Hello, my friends. I just returned from an overnight camping trip with my two boyz aboard the USS Massachusetts ("Big Mamie") at Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA. This was a field trip with Cub Scout Pack 71 in New London, NH.

For young boys (and old boys like me!) this trip was endlessly fascinating. Battleship Cove hosts several other naval warships besides its famous battleship: the USS Lionfish, an attack submarine, the USS Joseph P. Kennedy, a destroyer, the Hidensee, a Russian-built rocket launching ship built for coastal defense, and a couple of PT boats. And you just can’t beat the price: $35 per person and this includes three square Navy-style meals (served onboard Big Mamie), berthing in the crew’s quarters and various educational and entertainment events. I loved one of the movies they showed onboard the ship that night, "Chips, the War Dog." mostly ’cause Chips looked almost exactly like our own German Shepherd, Ouzo.

If you ever get a chance to stay overnight on Big Mamie with your kids, I highly recommend it!