BENNINGTON — A new exhibit at the Bennington Museum showcases the aircraft carrier, the USS Bennington, which is named for the Battle of Bennington and whose sailors have formed a long relationship with the museum and the town.

Among the exhibits are photographs of the bombing of the Kure Naval Base in Japan in July 1945, a sliver of glass from the bottle used to dedicate the aircraft carrier, a flight book and a card given to those present when Japan surrendered at the end of World War II to commemorate their presence at the historic event.

The exhibit marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of construction on the USS Bennington, which was christened on Feb. 26, 1944, and decommissioned in 1970.

The aircraft carrier was part of a number of historic events during World War II, including the surrender of Japan, but suffered two tragedies in the 1950s, an explosion which killed 11 seamen and injured seven while off the coast of
Cuba in 1953 and a series of explosions, in 1954, which killed more than 100 crewmen and injured about 200 others while off Narragansett Bay.

The small exhibit, in the lobby of the museum, was put together by Blair Williams, 23, an intern from the University at Albany, part of the State University of New York.

Williams said he had been asked to create an exhibit from the material he had inventoried during his internship and decided to focus on the USS Bennington.

For the complete story, see Friday's Rutland Herald.