- Click HERE to view online exhibitions from the Puget Sound Navy Museum.
If you’re ever in the Pacific Northwest area, be sure to visit the Puget Sound Navy Museum, which is currently featuring a new exhibit about the daily lives of U.S. Navy Sailors throughout the service’s 250-year history, with an emphasis on their experiences at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility.
The exhibition opened on Sept. 26, 2025, and is expected to run for approximately two years.
“This exhibit is designed to give visitors a sense of what it’s like to be a Sailor in the U.S. Navy,” said Megan Churchwell, curator, Puget Sound Naval Museum. “While many things from the 1700s look similar to today, things have obviously changed in 250 years.”
The exhibit will feature aspects of Sailor life throughout the service’s long, proud history.
The exhibit features many artifacts that were on ships with connections to PSNS & IMF and the city of Bremerton. Navy ships took American culture from the Pacific Northwest and shared it with the world as those ships traversed the globe, Churchwell said.
“A great example is baseball,” she explained. “Sailors serving in Asia post-World War II shared that with the people there and it took off. It was just one example of how the Navy took our culture across the world.”
In addition, museum visitors will also get to see unique aspects of Navy culture in the exhibit. A shipboard tattoo kit from 1906, coffee mugs from a chief’s mess, and items used by Sailors while they were on watch are just a few of the interesting artifacts that will enlighten visitors who never served and remind veterans of the traditions they left behind.
The exhibit will debut in grand style, with a free performance from the Pacific Northwest Navy Band at 5:30 p.m., and STEM activities for children throughout the day.
“We’ve been working on this exhibit for the last year,” said Carolyn Lane, museum educator, Puget Sound Naval Museum. “I think it will highlight a lot of aspects of Sailor culture that many might not be aware of. We hope people enjoy it.”
About Puget Sound Naval Museum
The Puget Sound Navy Museum is one of ten museums funded and administered by the U.S. Navy. Together the Naval Undersea Museum (NUM) in Keyport, WA, it forms Navy Museums Northwest, which is a unit of the U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command with headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Puget Sound Navy Museum is housed in historic Building 50 in downtown Bremerton, Washington, and houses a collection of more than 37,000 artifacts. Its exhibits highlight the history of the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, and more.
The Museum is accreditated by the American Alliance of Museums, the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. Accreditation signifies excellence to the museum community, to governments, funders, outside agencies, and to the museum-going public.
The Puget Sound Navy Museum is FREE and open to the public 10:00AM – 4:00PM, Wednesday through Monday (closed Tuesday). Base access is not required.
For more information visit www.PugetSoundNavyMuseum.org.
The main U.S. Navy installations in the Puget Sound area center around Naval Base Kitsap, which combines Bremerton (shipyard/station) and Bangor (submarines) with facilities like the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Keyport, and Naval Magazine Indian Island, plus Naval Station Everett and Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, all of which support Pacific Northwest fleet operations, ship maintenance and submarine/air readiness.
Site for National Museum of the United State Navy Formally Announced
In October 2024, then-Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro formally announced the site for the new National Museum of the United States Navy during a ceremony at the new museum location.
The new NMUSN site is just outside of the historic Washington Navy Yard, at Tingey Street and M Street, and will give the public unfettered access to U.S. Navy history and heritage
“This ceremony marks a significant step forward in our journey to reimagine the Navy Museum,” said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. “This is a testament to our unwavering commitment to preserving and honoring the rich history of our Navy, and to ensuring that its legacy continues to inspire and educate future generations.”
The new NMUSN will act as an enduring memorial to honor the service of American Sailors, inspire selfless service, and enhance public understanding of the Navy’s history and heritage.
“The new National Museum of the U.S. Navy will provide a dramatically improved opportunity for the American public to be inspired by the long history of valor and sacrifice of American sailors in the defense of our country, and to learn the vital importance of Seapower to our way of life,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). “It will showcase not only the legacy of the past, but also the global operations of the Navy today, upholding the freedom of the seas, upon which our freedom depends.”
The vision for the new Navy Museum expands the traditional museum concept to a campus layout that combines the Navy Museum, a high-tech conference center, and retail space with dining options. It is intended to be a self-funded tourist destination that aims to intrigue, inform and inspire generations of visitors.
The Navy has partnered with the Navy Museum Development Foundation (NMDF), a non-profit organization that seeks to help preserve, commemorate and share the history of the U.S. Navy. The Foundation will support the museum construction efforts and, once complete, its ongoing operation.
During the ceremony, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James W. Kilby; Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton; former Secretary of the Navy, Kenneth J. Braithwaite; and Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, DC, Nina Albert provided remarks.
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for preserving, analyzing, and disseminating 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 comprises 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.
For more news from Naval History and Heritage Command, visit www.history.navy.mil.