The Naval Undersea Museum is an official naval museum located at Keyport, Washington

Keyport, Washington

Keyport is an unincorporated community in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The community is located at the eastern terminus of State Route 308 on the Kitsap Peninsula, east of Subase Bangor. Keyport's ZIP Code, 98345, had a ZCTA population of 554 at the 2010 census, in addition to a...

, USA. The museum is one of the 12 Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. The museum sits next to a branch of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center

Naval Undersea Warfare Center

The Naval Undersea Warfare Center is the United States Navy's full-spectrum research, development, test and evaluation, engineering and fleet support center for submarines, autonomous underwater systems, and offensive and defensive weapons systems associated with undersea warfare...

. According to the museum website, its mission is "to preserve, collect and interpret Naval undersea history, science and operations for the benefit of the U.S. Navy and the people of the United States."

History

The Naval Undersea Museum Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Washington State corporation established in 1980 as a philanthropic organization. Our mission is to provide financial support through fundraising campaigns to build and support the Naval Undersea Museum. Through fund-raising efforts of the Foundation, the Naval Undersea Museum and Conference Center complex in Keyport, Washington, opened in 1995.

The Naval Undersea Museum combines naval history, undersea technology, and marine science to create an exciting and educational experience for visitors. This new building, filled with more than 20000 square feet (1,858.1 m²) of exhibits, holds the largest collection of naval undersea history and science artifacts in the United States. The museum's research library contains more than 6,500 volumes that support the exhibits and provide extensive information on undersea history, science, and operations. It also holds a complete set of WWII submarine war patrol reports and more than 115 interviews from the U.S. Naval Institute's oral history collection.

The Foundation publishes the Undersea Quarterly and sponsors the Naval Undersea Museum Store. Other educational programs are supported by the Foundation in cooperation with the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Keyport.

Collection

Exhibits interpret the ocean environment, the development of undersea weapons technology, U.S. submarines, and Navy diving and salvage. Artifacts include U.S. torpedoes from the Whitehead and Howell designs to the modern Mk 48 and Mk 50 weapons, a Confederate mine, torpedo tubes from , and a simulated control room incorporating major equipment from . Some of the most interesting items in the Museum collection is the 55-ton sail of the nuclear fast attack submarine , the deep submersibles Trieste II

Bathyscaphe Trieste II

Trieste II ' was the successor to Trieste — the United States Navy's first bathyscaphe purchased from its Swiss designers. The original Trieste design was heavily modified by the Naval Electronics Laboratory in San Diego, California and built at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard...

 and the model of the Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle

A Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle is a type of Deep Submergence Vehicle used for rescue of downed submarines and clandestine missions. While DSRV is the term most often used by the United States Navy other nations have different designations for their vehicles.- Chinese models :The People's...

 (DSRV) built for the film The Hunt for Red October

The Hunt for Red October (film)

The Hunt for Red October is a 1990 thriller film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was directed by John McTiernan and stars Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius and Alec Baldwin as Jack Ryan...

 and a re-creation of the control room of USS Greenling using the actual equipment and consoles removed from the attack submarine when it was decommissioned. Exhibit themes include the environment of the ocean, torpedoes, naval mine warfare

Naval mine

A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...

, the technology of submarines, and diving equipment

Diving equipment

Diving equipment is equipment used by underwater divers for the purpose of facilitating diving activities. This may be equipment primarily intended for this purpose, or equipment intended for other puprposes which is found to be suitable for diving use....

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External links

• Naval Undersea Museum official website
• Naval Undersea Museum Official Facebook