The Battleship USS North Carolina, or BB-55, is the primary ship of her battleship class. It was the fourth ship to be named after a state. USS North Carolina, also nicknamed 'Showboat,' was built by the New York Naval Shipyard for a staggering cost of $76,885,750, with sponsorship from Isabel Hoey, daughter of the North Carolina governor Clyde Hoey. USS North Carolina, 728.8 feet long, participated in every World War II offensive in the Pacific when she was commissioned on April 9, 1941, under Captain Olaf M. Hustvedt. By the end of the war, she has managed to take home 12 battle stars – making her the most decorated American battleship during World War II. Her medals include the American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Navy Occupation medal. The Battleship was decommissioned on June 1, 1960. The 'Save our ship' campaigned lobbied by North Carolina school children managed to raise as much as $330,000, which was used to purchase from the US Navy. On April 29, 1962, she was placed at Wilmington port, North Carolina, to serve as a museum ship in memorial of all the North Carolinians killed in action during the war. In 1986, the ship was declared a National Historic Landmark. Visitors on board this museum ship can take a tour through the ship's main deck and the gun turrets. Still on board is one of the nine OS2U Kingfisher aircrafts in the whole world.