OCTOBER 19, 2022 – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced the Department of the Navy’s preferred location for a new National Museum of the United States Navy (NMUSN) during an event today at the Washington Navy Yard, in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the service’s 247th birthday.
The Navy’s preferred location for the new NMUSN would be on land adjacent to the Washington Navy Yard that would be acquired either through a land exchange or direct purchase. This would allow the museum to offer the general public unfettered access to U.S. Navy history and heritage.
“The exhibits of this new museum will create a living memorial to the U.S. Navy’s heritage of victory and valor, bringing to life the human experiences of serving at sea,” said Del Toro. “It will give all the visitors of the future museum – regardless of their previous military experience – a greater appreciation and understanding of the economic and diplomatic importance of what a strong and robust Navy means to our national and economic security.”
The Navy is seeking to obtain approximately six acres of land immediately outside the Tingey Gate at the Washington Navy Yard to improve the installation’s security posture. The Department of the Navy is now moving forward with consultations and public involvement required by the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act.
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement was published in the Federal Register on Oct. 14, 2022, to solicit public comments on acquisition of the property and proposed uses of the land. The Navy will consider comments received during the public comment period and prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement before issuing a Record of Decision on how the land will be acquired and used.
“The NMUSN Campus would serve as an educational, inspirational, cultural and ceremonial center for those who have served and are serving in the Navy today,” said Naval History and Heritage Command Director Sam Cox, a retired rear admiral. “This is an exciting, tangible step toward realizing Navy Leadership’s long-held vision to build a state-of-the-art museum that shares with the American public the incredible history of their nation’s Navy.”
The Navy has partnered with the Navy Museum Development Foundation to assist with the development, design, construction, renovation, and operation of a multipurpose museum campus to house the National Museum of the United States Navy. This is a model similarly used by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Army in their highly successful National museums.
Naval History and Heritage Command is the lead for the new NMUSN initiative and hopes to celebrate a significant construction milestone on the Navy’s 250th birthday, Oct. 13, 2025.
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating U.S. naval history and heritage.
It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy’s unique and enduring contributions through our nation’s history and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services.
NHHC comprises many activities, including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, 10 museums, the USS Constitution repair facility, and the historic ship Nautilus.
For more news from NHHC, visit www.history.navy.mil.
Courtesy Story
Naval History and Heritage Command