Directory of US Navy Museum Ships by Category
It is extraordinary to see how many dedicated people have come together in comunities across the country to preserve the heritage of American Naval Ships.
Make a Donation
American Tribute web sites are a personal project, so I do not solicit and could not accept donations. However, if you are inspired by great naval history, ship museums are in need of funds to maintain the ships. We would not have museum ships if it were not for so many Americans who have given generously to the cause. The links below should be helpful.
Make a Donation
American Tribute web sites are a personal project, so I do not solicit and could not accept donations. However, if you are inspired by great naval history, ship museums are in need of funds to maintain the ships. We would not have museum ships if it were not for so many Americans who have given generously to the cause. The links below should be helpful.
Alert, August 15, 2018:
The vandalism in Hackensack, NJ of the USS Ling (SS297), a proud veteran of WWII, highlights the need for funds to maintain memorial ships. Please visit the Ling web site and contribute: http://www.njnm.org That is part of what you can do to help. The other part is equally important. That is to remember every day that young people need to know about what Americans did and sacrificed during World War Two to save our democracy and the free world. Three thousand young Americans in the 1940's gave their lives serving aboard submarines. America needed every submarine, every surface ship, every plane, every tank, every service member who joined the Armed Forces to do their part, every man and woman who worked tirelessly in factories and shipyards. Americans pulled together in the greatest common endeavor in human history, and this country would not otherwise be what it is today. Young people need to understand that. They need to understand the good fortune that is the birthright of Americans today and what others have done to preserve it. So please find a way to share that thought with your children, your grandchildren, your students, your employees. It may seem that they don't care, but that is not acceptable.
The vandalism in Hackensack, NJ of the USS Ling (SS297), a proud veteran of WWII, highlights the need for funds to maintain memorial ships. Please visit the Ling web site and contribute: http://www.njnm.org That is part of what you can do to help. The other part is equally important. That is to remember every day that young people need to know about what Americans did and sacrificed during World War Two to save our democracy and the free world. Three thousand young Americans in the 1940's gave their lives serving aboard submarines. America needed every submarine, every surface ship, every plane, every tank, every service member who joined the Armed Forces to do their part, every man and woman who worked tirelessly in factories and shipyards. Americans pulled together in the greatest common endeavor in human history, and this country would not otherwise be what it is today. Young people need to understand that. They need to understand the good fortune that is the birthright of Americans today and what others have done to preserve it. So please find a way to share that thought with your children, your grandchildren, your students, your employees. It may seem that they don't care, but that is not acceptable.
The photos in this directory are all US Navy photos and in the public domain. However, we are very grateful to Wikipedia and Wiki Commons and their generous contributors for making the photos and information available for online research. If you haven’t already, we urge you to make a donation to Wikipedia, which is a tremendously valuable resource.
Battleships of World War II
USS Texas (BB-35)
one of two New York Class BattleshipsWorld War 1 era “Dreadnaught” battleship
Built by Newport News Shipbuilding
Commissioned March, 1914, the “most powerful weapon in the world” at that time.
The only surviving U.S. battleship to have served in both world wars
Powered by coal-fired boilers and steam engines driving two propellers
Armament included ten 14-inch guns, twenty-one 5-inch guns, and four 21-inch torpedo tubes.
Her 14-inch guns fired 1400 lb armor-piercing shells with a range of 13 miles.
She was the first battleship to be armed with anti-aircraft guns.
Served in WW 1 in the North Sea
Served in WW2 escorting war convoys across Atlantic, then shelling German positions in North Africa and Normandy. After the Normandy invasion she was transferred to the Pacific where she participated in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Museum Ship at San Jacinto, TX
http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/battleship-texas
A web site well worth visiting: http://battleshiptexas.org
USS Alabama (BB-60)
South Dakota Class BattleshipCommissioned August, 1942
Served in the Atlantic and the Pacific during WW II
Currently: Battleship Memorial Park
Mobile, AL
http://www.ussalabama.com
USS Iowa (BB-61)
Iowa Class BattleshipCommissioned February, 1943
Modernized and recommissioned April, 1984
Decommissioned in 1990
Battleship Iowa Museum
Los Angeles, CA
http://www.pacificbattleship.com
USS New Jersey (BB-62)
Iowa Class BattleshipBuilt at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Commissioned May, 1943
Served in WW II in the Pacific and in the Korean War and the Viet Nam War
Currently: Battleship New Jersey Museum
Camden, NJ
http://www.battleshipnewjersey.org
USS Wisconsin (BB—64)
Iowa Class BattleshipBuilt by Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
Commissioned April, 1944
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II and the Korean War
Decommissioned March, 1958
Modernized in 1987 and Recommissioned October, 1988
Served with USS Missouri the Gulf War in 1991
Decommissioned September, 1991
http://www.usswisconsin.org/wp
http://nauticus.org
USS Missouri (BB-63)
Iowa-Class BattleshipBuilt at Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York
Commissioned June, 1944
Served in WWII, Korea, and the Persian Gulf
Battleship Missouri Memorial
Pearl Harbor, HI
https://www.ussmissouri.org
USS North Carolina (BB-55)
North Carolina Class BattleshipBuilt by New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, NY
Keel was laid in October 1937
Launched June, 1940; Commissioned April, 1941
Served briefly in the Atlantic and then went on to serve extensively in the Pacific
Since 1962: Battleship North Carolina Memorial
Wilmington, NC
http://www.battleshipnc.com
USN photo courtesy of David Buell
USS Massachusetts (BB-59)
South Dakota Class Battle ShipBuilt at Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA
Commissioned May, 1942
Served in the Atlantic and the Pacific in WW II
Currently a museum ship in Fall River, MA
http://battleshipcove.org
Cruisers and Destroyers of World War II
USS Salem (CA-139)
Des Moines Class Heavy CruiserBuilt at Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA
Commissioned May, 1949
Currently at the US Naval Shipbuilding Museum
in Quincy, MA
http://www.uss-salem.org
USS Orleck (DD-886)
Gearing Class DestroyerBuilt by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas
Commissioned September, 1945
USS Orleck Naval Museum
Lake Charles, LA
http://www.orleck.org
USS Edson (DD-946)
Forrest Sherman Class DestroyerBuilt at Bath Iron Works, Bath, ME
Commissioned November, 1958
Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
Bay City, MI
http://www.ussedson.org
USS Laffey (DD-724)
Sumner Class DestroyerBuilt by Bath Iron Works, Bath, ME
Commissioned February, 1944
Served in the European Theater in WW II and
participated in the Normandy Invasion on D-Day, June 6,1944
In October, 1944, she set sail for the Philippines to
participate in the war effort in the Pacific Theater.
Currently: Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Charleston, SC
https://www.patriotspoint.org
USS Little Rock (CL-92)
Cleveland Class CruiserBuilt by Wm Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Co, Philadelphia
One of 27 Cleveland Class light cruisers built during WW II
Commissioned June, 1945
In late 1950’s converted to Galveston Class guided missile Cruiser
Served in the Mediterranean 6th Fleet
Currently: Buffalo Naval & Military Park
Buffalo, NY
http://buffalonavalpark.org/exhibits/ships
USS Cassin Young (DD-793)
Fletcher Class DestroyerBuilt by Bethlehem Shipbuilding, San Pedro, CA
Commissioned December, 1943
Served in WW II and the Korean War
Museum ship in Boston, MA
http://www.dd793.org
USS The Sullivans (DD-537)
Fletcher Class DestroyerBuilt by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp, San Francisco
Commissioned September, 1943
Served in WW II and the Korean War
Currently: Buffalo Naval & Military Park
Buffalo, NY
http://buffalonavalpark.org/exhibits/ships
USS Kidd (DD-661)
Fletcher Class DestroyerBuilt at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock, Kearny, NJ
Commissioned April 1943
Served in the Pacific in WWII
USS Kidd Veterans Museum
Baton Rouge, LA
http://www.usskidd.com
USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD-850)
Gearing Class DestroyerBuilt at Bethlehem Steel’s Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA
Commissioned December, 1945
Currently a Museum Ship at Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
http://www.ussjpkennedyjr.org
http://battleshipcove.org
USS Radford (DD-446)
Fletcher Class DestroyerBuilt by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny, NJ
Commissioned July, 1942
Served in the Pacific Theater in WWII and during the Korean War
Sold for Scrap in 1970
Now a memorial and museum, even though the ship did not survive
http://ussradford446.org
USS Turner Joy (DD-951)
Forest Sherman Class DestroyerBuilt by Puget Sound Bridge and Dredging Co.
Commissioned August, 1959
Currently: USS Turner Joy Museum
Bremerton, WA
http://www.ussturnerjoy.org
Above: A larger view of the USS Salem CA-139, the only WW II heavy cruiser museum ship… the only one still afloat and available to see. One of three Des Moines Class cruisers completed and commissioned. (Others were ordered and cancelled.) Her keel was laid in 1945, just before the end of the WW II, so she did not serve in that war. The Des Moines Class cruisers
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Aircraft Carriers of World War II
USS Hornet (CV-12)
Essex Class Aircraft CarrierShown above after her 1953 modernization
Built by Newport News Shipbuilding
Commissioned November, 1943
Her keel was laid in August, 1942, and she was to be named USS Kearsarge, but was renamed in honor of USS Hornet, which had been lost in the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.
Served Extensively in the Pacific during WWII and again during the Viet Nam War. This was that ship that retrieved the Apollo 11 and Apollo space capsules when they splashed down in when they returned astronauts from the first and second moon landings in 1969
Decommissioned June, 1970
USS Hornet Museum
Alameda, CA
https://www.uss-hornet.org
USS Midway (CV-41)
Aircraft CarrierBuilt at Newport News, Virginia
Commissioned September, 1945, just a week after the end of WW II.
Served in Served in the Viet Nam War and the Persian Gulf War.
Decommissioned in 1992
USS Midway Museum
San Diego, CA
http://www.midway.org
USS Yorktown (CV-10)
Essex Class Aircraft CarrierBuilt by Newport News Shipbuilding
Commissioned April, 1943
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II
Photo description:
The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10) underway during the Marianas operation, June 1944. The ship is painted in camouflage Measure 33, Design 10a. Aircraft of Carrier Air Group One (CVG-1) are spotted on the flight deck: 16 Grumman F6F Hellcat fighters, five Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, and seven Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bombers.
Currently: Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Charleston, SC
https://www.patriotspoint.org
USS Intrepid (CV-11)
Essex Class Aircraft CarrierShown above before her 1954 modernization
Built by Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, VA
Commissioned August, 1943
One of 24 Essex Class Carriers built during WW II
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II
Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum
New York, NY
http://www.intrepidmuseum.org
USS Lexington (CV-16)
Essex Class Aircraft CarrierBuilt by Fore River Shipyard, Quincy, MA
Commissioned September, 1942
Decommissioned November, 1991
Currently: Uss Lexington Museum
Corpus Christi, TX
https://www.usslexington.com
Gato Class Submarines Preserved as Museums
USS Cobia (SS-245)
Gato Class SubmarineBuilt by Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT
Commissioned March 1944
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II, sinking a number of Japanese ships.
Currently: Manitowoc Submarine Memorial
Manitowoc, WI
http://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/the-submarine-experience/uss-cobia
USS Cavalla (SS-244)
Gato Class SubmarineBuilt by Electric Boat, Groton, CT
Commissioned February, 1944
Served in the Pacific Theater during WWII
Currently: Seawolf Park, American Undersea Warfare Center
Galveston, TX
http://www.cavalla.org
USS Cod (SS-224)
Gato Class SubmarineBuilt by Electric Boat Co., Groton, CT
Commissioned June, 1943
Serve extensively in the Pacific Theater in WW II, sinking more than 12 enemy vessels and damaging an additional 36,000 tons of enemy ships, earning her 7 battle stars.
Performed the only known submarine to submarine rescue
when she rescued the crew of a Dutch submarine in July, 1945.
Currently: U.S.S. Cod Submarine Memorial
Cleveland, OH
http://www.usscod.org
USS Drum (SS-228)
Gato Class SubmarineBuilt by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
Commissioned November, 1941
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II, sinking several Japanese ships
Currently: Battleship Memorial Park
Mobile, AL
http://www.ussalabama.com
USS Croaker (SS/SSK-246)
Gato Class SubmarineBuilt by Electric Boat, Groton, CT
Commissioned April, 1944
Served in the Pacific in WW II, sinking several Japanese warships
Currently: Buffalo Naval & Military Park
Buffalo, NY
http://buffalonavalpark.org/exhibits/ships
USS Silversides (SS-236)
Gato Class SubmarineBuilt at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, CA
Commissioned December 15, 1941
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II
Currently: USS Silversides Submarine Museum
Muskegon, MI
https://silversidesmuseum.org
Balao Class Submarines Preserved as Museums
USS Ling (SS-297)
Shown AboveBalao Class Submarine
Built by Cramp Shipbuilding Co, Philadelphia
Commissioned June, 1945
Converted to a training ship at Brooklyn Navy Yard, 1960
New Jersey Naval Museum
Hackensack, NJ
http://www.njnm.org
USS Bowfin (SS-287)
Balao-class SubmarineBuilt at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine
Commissioned May, 1943
USS Bowfin Submarine Museum & Park
Honolulu, HI
http://www.bowfin.org
USS Becuna (SS-319)
Balao Class SubmarineBuilt by Electric Boat, Groton, CT
Commissioned May, 1944
Served in the Pacific Theater in WW II
Currently: Independence Seaport Museum
Philadelphia, PA
http://www.phillyseaport.org/becuna
USS Razorback (SS-394)
Balao Class SubmarineCommissioned April, 1944
Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum
North Little Rock, AR
http://aimmuseum.org/uss-razorback
USS Lionfish (SS-298)
Balao Class SubmarineBuilt at Portsmouth Naval Yard, Kittery, ME
Commissioned November, 1944
Served in the Pacific in WW II
Currently a museum ship at Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
http://battleshipcove.org
USS Clamagore (SS-343)
Balao Class SubmarineBuilt by Electric Boat, Groton, CT
Commissioned June, 1945
Patriot’s Point Naval & Maritime Museum
Charleston, SC
https://www.patriotspoint.org/explore/uss-clamagore
USS Pampanito (SS-383)
Balao class SubmarineBuilt by Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine
Commissioned November, 1943
San Francisco, CA
https://maritime.org/pamphome
USS Batfish (SS-310)
Balao Class SubmarineBuilt by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
Commissioned August, 1943
Served in the Pacific Theater during WW II and is credited with sinking 9 Japanese vessels.
Now: on display at War Memorial Park
Muskogee, OK
http://warmemorialpark.org
Memorial web site with detailed history and many photos of the sub:
http://www.ussbatfish.com
Other Submarines Preserved as Museums
USS Dolphin (AGSS-555)
Submarine Research and development submarine commissioned in 1968
San Diego Maritime Museum
San Diego, CA
https://sdmaritime.org/visit/the-ships/uss-dolphin-submarine
USS Marlin (SST-2)
T-1 Class Training Submarine
Built by Electric Boat, Groton, CT
Commissioned November, 1953
Currently: Freedom Park, Omaha, NE
http://omaha.net/places/freedom-park
USS Blueback (SS-581)
Barbei Class Submarine
Built by Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, MS
Commissioned October 1959
The last U.S. non-nuclear submarine
Currently: Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Portland, OR
https://www.omsi.edu/submarine
USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
Nuclear Submarine
First operational nuclear submarine
Built by General Dynamics Electric Boat Div, Groton, Connecticut
Commissioned September 1954
Groton, CT
http://www.ussnautilus.org
USS Albacore (AGSS-569)
Research Submarine
Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
Commissioned December, 1953
Currently: USS Albacore Museum
Portsmouth, NH
http://www.ussalbacore.org
USS Requin (SS-481)
Trench Class Submarine
Built by Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
Commissioned April, 1945
Currently: Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA
http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/requin-submarine
USS Torsk (SS-423)
Tench Class Submarine
Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, ME
Commissioned December, 1944
Served in the Pacific during WWII
Museum ship in Baltimore, MD
http://www.usstorsk.org
USS Growler (SSG-577)
Grayback Class Submarine
Built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, ME
Commissioned August, 1958
Built to deliver Cruise Missile
Currently: a museum ship in New York, NY
https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/The-Intrepid-Experience/Exhibits/Growler
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This site is part of the American Tribute Online project. It is not a commercial site, and it is not associated with any museum or other organization. The purpose of the project is to celebrate our American heritage and provide an online resource for showcasing the America that we can all be proud of.
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