Situated on the Mississippi River Levee, the USS KIDD Veterans Memorial includes restored aircraft and naval craft, while the Louisiana Memorial Plaza honors more than 7,000 Louisianans who have died in conflict. Its centerpiece is the Fletcher-class USS KIDD, a World War II-era destroyer known as the "Pirate of the Pacific." The 661st destroyer was built by the US Navy and first launched on February 28, 1943. After more than twenty years of military service in World War II and the Korean War, the USS KIDD was decommissioned in 1962 and brought to Baton Rouge as a veteran memorial. It is docked in the Mississippi River on a system designed for the river's dramatic rise and fall. The museum's exhibits include an extensive model ship collection and a replica of the gun deck of the USS CONSTITUTION, "Old Ironsides."