Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Allen Lee | KEYPORT, Wash. (Aug. 2, 2019) A photo of the U.S. Navel Undersea Museum. The U.S....... read more read more
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KEYPORT, Wash. -- For 25 years, the U.S. Naval Undersea Museum (USNUM) has strived to connect
veterans, Sailors and the community with the history, technology and operations of the undersea Navy.
The undersea museum opened as a preview center in 1991, and proceeded to open as a fully
operational museum in 1994, with the goal of keeping the community connected and educated with its
undersea navy.
“The undersea Navy is something that the majority of the people in our country are not familiar with,”
said Olivia Wilson, operations manager for the USNUM. “We want to provide the community with a
basic understanding of what the Navy does undersea through exhibits and educational opportunities,
free of charge.”
Some of the museum’s biggest attractions include the acquisition of the attack submarine USS
Sturgeon’s (SSN 673) sail, located in front of the museum, and the Greenling control room that was
constructed with real equipment from the Cold War-era fast attack submarine USS Greenling (SSN 614).
“We’re very proud of all of the artifacts,” said Wilson. “It’s a great way to show our visitors the history of
the undersea Navy. It’s been a long road, but we’re continuing to grow and bring in new exhibits and
programs. We’re trying to keep moving forward and improve on what we can provide for the
community.”
The museum also offers hands-on learning opportunities for children in the local community through
the museum’s educational programs.
“Over the life of the museum, we’ve grown our educational offerings to weekly and monthly science,
technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs,” said Valerie Johnson, a USNUM educator.
“We’ve partnered with regional schools and community organizations to enhance K-12 experiences,
both onsite with Navy STEM Days and offsite with Camp Create. We’ve expanded our outreach
capabilities throughout Puget Sound and are serving roughly [more than] 10,000 learners a year.”
Since 1999, the museum has been the venue for more than 7,000 retirements, changes of command,
meetings, trainings, field trips and other education programs.
“We’re more than just a museum,” said Wilson. “We provide an auditorium for local, state and federal
entities to rent out for whatever events they have going on. We have about 20,000 people a year using
our facility spaces.”
The museum will be celebrating its 25th anniversary with an event held at the museum, Aug. 10, 2019.
"The USNUM was made possible through the determination of a core group of founders who recognized
the need to share the U.S. Navy's important undersea history,” said Lindy Dosher, museum director of
the USNUM. “Establishing the museum was not easy, but after decades of work their dream was
realized. In the years since USNUM became a professional museum institution it has accomplished many
things, shared award-winning educational programs, been accredited by the American Alliance of
Museums twice, managed a diverse and complex artifact collection with the highest standards in the
industry, managed a robust and engaging exhibit program, and served as a critical asset to our Navy and
local community. We have had a great 25 years, and the staff and I look forward to seeing what more
we can do in the next 25.”
| Date Taken: | 08.07.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 08.07.2019 16:12 |
| Story ID: | 334905 |
| Location: | KEYPORT, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 893 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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