The museum down the street (within walking distance) has some very nice models of ships and a large model of the Titanic. We only spent about a half hour at this museum but was nice to pop in and see their displays. If you’re very interested in maritime history I would imagine that this museum would be interesting. We had our 4 year old with us so it didn’t hold his interest like it did for me and we ended up leaving earlier than I would have liked. There is also a carousel near the parking lot that looks really fun too. Lots to do in the area for the day!
Written July 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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