National Museum of the United States Navy

05/29/2026

In celebration of 200 years of the musician rating, we recognize the legacy of Unit Band 16!

05/28/2026

🎉 Join us as we support the US Navy band in celebrating 200 years of the MU rating!

For 200 years, Navy Music has projected a positive image at home and abroad, preserving the nation's musical heritage and inspiring the next generation of Sailors, fostering patriotism, and strengthening the bond between the American people and their naval service.
Come back to this page and to all of our Navy Music pages for amazing content showcasing our history, heritage, and musicians of today!

Today kicks off our official campaign which celebrates 200 years of the MU rating! 🎉

For 200 years, Navy Music has projected a positive image at home and abroad, preserving the nation's musical heritage and inspiring the next generation of Sailors, fostering patriotism and strengthening the bond between the American people and their naval service.

Come back to this page and to all of our Navy Music pages for amazing content showcasing our history, heritage, and musicians of today! 🎵⚓

05/28/2026

We’re celebrating with some exhibit renovations to our American Revolution gallery!

France supported the rebellious colonists’ need for independence. Helping the colonies was risky. At first, France secretly loaned money to the Continental Congress. Eventually, they openly supplied weapons, supplies, and personnel. On February 6, 1778, French and Continental representatives signed treaties that formalized their relationship as allies. French Admiral Francois Joseph Paul de Grasse’s fleet bottled up British Army Officer Charles Cornwallis in Yorktown, Virginia in the fall of 1781. The British soon surrendered. Image: Monsieur le Comte de Grasse, engraving by M. Jones, London, 1782



📸 Navy Art Collection, NHHC 1965-431-W

05/27/2026

In our next installment celebrating NMUSN is highlighting Illinois.

Among Illinois’s many great contributions to the nation and it’s navy:

Over 40 ships have been named after the state’s cities, places, and people. Such as…

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) is a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier named in honor of the nation’s 16th president and Illinois native. Commissioned on Nov. 11, 1989, in Norfolk, VA, the ship’s motto is “Shall Not Perish,” a line from Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg Address in 1863. The aircraft carrier has participated in multiple operations in the Middle East, including Desert Storm, Southern Watch, Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and New Dawn.

Naval Station Great Lakes, on the shores of Lake Michigan, is where all enlisted sailors complete their basic training, also known as “boot camp.” Opened in July 1911, Great Lakes grew rapidly, training one million of the four million sailors who served in World War II. In 1997, Great Lakes underwent a massive expansion, which was completed in 2010. The national Museum of the American Sailor is located just off base and livestreams graduations each week.

For more fascinating facts about US Navy history and Illinois, check out:
https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/multimedia-gallery/infographics/state-infographics/illinois-s-naval-history.html

Images;
Insignia, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) crest, circa 2015. Courtesy of USN.

“Learning to Lower a Boat, United States Naval Training Station, Great Lakes, Ill.” Postcard, circa 1918. Image courtesy of the Bess bower Dunn Museum of Lake County, ID # 95.20.1

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05/26/2026

In October of 1787, John Paul Jones was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his service during the American Revolution. He was the first and only Continental Navy Officer to receive this distinction.

This specimen is a 1960 restrike of that medal, most likely created as a commemorative piece. Note the differences between the two images. During conservation treatment, it was found that the medal had an, old, yellowed, coating. The coating was removed by NHHC's Conservation Branch team member Isabelle Lobley, and the medal is now closer to its original appearance.

05/20/2026

As America celebrates 250 years NMUSN is highlighting each of our fifty states and some of their contributions to the history and heritage of the US Navy.

Our next installment in this series is Mississippi. Over 25 ships have been named after the state’s cities, places, and people.

Among Mississippi’s many great contributions to the nation and it’s navy:

An Ackerman native, Ray Mabus served as the 75th Secretary of the Navy, leading the Navy and marine Corps longer than anyone since WWI. From 2008 to 2016, he placed 86 new ships under contract, greatly increasing the Navy’s shipbuilding.

Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport is dedicated to maintaining and operating facilities while providing essential services and materials to support naval Construction Force units. The base plays a critical role in ensuring the readiness and logistical support for various navy and marine Corps operations, both domestically and internationally.

Named after the capital of Mississippi, USS Jackson (LCS 6) is a littoral combat ship commissioned Dec. 5, 2015. A fast, agile, and high-tech surface combatant, Jackson acts as a platform for the launch and recovery of manned and unmanned vehicles.

For more fascinating facts about US Navy history and Mississippi, check out:
https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/multimedia-gallery/infographics/state-infographics/mississippi-s-naval-history.html

Images:
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, 2014, USN photo.

Recreation of original logo for Naval Construction Battalion Center Gulfport, Gulfport, Miss. This drawing was created using historic photos from the 1940s, 50s, and 60s. Original art, unknown, recreated from scratch and with tracing elements using the Adobe Suite. (U.S. Navy illustration by Jovi Prevot), 2023.

NAVAL BASE SAN DIEGO -- The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Jackson (LCS 6) returns to its San Diego homeport, Oct. 6, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Vance Hand)

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05/18/2026

Check out the latest !

05/15/2026

05/14/2026

Our team is working hard to design and build a new - Nation & Navy: The American Revolution

05/13/2026

In the next installment celebrating NMUSN is highlighting Indiana, the Hoosier State.

Among Indiana’s many great contributions to the nation and it’s navy:

Capt. Charles V. Gridley was born in Logansport. Gridley served as captain of Olympia (Cruiser No. 6), flagship of the US Navy’s Asiatic Squadron. In this role , he was pivotal in assuring victory of the squadron
over a Spanish flotilla in the Battle of Manila Bay, Philippines, on May 1, 1898.

Over 35 ships have been named after the state’s cities and places, and people. In July 1945, USS Indianapolis (CA 35) was designated to deliver components of “Little Boy,” the first atomic bomb, to the 509th
Composite Bomb Group in Tinian, Northern Marianas. After completion of its mission, the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine on 30 July while
en route to the Philippines. Only 316 of the ship’s 1,195 crew survived. The final resting place of Indianapolis was found in 2017.

In 1976, select white oak trees at the naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Crane, Indiana, were designates for use in USS Constitution restoration. As the trees are harvested for Constitution’s preservation, new trees are selected and allowed to mature for future restoration work. “Constitution Grove” continues to be maintained to ensure the world’s oldest commissioned warship stays afloat.

For more fascinating facts about US Navy history and Indiana, check out:
https://www.history.navy.mil/news-and-events/multimedia-gallery/infographics/state-infographics/naval-history-of-indiana-.html

Images:
Captain Charles Vernon Gridley of the USS Olympia, dated between 1895 and 1901, Edward H. Hart, Detroit Publishing Company. Photo courtesy of
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

USS Indianapolis (CA-35). Photograph courtesy of U.S. National Archives, 19-N-86911.

170810-N-HQ322-1214. CRANE, Ind. (Aug. 10, 2017) (U.S. Navy photo by Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Erin Bullock/Released)

170810-N-HQ322-1144. CRANE, Ind. (Aug. 10, 2017) (U.S. Navy photo by Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Erin Bullock/Released)