National Museum of the American Sailor

Last updated
National Museum of the American Sailor (formerly the Great Lakes Naval Museum)
National Museum of the American Sailor Logo.jpg
Great Lakes Naval Museum 2013 or earlier.JPG
National Museum of the American Sailor
Established2009 (2009)
LocationBuilding 42
2531 Sheridan Road
Great Lakes, Illinois 60088
Coordinates 42°18′44″N87°50′36″W / 42.312117°N 87.843470°W / 42.312117; -87.843470
TypeNaval history
Website www.history.navy.mil/nmas

The National Museum of the American Sailor (formerly the Great Lakes Naval Museum) is one of 10 Navy Museums [1] that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. As an official Department of the Navy Museum, the National Museum of the American Sailor's mission is to select, collect, preserve, and interpret the history of the United States Navy with particular emphasis on the Navy's enlisted Sailor. The National Museum of the American Sailor seeks to fulfill this mission by:

Contents

Collections and exhibits

With more than 40,000 artifacts and records, the collections of the National Museum of the American Sailor hold an irreplaceable record of the U.S. Navy. Featuring naval uniforms and accessories from the early 1900s to the present, and the country's largest archive of boot camp-related photographs, the collection tells the story of the American Sailor in the United States Navy. The museum's permanent exhibits include displays related to the Navy's boot camp, the history of women and diversity in the Navy, the history of Naval Station Great Lakes and its impact on the Navy as a whole. The museum also offers an exhibit related to the rich traditions of honor and individuality woven into naval enlisted uniforms, as well as exhibits focusing on the daily life of an enlisted Sailor.

History

The National Museum of the American Sailor is located at Naval Station Great Lakes, the home of the Navy's only "Boot Camp." The museum was founded in 1991 by the Great Lakes Naval Museum Foundation. In 2008, the museum moved into its current location in Building 42, the Hostess House, which was designed in 1942 by prominent architect Gordon Bunshaft of the prestigious architectural firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM). During World War II, the facility served as a welcome center for almost one million Sailors who entered boot camp before joining the fleet. After the war, the building served various functions until it fell into disrepair and was considered for demolition. However, it was recognized as a classic example of modern American architecture and repurposed for the establishment of the a museum which opened January 12, 2009. [2] By adopting the Hostess House as its home, the National Museum of the American Sailor connects enlisted Sailors, Navy families, and the general public to this unique architectural treasure and the central role it played in the Navy's wartime history.

In January 2009, the Great Lakes Naval Museum became an official Department of the Navy museum operated by the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC). On May 29, 2014, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus issued SECNAVNOTE 5755, which officially changed the Great Lakes Naval Museum's name to the National Museum of the American Sailor. This new title better reflects the strategic repositioning from a regional historic focus (Naval Station Great Lakes) to a museum that captures the entire experience and history of the United States Sailor and the museum's role as a source of heritage training for new recruits, fleet Sailors, and civilian visitors from throughout the country; emphasizing the story of turning civilians into Sailors, and of those Sailors' contributions to the protection of the nation.

Museum programs and resources

The museum also offers guided tours, a lecture series, military band concerts, and STEM-based educational programing. An active volunteer corps participates in all museum functions. The museum’s collection is open to the general public for academic research via appointment. [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

Maritime Museum of the Atlantic Maritime Museum in Nova Scotia, Canada

The Maritime Museum of the Atlantic is a maritime museum located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

National Museum of the United States Air Force Military and Aviation Museum in southwest Ohio, US

The National Museum of the United States Air Force is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is the oldest and largest military aviation museum in the world, with more than 360 aircraft and missiles on display. The museum draws about a million visitors each year, making it one of the most frequently visited tourist attractions in Ohio.

Naval History and Heritage Command Military unit

The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard. The NHHC is composed of 42 facilities in 13 geographic locations including the Navy Department Library, 10 museums and 1 heritage center, USS Constitution repair facility and detachment, and historic ship ex-USS Nautilus.

Museum of History & Industry

The Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI) is a history museum in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the largest private heritage organization in Washington state, maintaining a collection of nearly four million artifacts, photographs, and archival materials primarily focusing on Seattle and the greater Puget Sound region. A portion of this collection is on display in the museum's galleries at the historic Naval Reserve Armory in Lake Union Park.

Naval Station Great Lakes United States Navy base

Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago. Naval Station Great Lakes is the largest military installation in Illinois and the largest training station in the Navy. The base has 1,153 buildings situated on 1,628 acres (6.59 km2) and has 69 mi (111 km) of roadway to provide access to the base's facilities. Within the naval service, it has several different nicknames, including "The Quarterdeck of the Navy", or the more derogatory "Great Mistakes". It is also referred to as "second boot camp" while at Training Support Command.

United States Navy Reserve Military unit

The United States Navy Reserve (USNR), known as the United States Naval Reserve from 1915 to 2005, is the Reserve Component (RC) of the United States Navy. Members of the Navy Reserve, called Reservists, are categorized as being in either the Selected Reserve (SELRES), the Training and Administration of the Reserve (TAR), the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR), or the Retired Reserve.

United States Navy Memorial Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The United States Navy Memorial is a memorial in Washington, D.C. honoring those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and the Merchant Marine.

National Museum of the United States Navy Flagship museum of the United States Navy

The National Museum of the United States Navy, or U.S. Navy Museum for short, is the flagship museum of the United States Navy and is located in the former Breech Mechanism Shop of the old Naval Gun Factory on the grounds of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., United States.

United States Naval Undersea Museum Naval museum

The United States Naval Undersea Museum is a naval museum located at Keyport, Washington. It is one of the 10 Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It sits next to a branch of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center.

Joachim Pease American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient

Joachim Pease was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War.

Independence Seaport Museum Maritime Museum in Pennsylvania, United States

The Independence Seaport Museum was founded in 1961 and is located in the Penn's Landing complex along the Delaware River in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The collections at the Independence Seaport Museum document maritime history and culture along the Delaware River. At the museum are two National Historic Landmark ships and the J. Welles Henderson Archives and Library.

USS <i>Hornet</i> Museum United States historic place

The USS Hornet Museum is a museum ship, located on the southernmost pier of the former Naval Air Station Alameda in Alameda, California, US.

Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois US Navy unit

Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, is a unit within the United States Navy primarily responsible for conducting the initial orientation and indoctrination of incoming recruits, also known as boot camp and recruit training, or RTC. It is part of Naval Service Training Command. It is a tenant command of Naval Station Great Lakes in the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County, north of Chicago.

Naval Training Center San Diego

Naval Training Center San Diego (1923–1997) is a former United States Navy base located at the north end of San Diego Bay, commonly known as "boot camp". The Naval Training Center site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and many of the individual structures are designated as historic by the city of San Diego.

Underwater Archaeology Branch, Naval History & Heritage Command Unit of the United States Department of the Navy

The Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) of the Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC) is a unit of the United States Department of the Navy. It was formally founded in 1996 as a consequence of the emerging need to manage, study, conserve, and curate the U.S. Navy's submerged cultural resources.

National Maritime Heritage Foundation 501(c)(3) non-profit organization

The National Maritime Heritage Foundation (NMHF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that manages community sailing and maritime education programs in Washington, D.C. In September 2009, the NMHF formally proposed a "National Naval and Maritime Museum" that would be built in Washington, D.C. The NMHF is in no way connected to the Naval Historical Foundation (NHF), the official U.S. Navy-endorsed group that raises private funds in support of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C.

Oregon Military Museum To preserve and educate about Oregons military history

The Brigadier General James B. Thayer Oregon Military Museum is a 4-acre (1.6 ha) military history museum at Camp Withycombe in Clackamas, Oregon. The museum houses a collection of more than 14,000 artifacts plus a library with 30,000 volumes. Outside the main museum building is a park area with outdoor interpretive exhibits. There are two historic structures in the park that allow visitors to walk through a historic field artillery horse barn and a quartermaster storehouse. Established in 1975, it was renamed in 2011 in honor of native Oregonian James B. Thayer, a United States Army brigadier general who began his military service during World War II.

Tiffany Cross Medal of Honor US Navy award for heroism (1917–1928)

The Tiffany Cross Medal of Honor arose immediately after World War I, as the US Navy decided to recognize via the Medal of Honor two manners of heroism, one in combat and one in the line of a sailor's profession. The original upside-down star was designated as the non-combat version and a new pattern of the medal pendant, in cross form, was designed by the Tiffany Company in 1919. It was to be presented to a sailor or Marine who "in action involving actual conflict with the enemy, distinguish[es] himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty and without detriment to his mission." This pendant became the Tiffany Cross.

Naval Service Training Command U.S. naval service training

Naval Service Training Command (NSTC) is a one-star Echelon III command of the United States Navy that is responsible to the Chief of Naval Education and Training for the indoctrination and training of all new accessions into the Naval Service, with the exception of Midshipmen who access through the United States Naval Academy. This includes all new recruits through Recruit Training Command, the Navy's only enlisted recruit training location and all Officer "Candidates" who are seeking a commission through the Officer Training Command at Naval Station Newport, Rhode Island. Also under its purview is the operation of the various Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) units in universities across the country.

William Pinckney American sailor (1915–1976)

William Pinckney was a United States Navy sailor who was the second Black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the second-highest decoration for valor in combat. Pinckney received the medal for saving the life of a fellow crew member on board the USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) is named in his honor.

References

  1. "Visit Our Museums". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. "The Architectural Significance of the Hostess House". Great Lakes Naval Museum Foundation. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. "The Great Lakes Naval Museum Historic Artifact Collection". Great Lakes Naval Museum. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2021.