Operation Restoration

Operation Restoration

Help preserve American history at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum!

In conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the Aircraft Carrier, the USS Yorktown Foundation is proud to announce OPERATION RESTORATION, where you can help preserve over eighty years of Naval aviation.

Help preserve American history at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum!

In conjunction with the 100th Anniversary of the Aircraft Carrier, the USS Yorktown Foundation is proud to announce OPERATION RESTORATION, where you can help preserve eight decades of Naval aviation.

For over 50 years, Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum has served to inspire visitors by promoting America's proud long-standing traditions of service, leadership, duty, and sacrifice through education and exhibits. The Museum, located on the Charleston Harbor, is home to a fleet of National Historic Landmark ships and 28 historic aircraft. The World War II aircraft carrier, the YORKTOWN, is the oldest existing carrier and is the museum’s centerpiece. The YORKTOWN also serves as the Arlington of Carrier Aviation, with plaques on display at each of the combat aircraft identifying every pilot and aircrewman killed in action flying that aircraft.

The 28 historic aircraft on display at the Museum represent the importance and evolution of military aviation to our country from World War II to present day.  We believe the aircraft are essential to honoring the service of our aviation veterans, and integral to educating young people about our country’s proud traditions of service, duty and sacrifice.

Many of the aircraft aboard the USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum require major restoration given their daily exposure to the harsh saltwater environment of the Charleston harbor.  The diminished condition of these aircraft does not reflect the importance of their proud history and the stories of the brave men and women who flew them in combat.

In partnership with Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum, the USS Yorktown Foundation is committed to raising funds to restore and preserve all of the aircraft at the Museum. We are starting with the 12 aircraft on the flight deck, and our goal is to raise $300,000 for this project.





Please join with us in restoring and conserving these historic icons of our Nation’s proud history.


Flight Deck Aircraft

  • E-1B Tracer
  • SH-3 Sea King
  • F/A-18 Hornet
  • S-3B Viking
  • F4J Phantom II
  • EA-3B Skywarrior
  • A-6E Intruder
  • F-8K Crusader
  • A-7E Corsair II
  • S-2E Tracker
  • F-14A Tomcat
  • A-4C Skyhawk

Aircraft Restoration Process

Experts in preservation and restoration of historic aircraft will perform the following restoration and conservation processes:

  • Aircraft will be power washed to remove oil and surface debris
  • Abrasive blasting (dry ice and/or laser removal) to remove corrosion
  • All surfaces sanded and waste debris recovered and disposed of IAW EPA requirements
  • All sheet metal that cannot be repaired will be replaced with historically correct metals
  • Fiberglass utilized due to contraction / expansion (temperature variation)
  • All windows and canopies repaired or replaced if necessary
  • Surfaces that have been sanded to bare metal will be primed with PPG Urethane Primer
  • All aircraft markings will be replaced in accordance with applicable aircraft technical orders.


Guidelines to be followed
  • National Museum of the U S Air Force Heritage Foundation.
  • United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, “The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.”
  • American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) “Code of Ethics” and “Guidelines for Practice”.

HELP PRESERVE AMERICAN HISTORY


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