This tribute was planned by military veterans and the City of North Charleston to the thousands of men and women who served their country and the civilians who labored at the base for 95 years before it closed in 1996.
An open pavilion boasts a vertical wall that curves over visitors’ heads like the side of a ship. On multiple panels on the wall the base’s storied history is told, from its inception on the grounds of an old plantation in 1901 until the last of the fleet set sail in 1996.
A stream flows through the memorial, meant to be reminiscent of sailors crossing gangways. Five lighted flagpoles feature flags of the United States, South Carolina, North Charleston, the Navy and the Marine Corps.
Brick pavers display the names of memorial donors, and a ground-embedded map shows all the continents. A 7-foot-tall statue of the “Lone Sailor” by renowned sculptor Stanley Bleifeld of Connecticut faces the water, and also another Bleifeld statue, “Homecoming,” showing a sailor embracing his wife and child. Statues: “The Lone Sailor” and “The Homecoming”
Bronze sculptures of a submarine,a landing craft and a destroyer, all of which were built or serviced at the once-bustling base stands on a pedestal among the statues of the Lone Sailor and Homecoming and wall plaques that display the 95 year history of the Charleston Naval Base and shipyard.
Wise, Warren. “Saluting Sailors.” Post and Courier [Charleston, SC] 05 Feb. 2007. Print.
For more information and questions regarding the Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial please contact Lisa Reynolds via email at [email protected].
Tax-deductible donations can be made to The Greater Charleston Naval Base Memorial, c/o Amy Heath, P.O. Box 190016, North Charleston, SC 29419.