U.S. Navy Planning HUGE Navy Campus Museum in Washington Yard

Navy Museum Development Foundation Announced as the Exclusive Fundraising Partner New Navy Museum Campus: NMDF to Launch Campaign with $225 Million Goal

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD (Oct. 13, 2021) Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired), Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, and Navy Museum Development Foundation (NMDF) Board President Al Konetzni, U.S. Navy vice admiral (retired), pose for a group photo at the National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN) during an event celebrating the Navy’s 246th birthday. During the ceremony, Del Toro thanked the NMDF for its kind offer to lead a national campaign to raise funds for the future NMUSN. The intended location for the new NMUSN is outside the Washington Navy Yard’s security perimeter, which will give the public unrestricted access to U.S. Navy history and heritage. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ellen Sharkey)

WASHINGTON NAVY YARD [OCTOBER 21, 2021] – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2012, that the U.S. Navy has acknowledged the kind offer from the Navy Museum Development Foundation (NMDF) to lead a national campaign to raise funds for the future National Museum of the U.S. Navy (NMUSN).

The announcement came during an event at the current museum marking the U.S. Navy’s 246th birthday.

“For 246 years, the Sailors of the United States Navy have protected our Nation and our world through their dedicated service on the sea, in the air, and beneath the waves,” said Del Toro. “The new National Museum of the United States Navy will bring their story to the American people, honoring all who’ve served in the past, and all who maintain the watch today.”

The current NMUSN, which falls under Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), is located inside the Washington Navy Yard and attracts 100,000 visitors per year. The new NMUSN will be a campus-style museum outside the Navy’s security perimeter, potentially increasing attendance to upwards of 1-2 million visitors annually.

“The new, state-of-the-art flagship museum will ensure that the Navy’s story can be shared with the audience it deserves. Moving the museum to a more accessible site within the heart of the nation’s capital presents a unique opportunity to reach the 40 million visitors who come to Washington DC every year,” said NMDF Board President, retired Vice Adm. Al Konetzni. “This includes millions of students eager to be engaged, educated, and encouraged. The Navy will be the only service with a museum capable of reaching that audience. The location provides an incomparable stage for telling the Navy’s story, creating a memorable and compelling experience for visitors, and using the Navy’s legacy to inspire future generations.”

The new NMUSN campus concept will connect the U.S. Navy’s legacy of service, courage, honor and loyalty with the absolute imperatives confronting it today, including forward presence, advanced technologies, energy balance and humanitarian assistance.

“One of our goals with the new museum is to build public understanding of the Navy’s rich history and proud heritage with the public,” said NHHC Director, retired Rear Adm. Samuel Cox. “Among other things, we hope the museum shares the human experience of serving in the Navy and creates a memorial to the service and sacrifice of the American Sailor.”

With plans to open the new museum in October 2025, the Navy estimates funds required to construct the state-of-the-art facility is $204 million for phase one of the project with opportunities for spiral development of additional phases totaling $450 million.

An objective business case analysis was completed making a clear recommendation for a museum relocation vice expenditures to existing facility renovations. The move helps the Navy avoid an estimated $24 million in deferred maintenance to the current museum building. The new museum’s location also helps reduce force protection requirements by approximately $300 million and mitigates security risks to both the Washington Navy Yard and key Navy commands.

“The new, state-of-the-art flagship museum will ensure that the Navy’s story can be shared with the audience it deserves,” said NMDF Board President, retired Vice Adm. Al Konetzni. “The intended location provides an incomparable stage for telling the Navy’s story, creating a memorable and compelling experience for visitors, and using the Navy’s legacy to inspire future generations.”

Naval History and Heritage Command, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of 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 is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.

As part of an extended Navy campus, it will provide a home for naval ceremonies and functions to celebrate historic anniversaries and individual achievements. As a center for inspired storytelling, it will become an internationally recognized forum for innovative thought leadership, education, and training.

“It is vital that the American people understand the importance of a strong and viable naval force. As a maritime nation, our future depends on it,” said former Secretary of the Navy, Kenneth J. Braithwaite. Secretary Braithwaite is joined by Secretaries England, Dalton and Maybus as Honorary Campaign Co-Chairs.

The new museum will also become the cornerstone of a Navy Campus based on a sustainable business model designed for long-term durability of the project. In addition to freeing up critically needed space at Washington Navy Yard, the mixed-use Campus will create opportunities for vitally needed revenue streams through expansive retail operations to support museum programs. The site will include the U.S. Navy’s primary conference center capable of hosting a wide range of lectures, courses, seminars, and meetings. It will also include special event facilities for ceremonies and celebrations.

Old and new generations of the sea service, as well as the general public, will find their experience at the Campus to be educational, relevant, inspirational, and compelling. The Navy’s storied past, present and future is a story for everyone, and one that should be told.

About NMDF
The mission of the Navy Museum Development Foundation is to perpetuate the heritage of the United States Navy by supporting and raising funds for the establishment of a National Museum of the United States Navy in Washington, D.C. Learn more at NMDF.org.