Maritime history and family fun adventure! Welcome aboard the USS Turner Joy DD-951.
The USS Turner Joy DD-951 is a 418 foot historic U.S. Navy destroyer. She is located just an hour outside of Seattle in Bremerton, Washington. She is one of the most complete naval museum ships in the US offering a unique historical naval adventure taking visitors back to the Vietnam war.
The destroyer ship is most remembered for her participation with USS Maddox (DD-731) in the in the Gulf of Tonkin incident which occurred August 2, 1964, an action that led to the United States’ increased involvement in the Vietnam War.
The Gulf of Tonkin incident was the “match that lit the fire,” and remained a major turning point for the United States in terms of its involvement in the Vietnam War. The incident mobilized public opinion to the point that the Congress of the United States approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, thereby opening the door to and dramatically escalating the American combat presence in Vietnam.
The Turner Joy, named after Admiral Charles Turner Joy, had her keel laid in the fall of 1957 in Seattle, Washington, by the Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Company. She was subsequently launched in the spring of 1958 and commissioned in mid-summer, 1959. Commander Ralph S. Wentworth was the first to command her bridge. The ship was the last of the Forrest Sherman Class destroyers built.
This fully restored U.S. Navy destroyer ship offers visitors a self guided tour including a Prisoner of War (POW) room in remembrance of the US military men held in captivity during the Vietnam War. She is moored in the Bremerton Marina offering amazing views for photos.
If you are taking the Seattle/Bremerton ferry we suggest that you leave your car in Seattle and enjoy the most scenic ride aboard a Washington State Ferry. Spend your day visiting the ship, local shops, museums, parks and restaurants all within walking distance.
We look forward to seeing you!
