USS Monitor & USS Wisconsin

At the Mariners Museum near Yorktown they have the original turret of the Monitor, raised from the seabed a few years ago. 

This a replica of the terrut as it was when raised - the original is in a vat being preserved.

There is a full sized reproduction of the turret as was built next to it.

And a a full sized replica of the whole vessel outside.  There is also an excellent doco on the fight between the Monitor & the Virginia & full sized replicas of portions of both ships you can walk though & compare them side by side.

Across the bay in Norfolk there is another museum, not nearly so good a museum, except that it included the USS Wisconsin in all her glory.

We loved the 1913 Dreadnought USS Texas we saw at the start of our trip.  But the Wisconsin is truly a thing of beauty - the last Dreadnought built & the acme of battleship design. 

Those 3x16" gun turrets are seriously impressive. 

In the museum there was part of a 16" barrel salvaged from one of Wisconsin's sisters when she was scrapped.