Battleship Cove — Attraction in Fall River

Battleship Cove

The largest vessel in the Battleship Cove fleet, the battleship USS Massachusetts is the centerpiece of the collection. Known as "Big Mamie" to her crewmembers during World War II, a battleship of the second South Dakota class, was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. Her keel was laid down 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard. …

USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) is a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy. The ship was named after Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., a naval aviator, son of the former Ambassador to Britain Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and older brother of future President John F. Kennedy. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. is on display as a museum ship in Fall River, Massachusetts. Among the highlights of its service are the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the afloat recovery teams for Gemini 6 and Gemini 7. Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was decommissioned in 1973, and brought to Battleship Cove the following year.

In the spring of 2000, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was brought to Rhode Island Sound for the movie Thirteen Days, portraying both herself and USS John R. Pierce.

USS Lionfish (SS-298), a Balao-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy named for the lionfish. After completing her shakedown cruise off New England, she began her first war patrol in Japanese waters on 1 April 1945. Ten days later, she dodged two torpedoes fired by a Japanese submarine and on 1 May destroyed a Japanese schooner with her deck gun. After a rendezvous with the submarine USS Ray, she transported B-29 survivors to Saipan and then made her way to Midway Island for replenishment.

On 2 June she started her second war patrol, and on 10 July fired torpedoes at a surfaced Japanese submarine, after which Lionfish's crew heard explosions and observed smoke through their periscope. She subsequently fired on two more Japanese submarines and ended her second and last war patrol performing lifeguard duty (the rescue of downed fliers) off the coast of Japan. When hostilities ended on 15 August she headed for San Francisco and was decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard on 16 January 1946.

Lionfish was recommissioned on 31 January 1951, and headed for the East Coast for training cruises. After participating in NATO exercises and a Mediterranean cruise, she returned to the East Coast and was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 15 December 1953.

In 1960, the submarine was called to duty again, this time serving as a reserve training submarine at Providence, Rhode Island. In 1971, she was stricken from the Navy Register, and in 1973, she was unveiled for permanent display as a memorial at Battleship Cove, where she has evolved into one of the museum’s most popular exhibits and a monument to all submariners.

Hiddensee is a Tarantul-class corvette built at the Petrovsky Shipyard in 1984, located near the former Soviet (now Russian) city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). An example of a Soviet-built missile corvette, Hiddensee was designed to oppose any naval threat to the East German coast, and to fulfill this mission carried long-range Styx anti-ship missiles and an array of defensive weapons designed to ensure her own survival.

Following the reunification of Germany, Hiddensee served with the Federal German Navy until her decommissioning in April 1991. Shortly thereafter she was reactivated and transferred to the U.S. Navy. Joined briefly by a crew of 20 former East German sailors, a small civilian U.S. crew conducted extensive testing with the vessel at the U.S. Navy's Solomons, Maryland facility in the Patuxent River. After 50 underway deployments, she continued on as a research vessel until April 1996.

Hiddensee joined the Battleship Cove fleet in Fall River on June 14, 1997. She is moored on the port side of USS...

I am genuinely sad to write this review, as I had high hopes for Battleship Cove and the historical value it promised. Unfortunately, the reality fell far short. What could be an awe-inspiring tribute to naval history instead feels like a neglected and decaying relic. The Battleship Massachusetts, along with the two other vessels on display, are in a state of disrepair—rusting, rundown, and clearly in need of serious restoration. It's disheartening to see such important pieces of history left to deteriorate, turning into rust buckets.

Even more disappointing is that there simply isn’t much to see here. Large sections of the ships are sealed off, leaving visitors with a limited, underwhelming experience that feels repetitive and, frankly, boring. Instead of an immersive journey through naval history, you're left walking through a few accessible corridors while imagining what could have been. Plus the Sub is closed and the Joseph P Kennedy, PT boat exhibit and the two helicopters are just not cutting it.

To make matters worse, the admission price is far too steep for what’s offered. We came specifically for the novelty of mini golf on the ship, which turned out to be just as disappointing—poorly maintained with warped plastic putting greens scattered loosely over the deck, making it feel like an afterthought rather than a feature.

It truly pains me to say this, because the concept and potential of Battleship Cove are extraordinary. But without a serious facelift or complete overhaul, this once-proud exhibit will continue to crumble into obscurity. For now, it’s an overpriced, lackluster experience that sadly fails to honor the legacy...

The experience was fantastic. The personnel being so knowledgeable about the overnight. Because I spent a night on the ship itself all 3 of us. And I would recommend it to anyone highly. Especially those with children or young adults.Dollar appreciate not just the history, but the fact that they're on a ship.That was there when pearl harbor was bombed the events prepare for all that. Are there not just the overnights but also the regular public we're well prepared and very enjoyable. The experience was refreshing, unique and of course, the personnel and staff were just fantastic, especially a young lady by the name of sydney with whom I scheduled the overnight. She was just helpful. Helpful friendly knowledgealso Also, the young man that did the ghost stories was this fantastic as well as knowledgeable of not just the material on the events but also the ship itself very charismatic, energetic, friendly and the young ladies at the tracking, they too were just outstanding. Even. After the tracking since they too all were on the ship providing the services and making sure that everyone was okay and happy. I would definitely again suggest for anyone and everyone if you'd like to spend the day walking through some historical ships oops and seeing all that you can see, there's so much to say, or if you'd like to spend the overnight, which was just awesome for us, don't hesitate and yes, I would definitely schedule a had a time. For a and overnight stay. Thank you so much for the giving myself and others the experience and having the honor to walk through a battleship suck as the uss...