The 3 Best Naval Museums around Seattle

Are you looking for some great places to explore the history of the U.S. Navy? Check out this 3 amazing sites around Seattle. I believe we all have seen ships of the U.S. Navy in movies and TV shows, like the currently running show “The Last Ship”. If you are into this kind of stuff check out the three places listed below.

Naval Undersea Museum

The Naval Undersea Museum is an official U.S. Navy museum which concentrates around the history and technology of submarines. You can see what role the U.S. Navy plays in exploring the last frontier on our planet. The deep oceans!

The  museum is split into 4 parts:

1. Ocean Environment: Tell you all about life in- and under the sea. Hear the sounds of whales, earthquakes and other undersea phenomena.
2. Undersea Weapons Technology: Learn about torpedos and mines and the history of naval warfare. You even get to see a Mark 48 ADCAP Torpedo, the current standard torpedo carried by the U.S. Navy submarines. See the portion of two starboard torpedo tubes of the USS Tecumseh located inside the torpedo room.
3. Submarine Technology: The highlight in this area of the museum is the control room of the USS Greenling (SSN-614), a Permit-class nuclear fast attack submarine.
4. Diving & Salvage: In this area of the museum you get to see remotely operated vehicles like the CURV III, diving suits, a swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV), used by SEAL teams and a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV)

Outside, at the parking lot, you will see a couple of this DSRV’s and small rescue submarines. In front of the museum is the sail of the USS Sturgeon (SSN-637), a Sturgeon-class nuclear fast attack submarine. The museum is located right next to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport. Getting here is a bit tricky if you are visiting Seattle and don’t have a car. However, it is worth the drive if you are interested in that kind of things. Admission and parking are free and the museum is open from 10 AM to 4 PM every day, except October through April, where Tuesdays are closed. More info on the website of the museum.

Puget Sound Navy Museum

This museum is located near the Bremerton ferry terminal next to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. It’s easily reachable by the Seattle-Bremerton ferry and just a short walk from the ferry terminal. Building 50, in which the museum is located, was built in 1896 and served as the first Administrative Headquarters for Shipyard commanders. It was moved three times: first in 1910 when Dry Dock 2 was built, second in the 1930s to Farragut Ave where it served as apprentice classrooms and administrative offices, and third in 2006 to its present location where it serves as a museum. You can’t miss the building neither the sail of the USS Parche ( SSN-683) a Balao-class diesel-electric submarine.

This is an official U.S. Navy museum. You will learn about the history of the nearby shipyard, Special Operations Submarines and about the life aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). This was my personal highlight – I love aircraft carriers.

Admission here is free as well. Parking is available for free on some of the streets or paid parking near the waterfront. The museum is open from 10 AM to 4 PM every day, except October through April, where Tuesdays are closed.

www.pugetsoundnavymuseum.org

Behind the Museum is the Harborside Fountain Park. A great place for kids to cool down in the summer and to watch the bay.

Not far from here you can see two decommissioned aircraft carriers docked at the shipyard.

Always wanted to explore a destroyer? Head over to the…

USS Turner Joy a U.S. Navy Destroyer

This is by far the greatest museum, because the museum itself is a real war ship, which you can tour on your own and go pretty much everywhere in the ship. All the way down to the engine room and up to the bridge. Pretty much every area of the ship is accessible and you will have to climb some steep ladders up and down to get there. This gives you a real feeling of what life was aboard this ship. You will see the bunk beds of the crew and the captains quarters. You can even climb into one of the gun turrets. This is truly an unforgettable experience. The ship was commissioned on 3. August 1959 and donated as a museum and memorial to the Bremerton Historic Ships Association and berthed at Bremerton, Washington on 10 April 1991. You can find the complete history of the ship on the official website of the museum.

Make sure you bring your camera for an unforgettable experience.

The museum ship is located on the Bremerton waterfront and easily reached by ferry from Seattle. From there it is just a very short walk along the Bremerton waterfront to the ship. Same as for the Puget Sound Navy Museum, parking can be found along the streets or at one of the parking lots near the waterfront.

The ship is open daily from March to October from 10 AM to 5 PM. From November to February the ship is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Check the homepage for special events and for the different admissions they offer. Regular admission is $14 for an adult and as a AAA member, you get $1 off.