2 0 1 9 ANNUAL REPORT
The U.S. Naval Undersea Museum celebrated 25 years in 2019. With this 2019 Annual Report, we review the year and highlights of our quarter-century of serving our community and fellow Navy commands. The museum is well positioned for the future. With every new exhibit, program, and outreach effort, we are furthering the mission of our museum. Thank you for your partnership and investment in our next 25 years.
OUR MISSION... Is to connect you to the u.s. naval undersea experience from yesterday through tomorrow. OUR VISION... Is to make the naval undersea experience relevant and accessible to all people. 2
THEN... From the thousands of comments from our more than 1.5 million visitors over the years, we love ones that go like this: “Learned things I didn’t know.” “Woohoo.” “Excellent staff and wonderful displays.” “this place is awesome!” And, “Thank You!” NOW... In 2019, the museum continued our commitment to excellence, welcoming more than 65,000 in-person visitors and nearly 5 million online, earning TripAdvisor and staff performance awards. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
Since opening, the museum has greeted 1.5 million visitors from around the world. 4
THEN... We celebrated our first Discover E Day in February 1999. Held each year during National Engineer’s Week, the scale has grown but the event has stayed true to its original concept: hands-on engineering activities to engage the whole family. NOW... In all of our education programs, we continue to apply the best techniques and tools to accelerate learning while exploring the skills and technology that power the Navy’s exceptional undersea force. More than 8,000 people participated in our free on-site education programs in 2019. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
We have engaged more than 100,000 community members in undersea history and technology concepts with our education programs over the past 25 years. 6
THEN... In the fall of 2014, we launched Navy stem Days, a full-day science, technology, engineering, and math program for local 4th-6th grade classrooms. The award-winning program is a collaboration between the museum, the Puget Sound Navy Museum, Naval Undersea Warfare Center - Division Keyport, and the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. NOW... The success of the collaborative model for presenting Navy stem Days carried through 2019, engaging more than 1,200 local students in Navy stem lessons that align with Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
8,555 students have connected to the museum through Navy STEM Days since its start in 2014. 8
THEN... A submariner’s decision to serve commits the whole family to submarine life. In February 2005, we developed the exhibit Service and Sacrifice: The Trident Family in collaboration with Submarine Group 9. It followed the experiences of submariners at sea and of their families at home during the course of a Trident submarine patrol. NOW... In 2019, we put extra effort into ensuring in-person and virtual access to our resources by hosting Deep Sea Day: Meet the Experts, creating an online tour, and adding hundreds of high-resolution files to our online image set. Visitors anywhere in the world can now be moved and inspired by the stories we share. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
We have launched more than 35 exhibits and countless programs that connect our national audience with the history, technology, and operations of the undersea Navy. 10
THEN... Only 50 Howell torpedoes, the first successful American torpedo, were ever made. In the museum’s beginning years, we were fortunate enough to acquire one of the remaining five. The torpedo is one of the most significant artifacts in our collection, due to its rarity and the clever flywheel and gyroscopic engineering that made it a success. NOW... The backbone of a museum’s mission is caring for its artifacts. We acquired 1,183 artifacts in 2019, and loaned 55 artifacts to other institutions, where more than 2 million people viewed them. Using information from our collection, we assisted with 176 research inquiries. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
We continue to care for the 47,861 objects in our collection to make them available for exhibition and study. 12
THEN... One of two Navy deep submergence rescue vehicles, dsrv Mystic joined our collection in October 2014. The acquisition connected us to former dsrv crewmembers across the country. These new partnerships led to the first-ever dsrv reunion, held at the museum in July 2018. NOW... An ads 2000 (atmospheric diving suit used for submarine rescue), the manipulator arm from the Navy’s only nuclear-powered research submersible, nr-1, and photos from John Junkin, a wwii submariner who saved uss s-32 (ss 137) from sinking, were among our significant acquisitions in 2019. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
We carry on the critical mission of collecting important Navy artifacts for use in exhibits and research, connecting us with stories throughout the Navy. 14
THEN... The crew of the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine uss Buffalo (ssn 715) held an inactivation ceremony at the museum in July 2018. Officers and crew, Navy League members, representatives from the city of Buffalo, and former crew attended the ceremony to reunite with old shipmates and bid the submarine farewell. NOW... In 2019 alone, the museum served as the venue for 310 events, including changes of command, retirements, trainings, and meetings, for 18,304 Navy and civilian personnel. Free use of the facility for the Navy to conduct its business promotes fleet and mission readiness. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
Since opening, the museum has hosted 140 Navy and Coast Guard change of command ceremonies and 713 Navy retirement ceremonies. 16
Since the THEN... volunteer program began in 1988, the museum has been the grateful recipient of more than 100,000 hours of volunteer time. The museum’s volunteer program began in 1988, well before the museum opened. Our museum volunteers are real-life submariners, divers, scientists, engineers, and students who care about preserving and sharing the undersea Navy’s accomplishments and lessons learned. NOW... In 2019, 27 volunteers earned President’s Volunteer Service Awards for their outstanding contributions to the museum’s mission. Our 89 volunteers in 2019 contributed 6,065 hours to ensure the museum meets our mission. ANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 9
STAFF LINDY DOSHER JARROD GAHR STEVEN HARVEY Director* Exhibit and Graphic Designer* Exhibit Fabricator* VALERIE JOHNSON Educator MARY ROGERS MARY RYAN BETH SANDERS LORRAINE SCOTT OLIVIA WILSON Curator Collections Manager Collections Manager Operations Manager * Staff shared with the Puget Sound Navy Museum Volunteer and Events Coordinator
Celebrating 25 years of sharing stories of the exceptional people and cutting-edge technology that define the Navy’s undersea communities. 1 Garnett Way, Keyport, WA 98345 NAVALUNDERSEAMUSEUM.ORG
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