Editor in Chief Bill | 17 May 2011 6:24 p.m. PST |
After seeing a picture of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Kure Museum – with an entire submarine protruding from the building! – I was wondering if there is any cooler naval museum in the world? |
Lion in the Stars | 17 May 2011 6:45 p.m. PST |
I have a soft spot for the Keyport Naval Museum, in Keyport, WA. They've got a huge amount of submarine stuff there, including a mostly-complete control room for a 640-class SSBN! |
doc mcb | 17 May 2011 6:55 p.m. PST |
The Nimitz museum of the War in the Pacific, in Fredericksburg Texas, is pretty awesome. |
Grand Duke Natokina | 17 May 2011 7:04 p.m. PST |
There is he SeaBee Museum at Point Mugu. |
daveshoe | 17 May 2011 9:11 p.m. PST |
The U.S. Submarine Force Museum in Groton CT is pretty interesting. In addtion to USS Nautilus (which is open for tours), there are four midget subs outside the main building and some nice exhibits inside. If you are looking for other musuems that have tourable submarines, there is U-505 in Chicago and Blueback (the last diesel-electric attack sub built for the U.S. Navy) at OMSI in Portland OR. |
Sundance | 17 May 2011 10:01 p.m. PST |
Gotta love a landlocked naval museum – like the Nimitz Museum, and the CF Naval Museum in Calgary. |
Sundance | 17 May 2011 10:02 p.m. PST |
Oh, and I forgot the Soviet diesels you can tour in Florida and Vancouver. There's also a couple of naval museums in Virginia Beach/Norfolk area in addition to several maritime museums. You can tour a number of ships/subs in Baltimore and NYC as well. |
Dervel | 17 May 2011 10:32 p.m. PST |
Actually, there is a pretty cool one in Lisbon. Mostly large scale model ships, but with a lot of really interesting exhibits. |
Bob the Temple Builder | 17 May 2011 11:29 p.m. PST |
Chatham Historic Dockyard, Kent would be my favourite. You can visit a WW2 C-class destroyer, a post-war submarine that was used for secret missions, and a Victorian gunboat as well as the (still working) rope yard, and the dock where HMS Victory was built
and that is only a small fraction of what is there. |
Prince Rupert of the Rhine | 18 May 2011 2:21 a.m. PST |
Porstmouth Naval dockyards Warrior, Victory the Mary Rose whats not to like? Plus just across the water in Gosport is the museum of naval firepower (loads of guns) and the submarine museum (loads of subs) |
Femeng2 | 18 May 2011 4:04 a.m. PST |
Try the Erie PA maritime museum. It has rebuilt (some parts are from the original) the Niagara, which it sails in the summer. They also built a mock up of a ships side and hit it with 6 pounders to show real damage. There is also a small sub museum at Kings Bay Georgia. I still think I could get around that control room in the dark! |
Wizard Whateley | 18 May 2011 4:12 a.m. PST |
The Mariner's Museum at Norfolk, VA has a full sized mock up of the ironclad Monitor outside, and the recovered turret under preservation inside. They also have a large walk-in display of the Confederate ironclad Virginia. |
Chouan | 18 May 2011 4:26 a.m. PST |
The Musee Nationale de la Marine in Paris is pretty good. link |
20thmaine | 18 May 2011 4:46 a.m. PST |
Fleet Air Arm at Yeovil good balance between ships and planes |
6sided | 18 May 2011 5:07 a.m. PST |
The one in Barcelona for me, with a galley from Lepanto in it. Jaz 6sided.net |
Bob the Temple Builder | 18 May 2011 5:21 a.m. PST |
Jaz, The Maritime Museum in Barcelona is shut for renovations that will take at least two (and possibly three) years (see link ) |
GildasFacit | 18 May 2011 5:32 a.m. PST |
Literally the 'coolest' was the naval museum in St Pertersburg. As a museum it was rather old fashioned (but with a ton of excellent ship models) but the air-conditioning was GREAT. Outside temperature was about 38C and it was more than 10 degrees cooler inside – even my wife was reluctant to leave. |
Shadyt | 18 May 2011 6:07 a.m. PST |
Savannah Georgia USA has a very nice museum for older ships. Mostly pre WWII I believe. |
Wackmole9 | 18 May 2011 6:11 a.m. PST |
Washington naval Yard has a great Museum and a Post WWII DD |
Klebert L Hall | 18 May 2011 6:13 a.m. PST |
Olympia. Well, it was, anyway. Warrior must be pretty awesome too, and Mikasa. -Kle. |
sloophmsstarling | 18 May 2011 6:40 a.m. PST |
I'll put in a second vote for the museum in the Washington Navy Yard. I worked in the Yard, where the barbed wire faces inward, for a number of years and never got tired of stopping by the museum whenever I skipped lunch, which given my ponderous physique would have been not often enough. |
CorroPredo | 18 May 2011 7:41 a.m. PST |
Second vote for the Nimitz in Fredricksburg. |
Grand Duke Natokina | 18 May 2011 8:44 a.m. PST |
There is also the Confederate Naval Museum in Columbus, Georgia. |
Grand Duke Natokina | 18 May 2011 8:45 a.m. PST |
Sundance, Those Soviet Foxtrot boats are small. We have one in Long Beach. It's tied up next to the Queen Mary. My buddy Larry thought they must have a lens cap over the periscope because all he could see was black. Then he realized it was the hull of the QM. |
Cke1st | 18 May 2011 9:28 a.m. PST |
Battleship Cove in Fall River, MA. We've got the battleship Massachusetts, destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., submarine Lionfish, a Tarantul-class missile boat, two PT boats, and a landing craft from D-Day, all open to the public. As for exhibits, we've got the Destroyermen's Museum, the PT Boaters' Museum, several rooms filled with aircraft models, multiple memorials to the fallen of our wars from WWII on, exhibits on Pearl Harbor, D-Day, naval ordnance, women in the military, radar picket ships
you can't see everything in one day. I give an informal guided tour that hits all the important stuff, if you're in town and want to check it out. |
hindsTMP | 18 May 2011 12:09 p.m. PST |
Nice list. I second the Battleship Cove recommendation. We spent most of the day wandering around inside the Massachusetts, on our own. It's a real maze. Even my wife liked it (that's her in the following image) picture MH |
Rudysnelson | 18 May 2011 1:03 p.m. PST |
The most unusual museum including its location is the Confederate naval Museum in Columbus GA. No where near the ocean! |
kmahony111 | 18 May 2011 2:39 p.m. PST |
I went to a cool little museum in Xania (Chania) in Crete. I didnt expect to find a museum there but it had some good stuff and it was air conditioned (which is good in summer) Cheers Kieran |
Rev Zoom | 18 May 2011 4:24 p.m. PST |
Second vote for the Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, GA. And then there is the Monitor Naval Museum in Newport News, VA which houses the turret and other parts of the USS Monitor. Pretty awesome to see. |
Dasher | 18 May 2011 8:18 p.m. PST |
Naval War College Museum in Newport, Rhode Island is open to the public and is cool for gamers. |
Matsuru Sami Kaze | 19 May 2011 5:12 a.m. PST |
In Chicago, Museum of Science and Industry created an excellent display for the U-505. It is now indoors, protected from the elements, and the room has a feel of a sub pen. |
Matsuru Sami Kaze | 19 May 2011 5:14 a.m. PST |
Oh yeah. On the way into see the U-505 you pass a wall with stencils by month and year for every ship lost to a U-Boat. One is staggered by the scope of such losses in graphic visuals. Never seen anything like it. |
John the Greater | 19 May 2011 6:13 a.m. PST |
I'll also endorse the Nimitz Museum (going there again next week). How about the USS Midway in San Diego? And right next to it is the maritime museum complete with a Soviet sub and the HMS Surprise. |
TheBeast | 19 May 2011 6:14 a.m. PST |
@Matsuru Thanks! I started to mention Science and Industry, then begged off because it's not a 'Naval Museum'. Still, I rather liked when the sub was outside, 'attached' to the museum. I don't recall the wall you mention; must have been added as part of the new building? and the room has a feel of a sub pen Don't suppose there's a 'fake' water level
I can dream, can't I? ;->= I've gotta get back, soon! Doug |
Grand Duke Natokina | 19 May 2011 1:33 p.m. PST |
It's not exactly a "naval" museum, but it is one of my 2 or 4 favorite museums. The Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway. |
Warbeads | 19 May 2011 1:40 p.m. PST |
I found the BB Missouri in Hawaii fascinating but does that count/qualify? Gracias, Glenn |
Estarriol | 19 May 2011 3:14 p.m. PST |
Another vote for FAA at Yeovilton. Also thoroughly enjoyed HMS Belfast, but as I haven't been to many others I can't compare them with much objectivity. |
KSmyth | 19 May 2011 3:17 p.m. PST |
Battleship Cove is very nice I visited in 2006 and the ships combined with the PT Boat museum made for a great visit. However, I'd also like to plug the Naval Air Museum in Pensacola. It is flat out amazing with many, many lesser known naval aircraft. Where else can you find a F9C Curtiss Sparrowhawk hanging from its trapeze? |
Rudysnelson | 20 May 2011 7:45 a.m. PST |
Since we have also mentioned parks, I would be remiss not to mention the USS Alalbama Battleship park in Mobile. Not only is the battleship there but also the submarine USS Drum is there. You can go aboard either. There is also a row of WW2 aircraft. Not far away is the ACW era forts Gaines and Morgan from the naval battle in ACW of Mobile Bay. A good city to go to for the naval experience. |
Given up for good | 20 May 2011 11:50 a.m. PST |
I will add in the link not so much a museum but great for the kids and if you do not get them hooked you loose the future interest in the past
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Matsuru Sami Kaze | 22 May 2011 6:47 a.m. PST |
My basement. I just built four 1/48 scale Chinese Junks, and a 30 inch foam core and paper built model of the S.S. Venture (tramp steamer from King Kong),11 scratch-built Sampans, two trawlers from Hobby Lobby, and Richard Houston's San Pablo. Ta-da. |
Lion in the Stars | 08 Jun 2011 9:48 p.m. PST |
Keyport is cool, and as a bubblehead I like the Subforce museum in Groton, too, but I think the coolest Naval 'museum' is the USS Constitution in Boston Harbor. They still wear the 1800s naval uniforms, too! |
SECURITY MINISTER CRITTER | 09 Jun 2011 8:38 p.m. PST |
I'll second The Pensacola Museum too. Back in my day, they had a Catalina cut in half as part of the wall. There was also a Japanese Float plane that they eventually returned to Japan. |