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Monday 9am - 4pm Tuesday 9am - 4pm Wednesday 9am - 4pm

National Museum of the United States Navy

Name: National Museum of the United States Navy
Address: Building 76 Sicard Street SE, Washington D.C., DC, 20374, US
Telephone: (202) 685-0589
Rating: 4.6

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National Museum of the United States Navy

Explore naval history from 1775 to the present at the National Museum of the United States Navy! Access to the Museum is through the 11th and O Street, SE gate.
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A free museum, devoted to the display of naval artifacts, models, documents and fine art, the National Museum of the United States Navy chronicles the history of the United States Navy from the American Revolution to the present conflicts. Interactive exhibits commemorate our Navy’s wartime heroes and battles as well as peacetime contributions in exploration, diplomacy, navigation and humanitarian

service. The Cold War Gallery, an annex museum to the main building is open to the public, during the week and by appointment on Saturdays. Visitors without a Military ID or CAC Card will need to be processed through the Visitor's Center. All adults need to have a photo ID and drivers need proof of insurance and registration for vehicles. Weekend and Holiday access requires a Military ID, CAC Card, or to be pre vetted during the week at the Visitor's Center. For more information, please visit www.history.navy.mil/nmusn or call 202-433-2385. Disclaimer:

This is the official web page for the National Museum of the United States Navy. We hope this will become a place where fans feel comfortable sharing information and experiences with one another. While this is an open forum, it is also a family friendly one, so please keep your comments and wall posts clean. Please be considerate of other fan's opinions. In addition to keeping it family friendly, we ask that you follow our posting guidelines here. If you do not comply, your message will be removed. We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or submissions, nor do we allow comments that are abusive, hateful or intended to defame anyone or any organization. We do not allow solicitations or advertisements. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency. Such posts and/or links are subject to deletion. People who continue to post such content and/or links may be subject to page participation restrictions and/or removal from the page. We do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency. We do not allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity. You participate at your own risk, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided. Posting of external links on this site that are intended as advertising (or to drive traffic to websites unrelated to the U.S. Navy), or do not contribute to dialog and discussions about the U.S. Navy may be deleted. People who continue to post such links may be subject to page participation restrictions and/or removal from the page. External links do not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. Navy or the U.S. Department of Defense.

01/10/2025

🛩️ Check out this incredible image of patrol planes from Patrol Squadron TEN (VP-10), one of the oldest squadrons in the Navy, soaring over Diamond Head, Hawaii. .

On January 10-11, 1934, VP-10 established a world record for its non-stop formation flight from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor. In December 1941, eight of the twelve squadron aircraft were damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor. (Naval History and Heritage Command, NH 81663)

Learn more about the history of VP-10 using the link below.

https://www.airlant.usff.navy.mil/Organization/COMPATRECONGRU/COMPATRECONWING-11/Patrol-Squadron-VP-10/Command-History/

01/09/2025

Today the nation will observe a Day of Mourning in honor of the extraordinary life of James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr., a U.S. Navy officer, humanitarian, and 39th President of the United States (1924-2024). The U.S. Navy will conduct a “Missing Man” formation flyover in Carter's honor prior to his private interment at the Carter residence in Georgia.

Naval History and Heritage Command Director Samuel J. Cox (Rear Adm. USN, Ret.) shares his tribute to Carter and his service:

https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/Recent/Article-View/Article/3787526/passing-of-president-jimmy-carter/

📷 Carter is piped aboard during his arrival at the change of command ceremony for USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) at Naval Base Kitsap – Bangor in 2015. (Photo and Caption Courtesy of U.S. Navy; Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kenneth G. Takada)

01/08/2025

📚 Is one of your 2025 to read more?

Sometimes trying to find the motivation to pick up a new is tough, but it can be much easier with the support of a friend. This crewman found a “purrfect” reading buddy during some down time aboard USS Olympia (C-6), c. 1898-1899.

📷 Cyanotype print, photographed by George Grantham. (Naval History and Heritage Command)

01/07/2025

🐳 that the legendary author of Moby Dick served in the U.S. Navy?

In 1843, Herman Melville needed a way home to Massachusetts from Hawaii after a multiyear aboard merchant and whaling ships. He enlisted on the frigate USS United States as an ordinary seaman to cross the Pacific Ocean. His experiences aboard the frigate helped shape his world view and provided material for many of his works. White Jacket – based on his experiences aboard United States – introduced many Americans to the grueling working conditions of the average enlisted sailor. The is credited for starting a national conversation on the harsh treatment of sailors, particularly the use of flogging as punishment. The conversation ultimately led to Congress outlawing flogging in 1850.

📷 Herman Melville, c. 1860. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

⚓: What is “Expedition Navy 250”? The Museum has embarked on a year-long countdown through 250 years of Navy history in honor of the Navy's upcoming 250th birthday.

01/07/2025

President James Earl “Jimmy” Carter Jr. will lay in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda to honor his distinguished service to the nation and give the public the opportunity to pay their respects.

Carter, who began his career in the U.S. Navy, is one of several naval officers to have laid in state at the U.S. Capitol. Others to have received this honor include George Dewey (1917), John S. McCain III (2018), and several former Presidents, including: John F. Kennedy (1963), Lyndon B. Johnson (1973), Gerald R. Ford Jr. (2007), and George H. W. Bush (2018).

📷 President John F. Kennedy lies in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in 1963. (Photo Courtesy of White House Photographs, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum; Photo by Abbie Rowe)

01/06/2025

in 1942 theJapanese capture 11 Navy nurses in Manila, Philippines. Malnourished and diseased themselves, the nurses nonetheless managed a makeshift hospital inside Los Baños, where they treated other internees as best they could under impossible conditions, serving most of their internment at Los Baños before being liberated in February 1945.

Read the harrowing story of their time in captivity and their rescue at the link below👇
https://go.usa.gov/xtxGd

📸: The 11 liberated Navy nurses with Vice Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid on 23 February 1945. Left to right: Susie Pitcher, Dorothy Still, Basilia Stewart, Goldie O’Haver, Eldene Paige, Vice Admiral Kinkaid, Mary Chapman, Laura M. Cobb, Maureen Davis, Mary Nelson (née Harrington), Helen Gorzelanski, Bertha Evans, Margaret Nash, Helen Grant, and Edwina Todd (NH 94947).

01/04/2025

in 1972, Secretary of the Navy John Chafee established the legalman rating. While sailors had held paralegal duties since World War II, there was previously no separate rating for their work. The official rating gave individuals access to training in records management and legal research as well as proper investigation techniques and legal assistance. Today, there are more than 600 Legalmen in service.

🖌: LEGALMAN; BY BUTCHER, JAMES; 1978 CA; PAINTING; GOUACHE ON ILLUSTRATION BOARD; 15H X 20W. Artwork from NAVY CAREER GUIDE 1979-80, PAGE 94 & 95. Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, I.D. # 97-107-BM.

01/03/2025

The will be closed this Saturday, 4 January 2025.

Look to Naval Support Activity Washington for further guidance on base access.

01/03/2025

Over a six-year period, U.S. Navy missions established formal commercial and diplomatic relations between the United States and Japan for the first time.

The United States sent an eight-ship squadron, led by Commodore Matthew Perry, to in 1853 to establish contact after their previous attempts to had failed. Upon arrival, Perry executed a series of intimidation maneuvers with his heavily armed gunboats before Japanese authorities allowed him to land in Kurihama (modern day Yokosuka) on July 14th. Not wanting to risk an armed conflict, Japanese negotiators eventually agreed to consider the Americans’ proposal to open up ports to American trade. Nearly a year later, in March 1854, Perry returned to Japan to sign the Convention of Kanagawa, which opened two Japanese ports to ships.

📸: Lithograph by Hatch & Severyn, titled "The American Expedition, Under Commodore Perry, Landing in Japan, July 14, 1853." (Library of Congress, LC-DIG-pga-08972)

⚓: What is “Expedition Navy 250”? The Museum has embarked on a year-long countdown through 250 years of Navy history in honor of the Navy's upcoming 250th birthday.

01/02/2025

New year, new us!

💤 This year, we're making a priority. If you can't get the daily recommended eight hours of "Zs," consider sneaking in a , like these sailors. Here, an exhausted coxswain and bow hookman of a transport's LCP(R) landing craft catch some shut eye after 72 hours of continuous operations during the Battle of Attu, May 1942. (National Archives, 80-G-K-13764)

01/01/2025

EXPLORATION (1816 - 1860)

For the United States Navy, the War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States was a major publicity boom. There was no longer the question of “if” the nation needed a Navy, but rather, “how big should it be?” Along with building a larger fleet to deter future conflict and protect Americans overseas, the Navy found a new purpose in exploring the world.

⚓ Follow along with us this month as we explore noteworthy expeditions, people, innovations, and accomplishments! As a reminder, January's dive into 1816-1860 is part of 's year-long countdown through 250 years of Navy history in honor of the Navy's 250th birthday in October, 2025.

12/31/2024

2024 was quite a year! Let's look back at some of the posts you shared and liked the most.

⭐️From March 7, 2024:
in 1994 the Navy issued the first orders for women to be assigned on board a combatant ship!

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower's (CVN 69) crew of women and men participated in several key operations in 1994, including: Uphold (Caribbean); Southern Watch (Arabian Gulf); and Deny , Provide Promise, and Sharp Guard ( ).

Read more about aboard combatant vessels using the link below!
https://www.history.navy.mil/.../wom.../women-in-combat.html

📸: Captain A.M. Gemmill, Commanding Officer, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), congratulates LT Shannon Workman upon completion of her fleet carrier qualifications. LT Workman, who qualified in the EA-6B Prowler, is a member of the Zappers of VAQ-130, assigned to IKE's Carrier Air Wing Three. LT Workman became the first female combat pilot to pass Fleet Carrier Qualifications in February 1994. [Photo by CWO2 Richard Kerns, catalog #: UA 410.04]

12/31/2024

Naval History and Heritage Command and the National Museum of the United States Navy invite tenants of the Washington Navy Yard to honor the extraordinary life of President Jimmy Carter, a distinguished U.S. Navy officer, humanitarian, and 39th President of the United States.

✍️ A condolence book will be available for signing from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Dec. 31, 2024 to Jan. 7, 2025 at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy, Building 76. The museum will be closed on Jan. 1, 2025, Jan. 4, 2025, and Jan. 5, 2025.

📍736 Sicard St SE, Washington, Building 76
🕒 Dec. 31, 2024 and January 2, 2025 to January 3, 2025 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM (public access)/4:00 PM (CAC or military ID holders). January 6, 2025 to January 7, 2025 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Closed Jan. 1, 2025 and Jan. 5, 2025)

Before his presidency, Carter served as a submariner in the U.S. Navy, contributing to critical advancements in nuclear submarine technology. His naval career, marked by discipline, resilience, and innovation, laid the foundation for a lifetime of public service.

More information about Carter’s naval service can be found at https://usnhistory.navylive.dodlive.mil/Recent/Article-View/Article/3787526/passing-of-president-jimmy-carter/

12/30/2024

The U.S. Navy made Lake Erie a priority during the War of 1812 after the Royal Navy used the lake to cut off American ground forces in Detroit and force them to surrender.

After building a squadron of eight warships at Presque Isle, Pennsylvania, Navy Master Commandant Oliver Hazard Perry deployed for war in early September 1813. Perry hoisted a flag that read “DONT GIVE UP THE SHIP” - the dying words of his friend and USS Chesapeake Captain James Lawerence – upon sighting a British squadron near Put-in-Bay, Ohio. After a long engagement and nearly losing his flagship USS Lawerence, Perry and his squadron decisively defeated the British. This victory completely turned the war towards an American advantage along the Canadian frontier.

📸 Battle of Lake Erie, First View, Fought September 10, 1813, Murray Draper and Company, 1813. (Navy Art Collection, 84-81-A)

⚓ What is “Expedition Navy 250”? The Museum has embarked on a year-long countdown through 250 years of Navy history in honor of the Navy's upcoming 250th birthday.

12/30/2024

2024 was quite a year! Let's look back at some of the posts you shared and liked the most.

⭐️From August 30, 2024:
An early rebreather known as the Momsen lung was tested in 1929. It was later introduced as standard equipment on Porpoise-class and Salmon-class submarines, and allowed Sailors a way of assistance if an underwater escape was needed.

The device recycled exhaled carbon dioxide by using a canister containing soda lime that then allowed fresh oxygen to be inhaled by the wearer. The lung was connected to a mouthpiece by twin hoses containing one-way valves, one for breathing in and the other for breathing out. The only emergency use of the Momsen lung was during the escape of Sailors from USS Tang (SS 306) on October 25, 1944.

📸: USS V-5 crewman A. L. Rosenkotter exits the submarine’s escape hatch wearing the "Momsen Lung" emergency escape breathing device during the submarine’s sea trials in July, 1930. The emergency breathing device was named for its inventor, U.S. Navy submarine rescue pioneer Cdr. Charles "Swede" Momsen. The submarine V-5 was later renamed USS Narwhal (SS 167).

12/29/2024

Fair winds and following seas, President Carter.

12/29/2024

2024 was quite a year! Let's look back at some of the posts you shared and liked the most.

⭐️From February 7, 2024:

Alton A. Adams, the first Black U.S. Navy bandmaster, was born in St.Thomas, U.S Virgin Islands in 1889.

A child to a dressmaker and a carpenter, Adams' passion for started at a young age under the teachings of his grandfather. In his youth, Adams apprenticed as both a and a shoemaker. While under the instruction of shoemaker Albert Francis, who conducted his own musical ensemble, Adams continued his musical and learned vital skills in the management and organization of a .
In 1906, he joined the St. Thomas Municipal Band. By the age of 21 Adams had formed his own band, named the Adams Juvenile Band, where he became locally for his skills and compositions. In 1917, after the U.S purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark, Adams and his band were enlisted into the U.S Navy where he served until his retirement in 1945.

📸: Alton Adams in his naval uniform, 1922. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)

12/28/2024

2024 was quite a year! Let's look back at some of the posts you shared and liked the most.

⭐️From July 26, 2024:

in 1946, Joy Brigh Hancock was appointed Director of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). Hancock began her Navy career as Yeoman (F) during WWI, when women were mass recruited as a result of shortages in clerical positions. In 1942 she was commissioned as a Lieutenant in WAVES and quickly rose in rank, by the end of the war she was established as the program's Director. Photograph courtesy of Captain Joy Bright Hancock, USN (Retired).

📸: [NH 94945-A, Yeoman First Class (F) Joy Bright, USNRF]

Address

Building 76 Sicard Street SE
Washington D.C., DC
20374

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

(202) 685-0589

Website

https://www.history.navy.mil/nmusn

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Videos

Wowza! Heavy duty rigging equipment was needed to lift USS Henrico's (APA 45) Landing Craft Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) from the Cold War Gallery. LCVPs, also known as Higgins Boats, were used for amphibious landings during World War II and the Korean War. This Korean War-era LCVP was restored in 1999 by the USS Constitution Maintenance and Repair Facility in #Boston, Massachusetts. #MoveOutMonday #BehindTheScenes #Artifact #CaringForCollections #WorldWarII #KoreanWar #NavyHistory #NavyReadiness #NMUSN #NewNMUSN

It's #MoveOutMonday ! A skilled team of curators from the museum and #CuratorofShipModels conservators and contractors joined forces to remove the large USS Forrestal (CVA 59) #ship model from its case. Careful planning, clear #communication, and synchronized movements allowed for a successful deinstallation. #Carderock #NAVSEA #Curator #ShipModel #Forrestal #Teamwork #NHHC #NavyReadiness #NavyHistory #NMUSN #NewNMUSN

A lot of preparation and careful maneuvering goes into transporting large museum collections! #MoveOutMonday #NMUSN staff and the Curator of Navy Ship Models team work together to relocate the USS Houston #ship model. Slow and synchronized movements, clear communication, and checking (and re-checking!) equipment are key to a successful move. The #Houston model, among other large and small models, is coming off #exhibit as the museum prepares the space for another use. #ShipModel #CollectionsCare #Artifact #Teamwork #Communication #NavyHistory #NavyReadiness #NewNMUSN #Carderock #NAVSEA @NavalSurfaceWarfareCenterCarderock

#ICYMI: Naval History & Heritage Command Historian Dr. Tyler Bamford's recent Brown Bag Brief titled Sharing the Burden of Command: The Wartime Letters of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, which you can watch below. Dr. Bamford gave a preview of the letters written between FADM Nimitz and his wife and discussed what they reveal about both Admiral Nimitz and his family. The team's work will soon be published in a forthcoming volume. #BrownBagBrief #NavyHistory #ChesterNimitz #FamilyLegacy

Curator Talk - A Kinder, Gentler Navy: Animals in the U.S. Navy

Join Historian and Curator Gordon Calhoun as he talks about the often overlooked side of the United States Navy, including ship's mascots, ceremonial pets, and regimental mascots. Leave any questions you have in the comments below! #NationalPetDay #AnimalsintheNavy #NavyHistory #NavyPets

Full STEAM Ahead! - Navy Signal Flags

Join our Education Specialist, Mike Galloway, while he discusses various types of communication used by the U.S. Navy and specifically focuses on signal flags. You can even make and send your own signal flag messages! #FullSteamAhead #SignalFlags #NavyHistory #NavyMuseum #Education

Join historian and naval architect Dr. Larrie Ferreiro as he talks about Bridging the Seas: The Rise of Naval Architecture in the Industrial Age. In case you missed this in-person program you can catch-up here on our page! Stay tuned for more public programs from our Education Department. #AuthorTalk #NavyHistory #NavalArchitecture #NMUSN

Full STEAM Ahead! - The Navy Nurse Corps

The Navy established the Nurse Corps in 1908 allowing for women in its ranks for the first time. Join our Educator, Mike Galloway, as we take a brief look inside the profession, notable people, valuable skills and the wide-ranging responsibilies that Navy nurses perform in the field. #NavyHistory #NavyNurses #NavyReadiness #NavyFirsts #STEAM #STEM This packet mentioning nursing and corpsmen in combat can be found on our website here: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nmusn/education/additional-activities/damage-control-green-navy-okinawa.html

Join us as Naval History & Heritage Command historian, Dr. John Sherwood talks about U.S. Navy Coastal and Riverine Warfare in the Vietnam, 1965-1968. #NationalVietnamWarVeteransDay #HistorianTalk #VietnamWar #NavyHistory

Author Talk - Leyte Gulf 1944 (1): The Battles of Sibuyan Sea and Samar with Mark Stille

Join author Beverly Weintraub as she talks about the early Navy “fly girls” who paved the way for new generations of women aviators. Women now fly every type of naval aircraft including the F-15 fighter jet that can reach a top speed of 3,017 miles per hour! #WomenintheNavy #WomensHistoryMonth #AuthorTalk #WingsofGold #NavalAviator #NavyHistory

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Address

Opening Hours

Telephone

Website

Alerts

Contact The Museum

Videos

Curator Talk - A Kinder, Gentler Navy: Animals in the U.S. Navy

Full STEAM Ahead! - Navy Signal Flags

Full STEAM Ahead! - The Navy Nurse Corps

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