Charlie the alligator sunbathing under the maintenance bridge at the Battleship North Carolina. (Contributed photo by Heather Loftin)
“A great question we get asked a lot,” said Heather Loftin, promotions director at the Battleship North Carolina. “He is very popular here at the ship.”
“I can confirm that Charlie is still around. Charlie (our 12- to 13-foot alligator — can’t confirm exact size as no one has gotten close enough to measure him) is the unofficial mascot of the Battleship North Carolina. We have seen him on both port and starboard sides of the ship.
“Over time, his family has grown. We’ve seen Charlie and Charlene (the wife) create their offspring Charlie. This year, we also noticed a new baby alligator. At this time the new alligator has not been named, but always looking for great ideas with names that start with the letter C.”
UPDATE, March 15, 2016: Danielle Wallace, programs director at the battleship and Kim Sincox, museum services director, assure us that Charlie is still around. He likes to come out when he wants to come out, the two agreed. Another 4-foot alligator in the area has also been named Charlie.
Date posted: September 26, 2011
User-contributed question by:
Ken Blevins
“Charmin”, cuz babies are supposed to be soft and cute, but some can be green and cute!!! ahhhhh!!
Our class likes the name Caroline for the new baby alligator at the battleship. The reasons we like Caroline is that we live in North Carolina, and Caroline sounds like Carolina. Another reason is that the battleship is the North Carolina, and the name Caroline is similar. We will also never forget the name of this baby alligator since it has to do with our state. Plus, Charlie needs a little daughter, Caroline, to round out his family and Charlie Jr needs a little sister to boss around and play with.
My family thinks the young alligator should be named Clyde. My father was a Quartermaster on the U.S.S. North Carolina during WWII, and his name was Clyde Hilburn; he died in 2009 at the age of 83. Through the years, he always loved to take our family and Girl and Boy Scout troops to the Battleship and give us a personal tour as well as attend the reunions. During the war, Daddy plotted the course for the Battleship as well as steered it when it was out to sea; he remembered crossing the Pacific going to Okinawa and those important battles. He also showed us his battlestations job: he stood out at the huge gyro outside the navigation room and spotted incoming Japanese planes and radioed their positions to the gunners on deck below him. He must have done a pretty good job considering how well the Battleship came through those battles. Anyway that is why I think the Battleship should be named Clyde, in honor of my father who was a country boy from Delco, NC who served our nation and state bravely and called North Carolina his home(he lived at Lake Waccamaw for over 50 years, a place known for alligators!)
I can’t seem to find the right place to name the alligator at the Battleship. I already sent you a comment about my father who was on the Battleship and his name was Clyde. I am just not sure where to go to submit the name. Could you help ASAP as today is the deadline. Thanks.
I think Chompper would be good : )
We’re no longer taking name suggestions for the battleship baby alligator contest.
Name ideas were submitted over the past few weeks. Now you can vote for the winning name from the nominations suggested through Oct. 14. The person responsible for submitting the winning name will be declared the Grand Prize winner. If one name is submitted by multiple entrants, a random drawing will decide which of those nominators is the Grand Prize Winner.
One Grand Prize winner will receive a Battleship North Carolina/StarNews Media prize pack that includes four tickets to the Battleship North Carolina Memorial and other battleship-related prizes.
The voting has started at http://www.starnewsonline.com/babygator
Name the alligator Capt Fear.
I think his name should be “Chance” because if he he get any chance to get hold of you he or she will…:)
The winning name for the baby alligator at the Battleship North Carolina is Clyde. To read more about who submitted the name and its connections to the battleship, visit http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20111015/ARTICLES/111019817
Thanks to all who entered and submitted names.
In the years 1981-1985 my husband was doing TDY, at the Battleship in SC from his job in PA and when the children and I would visit he took us to see Charlie. I told my family about this allegator and thirty some years later one of my nieces, Tara, moves to Charlston, SC and sends me a text about Charlie. I could not believe she remembered after “all these years” but she did! My daughter who is now 44 doesn’t believe it is the original Charlie, so Tara sent us a copy of the newspaper article. I will certainly be taking a trip to SC to visit Tara and family but I will not leave without going to see Charlie and take pictures to keep.