USS North Carolina (BB-55) (Showboat) was the lead ship of North Carolina-class battleships and the fourth warship in the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the State of North Carolina. She was the first newly constructed American battleship to enter service during World War II, and she took part in every major naval offensive in the Pacific Theater of Operations to become the most highly decorated American battleship of World War II, accumulating 15 battle stars. The USS North Carolina is now a museum ship and memorial kept at the seaport of Wilmington, N.C.