Battleship North Carolina to close early Tuesday due to flooding

Operating hours could be affected over this week due to high tidal flooding

WILMINGTON – High tidal flooding will force the Battleship North Carolina to close early Tuesday.

The last admission ticket to the World War II battleship was sold at noon.

Rising waters are expected to affect access to the Battleship starting about 1 p.m. Tuesday, according to Battleship North Carolina spokeswoman Stacie Greene Hidek.

She added that high tidal flooding is expected to continue through the next week and may result in further limited hours at the popular attraction. Visitors are encouraged to check the Battleship North Carolina Facebook page for the latest updates.

High tidal conditions and rising sea levels have increasingly become a problem for the Battleship, which is moored along the Cape Fear River across from downtown Wilmington.

Earlier this year, staff announced the Battleship’s Living with Water project, a $2 million effort to protect the ship and surrounding park from worsening flooding conditions. It received its first $400,000 grant in September from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund.

Reporter Hunter Ingram can be reached at 910-343-2327 or Hunter.Ingram@StarNewsOnline.com.