Can Sailors, Inc., a national organization of 24,000 destroyer veterans, was founded at Battleship Cove. In 1984 a North American T-28 Trojan was added. This aircraft served as a US trainer, and also served in the VNAF Republic of Vietnam Air Force, reflecting immigrants in the Commonwealth who had served in the Vietnamese armed forces. A new gift shop helped fuel the organization’s growth. In 1985, the Commonwealth awarded a $2.5 million grant for the preservation of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., and in that same year the National Park Service designated Massachusetts, Lionfish, and PT-796 as National Historic Landmarks (NHL). Subsequently, both Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and PT-617 received NHL status, giving Battleship Cove the highest concentration of such south of Boston. Comprising eight vessels, the Battleship Cove fleet is the largest and most diverse collection of historic naval ships in the world. In the 1990s the organization continued to improve with over sixty new exhibitions related to the historic ships and veterans. The success of the overnight program, high visitation from school groups, and general admissions supported an expanded staff and improved ship maintenance efforts. On June 14, 1997, the Cove acquired a Cold War relic: the Soviet-built missile corvette . Three years later, the Commonwealth awarded Massachusetts and Lionfish a $10 million grant for significant, dry-dock restoration work. Since 1964, Battleship Cove has hosted more than 5 million youth, veterans, and tourists. As goals for continued success as an educational, historical museum, the Cove is dedicated to expanding and sustaining its outreach with programs like the Battleship Cove Community Boating Program, the Raytheon Inspiring Technological Exploration (RITE) Program, and the Veterans’ Voices Oral History Program Exhibits USS Massachusetts The largest vessel in the Battleship Cove fleet, the battleship USS Massachusetts (BB-59) is the centerpiece of the collection. Known as "Big Mamie" to her crewmembers during World War II, a battleship of the second , was the seventh ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. Her keel was laid down 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 23 September 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams III, and commissioned on 12 May 1942 at Boston, Massachusetts, with Captain Francis E. M. Whiting in command. Massachusetts received eleven battle stars for World War II service and earned a reputation as a "Work Horse of