County of ship: New Hanover County
Location of ship: 1 Battleship Rd. NE, North Carolina Battleship Museum, Wilmington
Fee to visit ship: $14.00
Phone: (910) 251-5797
"A trio of nationally known “paranormal investigators” intends to spend part of Saturday night aboard the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, in hope of proving the 80-year-old battleship is home to the spirits of one or more dead sailors.
"Professional “ghost hunters” Steve Gonsalves, Chris Smith and Mike Goncalves will start their investigation after dark Saturday (about 9 p.m.) and continue until 1:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a schedule released on the Ghost Hunt Weekends site.
"A crowd of people who bought tickets to watch will follow them from compartment to compartment.
"All three men are considered celebrities in the ghost hunting world, thanks to their roles on shows like the Syfy Channel’s “Ghost Hunters,” and Destination America’s “Ghost Asylum” and “Haunted Towns.”
"The USS North Carolina was commissioned in 1941 and “participated in every major naval offensive in the Pacific area of operations” during World War II, according to BattleshipNC.com. The ship lost 10 sailors in battle and survived being struck by a Japanese torpedo in 1942, says the site.
'"Now a floating museum, the battleship “continues to fascinate paranormal investigators” due to reports of haunted occurrences dating back decades, says the web site HauntedRooms.com. The site lists the ship among the most haunted places in North Carolina.
'“Records show that during the second world war, a soldier died in the battleship’s washroom during a torpedo strike,” says the site. “He is one of the ghosts that is now said to haunt the USS North Carolina. However, he is by no means alone.”
"Ghost Hunts USA reports sightings have included “full-bodied apparitions” in passageways.
"Visitors have also experienced “people being touched, objects being thrown, disembodied voices, running (and) footsteps,” reports Ghost Hunts USA." ~ The Charlotte Observer, by Mark Price, Jan. 3, 2019