More general information about the history and service record of the USS Yorktown is available at http://www.yorktownsailor.com, with a link below saying "Click here to watch the 61 minute Academy Award winning film, "The Fighting Lady." I will admit that it took me three tries to get it to load entirely, but the result is a computer screen sized version of the whole movie, and in the slightly different version from the standard release that we will see on board.

I highly recommend watching this if you can, and then still going to see it on the huge screen on the hangar deck Saturday night, because a) seeing it right where much of it was filmed literally feels different, and b) the small version will get you oriented for the wandering about we'll do all through Friday night and Saturday, while the big screen just caps out your experience in a very meaningful way.

If you don't know much about World War II or life in the wartime Navy (let alone Naval aviation), this is the perfect preparation. I wish they showed it Friday night, but since they don't, click on the link and give it a watch before the trip.

Scroll on down this page for Mapquest links and address details for your preferred map program, hotel info for early departers (or slow returners) in Beckley WV, and lots more orientation info.