Salute the Fleet
Hampton Roads under arms — battleship to jet noise.
The harbor that hosts the largest naval station on the planet, a 887-foot battleship you can walk, the general who returned, Freedom's Fortress, and — across the water — Fort Eustis, where the Army keeps every machine that ever moved an army. STANDING ORDERS: active installations are photographed from public ground, tour boats, or with a proper visitor pass ONLY; never photograph gate security. Outside the wire, hunt hard.
The stops
Walk the deck of an Iowa-class battleship. Team photo down the length of the 16-inch guns; +5 for the best fact about her from a crew plaque.
"I shall return" — and he's here, under the rotunda. Find the corncob pipe and sunglasses in the collection; respectful photo at the memorial.
The big one — 14 piers, 75 ships on a good day. Photograph a gray hull LAWFULLY: from the harbor tour boat or public waterfront only. Count the hulls you can see; defend the number to the judges.
The largest stone fort in America — decommissioned, national monument, fully open. Walk the ramparts, find the casemate where Jefferson Davis was held, and photo the moat. Yes, a real moat.
The Army's garage: every truck, train, hovercraft, and flying crane that ever hauled the Army anywhere. It sits ON post — get the visitor pass at the gate (ID required, part of the mission), then photo the team with the strangest vehicle you can find. Anyone who ever waited on Army transport gets it.
One of the largest private collections of flying WWI and WWII warbirds on Earth. Photo with a plane older than your grandparents — that still flies.
Finale at the public observation park: catch a Super Hornet in the pattern on video. When it goes over, that rumble is the point. Pay respects at the Flame of Hope while you wait.