career As part of the Navy drawdown resulting from the end of US involvement in Vietnam, the Kennedy was decommissioned in early 1973 and was stricken from the Navy Register on 1 July the same year. Due to her famous namesake and close association with the Kennedy family, plans were soon made for her preservation. Museum ship After decommissioning, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1973 and removed to Fall River, Massachusetts, as a unit of the Battleship Cove Museum. , she is open to the public as the official memorial to Massachusetts citizens who gave their lives during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. She is also home to the Admiral Arleigh Burke National Destroyermen's Museum. In the spring of 2000, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was brought to Rhode Island Sound for the movie Thirteen Days, portraying both herself and . The ship was crewed by active duty Navy and Naval Reservists in period uniforms, and some systems (radar antennae, gun mounts, and ASW torpedo tubes) were made semi-operational for action scenes, with the ship being towed by a tugboat that was kept out of frame during filming. Awards Note – The Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. displays the ribbon of the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal at Battleship Cove in Fall River; however, the vessel was not in the area of eligibility for this medal during the appropriate time period. See also List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Fall River, Massachusetts References Bibliography External links USS Joseph P. Kennedy Photos on board the Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy DD-780 in Fall River, MA Unofficial "Joey P" Home Page Maritime History of Massachusetts, a National Park Service Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary Cold War destroyers of the United States Korean War destroyers of the United States Museum ships in Massachusetts National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Fall River, Massachusetts Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1945 ships Museums in Bristol County, Massachusetts Military and war museums in Massachusetts Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places in Fall River, Massachusetts