NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) – The Hampton Roads Naval Museum celebrate the ships of America’s past this Saturday at their annual LEGO Shipbuilding event.
The event is meant for kids of all ages and aims to teach them more about the military in a fun and interactive way.
“History is relevant to everyone and so what we do is here is we can introduce children at a very young age to the Navy by offering them the chance to build a Navy ship,” said Director of Hampton Roads Naval Museum, John Pentangelo. “Knowing that LEGO was something that everyone was aware of, and most people had purchased or built something out of.”
One of the ships featured is a recreation of the USS Gerald R. Ford, which consists of 40,000 pieces and took two weeks to build.
Seeing the model means a lot to sailor Brandon Hanna, who is stationed on the USS Gerald R. Ford.
“It’s exciting to see the ship as a whole from that larger scale, as something that we pass by everyday. I enjoy being on the ship, I like seeing the ship, because it’s the biggest and baddest, latest and greatest,” explained Hanna. “And I actually work just right down here, just a few levels under where the boat is.”
Attendees brought in their own LEGO ships, built new creations at the event and looked at impressive models on display.
For Bryan Bough, this was the perfect place to bring his twin sons, Turner and Weston. Bough says this event is a reminder of his Navy routes.
“The USS America, was a ship that my grandfather was stationed on, their great-grandfather, so they got to build a ship that their great-grandfather was on, so that’s really cool, Bough said. “It helps give you a sense of pride in your community, pride in the Navy.
