The
National Museum of the United States Navy was established in 1961 and opened to the public in 1963. As an official Department of the Navy museum under the Naval History and Heritage Command, the National Museum of the United States Navy is the only Navy museum to present an overview of U.S. naval history 1775 to the present. Permanent and temporary exhibitions commemorate the Navy's wartime heroes and battles as well as its peacetime contributions in exploration, diplomacy, navigation and humanitarian service.
The National Museum of the United States Navy celebrates a legacy of educating the public. In the tradition of its predecessors on the Washington Navy Yard beginning in 1865, the current museum features a collection that dates from 1800. The museum's collection moved twice before
Adm. Arleigh Burke established the current museum in Building 76 on the Historic Washington Navy Yard in 1963 to create an American naval history museum comparable to those in Europe. In 2011, exhibits on the Cold War opened in nearby Building 70. The National Museum of the United States Navy continues to embody Burke's vision of sharing the Navy's history and traditions with the world. Exhibits cover the breath of U.S. Naval history from the
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To contact the museum with a question or set up a tour email navymuseum@navy.mil or call 202-433-4882. Follow us on Facebook and on Instagram and tag your posts and images from your visit with #NMUSN.