Intrepid Museum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids
*Intrepid* Museum

Established	1982
Location	12th Avenue and 46th Street, Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Founder	Michael D. Piccola
Public transit access	Bus: M12, M42, M50 Subway: at 42nd Street–Port Authority Bus Terminal

The Intrepid Museum is a cool place in New York City where you can explore military and maritime history. It's located on Pier 86, right by the Hudson River in Manhattan. The museum is mostly inside the USS Intrepid, which is a huge aircraft carrier that was used in World War II. You can also see a submarine called USS Growler and other awesome exhibits on the pier. A group called the Intrepid Museum Foundation runs the museum.

The museum was first thought of in the late 1970s. People wanted to save the Intrepid from being scrapped. It officially opened on August 3, 1982. The museum faced some tough times in the beginning, struggling to get enough visitors. To make it more exciting, they added the USS Growler and another ship, the USS Edson, in the late 1980s. The museum got a small update in 1998. Then, from 2006 to 2008, the Intrepid Museum closed for a huge renovation. A special building for the Space Shuttle Enterprise opened in 2012.

The Intrepid Museum uses three of the carrier's decks for its exhibits. These are the flight deck, the hangar deck, and the gallery deck. The flight deck, which is the top deck, has many airplanes. You can see a Concorde jet, a Lockheed A-12 spy plane, and the Space Shuttle Enterprise. The hangar and gallery decks have fun things like exhibit halls, a theater, and even flight simulators. The museum also hosts many events, like Fleet Week and special award ceremonies.

History of the Intrepid Museum

How the Museum Started

The USS Intrepid is an Essex-class aircraft carrier. It was built in 1943. This ship was part of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. It even helped recover spacecraft from space missions! After its service, the Intrepid was going to be taken apart. But a group called Odysseys in Flight wanted to turn it into a museum.

A real estate developer named Zachary Fisher was a big supporter. He started the Intrepid Museum Foundation in 1978. He gave a lot of money to the museum over his lifetime. Other famous people like Arthur Godfrey and Maureen O'Hara also helped. The United States Navy also thought the Intrepid could help with recruitment.

New York City's Mayor Ed Koch announced plans to turn the Intrepid into a museum in 1981. The Navy then gave the Intrepid to Fisher's foundation. It cost a lot of money to change the ship into a museum. The city also spent money to fix up Pier 86, where the Intrepid would be docked. The museum leased the pier from the city.

The Intrepid was moved to its home at Pier 86 in June 1982. After a soft opening on July 4, the museum officially opened on August 3, 1982. It was called the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. When it first opened, the museum had several aircraft and spacecraft. It also had exhibits about the early history of aircraft carriers. The museum had paid staff and many volunteers who helped with the displays.

Challenges and Growth in the 1980s

The museum opened with high hopes for visitors. However, it didn't attract as many people as expected in its first year. This caused some financial problems for the museum. One reason for low attendance was that it was hard to get to by public transport. Even though they raised ticket prices, it was still tough to make enough money.

In 1985, the Intrepid Museum Foundation had to file for bankruptcy protection. This means they had a lot of debt. But museum officials said they would keep the museum open. They launched a campaign to get more visitors. The state government also provided money to help the museum. In 1986, the Intrepid was named a National Historic Landmark.

In the late 1980s, the museum was still struggling with low visitor numbers. It was also the only big attraction on the waterfront at the time. After getting out of bankruptcy, the museum planned to add a submarine. Zachary Fisher helped fund two new exhibits. The museum had 39 aircraft on display.

The USS Growler, a submarine that carried missiles, arrived at the museum in late 1988. It opened to the public in May 1989. The USS Edson, a destroyer, was also displayed starting in July 1989. Fisher hoped these new additions would make people want to visit the museum again.

The 1990s and New Leadership

Museum entrance

When the Gulf War started in the early 1990s, more people became interested in the Intrepid Museum. The museum even had an exhibit about the Gulf War. By 1991, the museum was getting twice as many visitors on weekends. The museum received money from the state and city governments. However, this funding was cut in 1992, and the museum had to let go of some staff.

The museum continued to hold fundraisers to get money. It also received funds from various city and state groups. Despite this, the museum still faced financial difficulties. The museum tried to get another aircraft carrier, the USS Guadalcanal, in 1994. They wanted to use it as a heliport. But local residents were concerned about this plan, and it was canceled.

The museum was still losing money in 1996. Ticket sales covered less than half of its costs. Donations and event rentals made up the rest. In September 1996, Donald R. Gardner, a retired Marine Corps general, became the museum's president. He made changes to save money. He also planned to add electronic kiosks for kids and create a fund for the museum.

In 1997, U.S. President Bill Clinton approved money for a renovation of the Intrepid Museum. The museum had about 500,000 visitors each year. The next year, Gardner closed the museum for a small renovation. It reopened in February 1998 with two new exhibits. By then, the museum was getting hundreds of thousands of dollars each year from the Navy, the state, and the city.

In 1999, another retired Marine Corps general, Martin R. Steele, became president. He planned many updates to the exhibits and construction projects. He wanted to attract more students and increase visitors. He added interactive kiosks within a year. The museum also built a new visitor center at 46th Street and 12th Avenue. They also planned to improve Pier 86 and build a new theater.

The 2000s and a Big Renovation

In 2001, a new cable-stayed bridge was built. It connected the museum to the east side of 12th Avenue. By this time, almost half of the museum's visitors were from other countries. After the September 11 attacks, the museum temporarily closed. It served as a temporary headquarters for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Part of the flight deck was used as a temporary helipad. The museum reopened after five weeks and hosted an exhibit to remember the attack victims. The footbridge across 12th Avenue was finished in 2003.

A Concorde supersonic aircraft arrived at the Intrepid Museum in November 2003. This made the museum one of only two in the United States with a Concorde. The museum also created a new exhibit about flying across the Atlantic Ocean. In 2003, the museum offered to give the USS Edson back to the Navy. The adjacent pier needed repairs and couldn't hold the Edson. The Edson was removed from the museum in 2004.

The Michael Tyler Fisher Center for Education opened in the museum in 2004. By the mid-2000s, the museum had 750,000 visitors each year. Over 100,000 of these were students. By August 2005, ten million people had visited the museum since it opened.

Major Renovation of the Intrepid

Aerial view of the museum from the Hudson River, 2011

In 2006, the Intrepid Museum Foundation announced plans for a big renovation of the Intrepid and Pier 86. The project was expected to cost a lot of money and take about 18 months. It was funded by the federal government, New York City, and the state. The Intrepid closed on October 1, 2006. It was going to be towed to a dry dock in Bayonne, New Jersey, for repairs. Museum officials decided to move the carrier because it would be too expensive to fix it in place.

The move was delayed in November 2006. The Intrepid's propellers got stuck in the mud of the Hudson River. Tugboats couldn't move the ship. The Navy and the Army Corps of Engineers spent money to free the carrier. They removed a lot of mud from around the propellers. A second attempt to move the ship was successful on December 5, 2006. By the end of the year, the Growler submarine was also moved for renovation. The Concorde on Pier 86 was floated to another location so the pier could be repaired.

Pier 86 was taken apart and rebuilt to add new pipes and cables. After four months, the Intrepid was towed to dry dock in April 2007. It received new paint, new propellers, and a repaired hull. After the outside was fixed, the carrier was moved to Staten Island in June 2007 for inside repairs. Workers upgraded and expanded the Intrepid's facilities. They replaced parts of the top three decks. The front part of the ship was restored, and new wiring was installed.

The entire renovation, including Pier 86, cost about $115 million. This high cost almost caused the museum to go bankrupt again. The carrier was towed back to Pier 86 in October 2008. The Concorde was also moved back. The museum reopened to the public on November 8. Four new aircraft were added to the museum's collection. The Intrepid Museum hoped to attract one million visitors each year after the renovation.

From 2010 to Today

Enterprise being lowered onto Intrepid in 2012

In 2011, Susan Marenoff-Zausner became the museum's director. The Intrepid Museum announced in May 2011 that it would get the Space Shuttle Enterprise. They first planned to show it on Pier 86. Then they thought about displaying it in a parking lot across 12th Avenue. But in December, the museum officially received the spacecraft.

The Enterprise was flown to JFK Airport in April 2012. Then it was moved by a barge to the Intrepid Museum in June. To make space for the Enterprise, three aircraft were moved to another museum. The Enterprise opened to the public on July 19, 2012, in the museum's new Space Shuttle Pavilion. There was an extra fee to see it.

The museum closed in October 2012 because of Hurricane Sandy. The storm damaged the Enterprise. The museum reopened in December, but the Space Shuttle Pavilion didn't reopen until July 2013. The museum was thinking about building a permanent home for the Enterprise. At that time, the museum had about 915,000 visitors each year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, the museum was closed from March to September 2020. But it still held online events. The museum's Concorde aircraft was removed for restoration in 2023. It was towed back to the Intrepid Museum in March 2024. As part of this project, the museum added more park space to Pier 86. In October 2023, the Intrepid Museum changed its official name, dropping "Sea, Air & Space."

Exploring the Intrepid Museum

The Intrepid Museum is located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan. Most of the museum's collection is on board the Intrepid itself. The Intrepid is one of four Essex-class aircraft carriers that have been saved as museums. When the Intrepid became a museum, only about a quarter of its area was open to the public. Many of the ship's original parts, like the big airplane elevators, were turned off. One elevator was even made into a theater!

Flight, Hangar, and Gallery Decks

Flight deck of Intrepid

The Intrepid Museum uses three main decks of the carrier. Other decks are closed for safety reasons. The very top deck is the flight deck. This is where you'll see many of the museum's aircraft. The Space Shuttle Enterprise is also here, inside a special pavilion. You can visit the command bridges in the ship's superstructure. There's also a plaque on the flight deck. It marks where a 1944 attack happened, injuring many soldiers.

The main entrance to the museum is through the hangar deck. This deck is right below the flight deck. The hangar deck used to have four main exhibit halls. These included Pioneer Hall, about early air travel, and Technology Hall, about spaceflight. There was also Navy Hall, with Navy items, and Intrepid Hall, about the Intrepid's role in World War II. The back of the carrier has a cafeteria and bathrooms.

The hangar deck also has a special area for Medal of Honor winners. You can see some aviation items and plaques about the carrier's history. The Exploreum is also on the hangar deck. It's an interactive hall with cool exhibits, like a full-size Bell 47 helicopter. There's also a large event space and the Lutnick Theater. This theater shows a 16-minute film about the carrier's history.

The gallery deck is below the hangar deck. It has the Combat Information Center and Men of the Intrepid exhibits. At the front of the carrier, you can see artifacts from the officers' rooms in the fo'c'sle. The living quarters for junior officers and the crew are also open to the public. In the middle of the carrier, there's a hole. It lets visitors see through seven decks!

The museum used to show old newsreels and models of ships. By the 1990s, it also had an undersea-exploration hall and a flight simulator. After the 2008 renovation, the museum added three flight simulators. It also has a 4D theater and interactive exhibits for kids. There's a special area dedicated to Zachary Fisher and his wife Elizabeth M. Fisher. The Michael Tyler Fisher Center for Education is a large space in the museum. It has meeting rooms and classrooms.

Other Museum Structures

The museum originally had two gift shops. One was at the entrance to Pier 86, and another was on the hangar deck. The current visitor center is much larger. It was finished in 1999 and is located at 46th Street and 12th Avenue. This new building has a modern look with metal and glass. A long bridge connects the museum to a ramp on the east side of 12th Avenue. This bridge has a tall tower and sail-shaped fabric covers.

Museum Exhibits and Collection

Aircraft on Display

All the aircraft on the Intrepid's flight deck are retired. They can no longer fly. Many of them don't have engines. Some were even taken apart before they arrived at the museum. Most aircraft were brought to the museum by plane, helicopter, or barge. One aircraft, a Bell AH-1J Sea Cobra gunship, actually flew to the museum before its engine was removed. Visitors usually can't go inside the aircraft.

British Airways Concorde G-BOAD seen next to Intrepid

E-1 Tracer exhibit

Bell UH-1 Iroquois exhibit

AV-8C Harrier exhibit

Bombers and Attack Planes

Douglas A-1 Skyraider from the US Navy
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk from the US Navy (served on Intrepid from 1966 to 1969)
Grumman A-6 Intruder from the US Navy (used for testing new radar in 1988)
Grumman TBM-3E Avenger from the US Navy

Fighter Jets

Grumman F-11 Tiger from the US Navy (once Jet Number 5 for the Blue Angels)
McDonnell F3H Demon from the US Navy
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 from Poland
North American FJ-2/-3 Fury from the US Navy
PZL-Mielec Lim-5 (MiG-17) (built in Poland, painted in North Vietnamese colors)
Vought F-8 Crusader from the US Navy

Multirole Aircraft

General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon (flown by the US Air Force in Operation Desert Storm)
Grumman F-9 Cougar (a carrier-based fighter from the US Navy)
Grumman F-14 Tomcat (a carrier-based fighter/interceptor, used as a prototype in 1973)
Hawker Siddeley AV-8C Harrier (a jet that can take off and land vertically, flown by the US Marine Corps)
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II (a carrier-based fighter, flown by the US Marine Corps in 1980)
IAI Kfir (F-21A Lion) from Israel

Helicopters

Bell UH-1A Iroquois from the US Army
Bell AH-1J Sea Cobra gunship from the US Marine Corps
Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever (painted like a helicopter once based on Intrepid)
Sikorsky H-19 Chickasaw from the US Coast Guard
Sikorsky HH-52 Seaguard from the US Coast Guard

Reconnaissance and Surveillance Planes

Grumman E-1B Tracer from the US Navy
Lockheed A-12 Blackbird (flown by the CIA, the first one ever made)

Trainer Aircraft

Aermacchi MB-339 (used by the Italian Air Force, painted in Frecce Tricolor colors)
Beechcraft T-34 Mentor (used by the US Navy)
Northrop T-38 Talon (used by NASA)

The Concorde Jet

In 2003, the museum got a Concorde jet, named G-BOAD. This plane was used by British Airways. It set a world speed record for passenger planes on February 7, 1996. It flew from London to New York in just 2 hours, 52 minutes, and 59 seconds! This Concorde flew more hours than any other Concorde ever built. It is usually on display on Pier 86.

Ships at the Museum

Most of the museum's collection is on the Essex-class aircraft carrier Intrepid. The Intrepid is a very large ship. It is 872 feet long and 147 feet wide. Most of the museum's aircraft and spacecraft are on the Intrepid's flight deck.

The USS Growler is a submarine that used to carry nuclear missiles. It is docked next to Pier 86. You can go inside the submarine, but the doors are narrow. Only about twenty guests can fit inside at once. For safety reasons, visitors who use wheelchairs or are under 40 inches tall cannot enter the Growler.

USS Growler

Spacecraft on Display

Space Shuttle Enterprise

The museum has two cool spacecraft from NASA. One is a copy of a NASA Aurora 7 Mercury capsule. The other is the Space Shuttle Enterprise. This shuttle was used for testing and is inside a special pavilion on the flight deck. The museum also has a Russian Soyuz descent module. This module actually docked with the International Space Station during the Soyuz TMA-6 mission.

Other Interesting Exhibits

The museum has many unique items. These include a ram air turbine from an F-8 Crusader, which has been fixed up. You can also see a Boeing 707 cockpit from El Al and a Curtiss Pusher on the hangar deck. Below the decks, there are thousands of artifacts. These include a helmet that belonged to a soldier in the Vietnam War. Former crew members of the Intrepid often donate items to the museum. These donations have included a Royal Navy uniform and a dinner bell.

Past and Temporary Exhibits

The museum has hosted some temporary attractions. For example, the lightship Frying Pan (LV-115) was docked outside the museum for a while. Many items in the Intrepid Museum's collection were borrowed from the Army and Navy. In the late 1990s, some of these items were returned to their owners. Other ships were also moved, like the destroyer escort Slater. The destroyer Edson was given back to the Navy in 2004.

More items were returned when the museum started its big renovation in 2006. This included a Saturn rocket that was on loan. After the Enterprise was placed on the Intrepid's flight deck in 2012, some other planes were moved to a different museum. The Growler submarine was also displayed next to the Intrepid until 2004.

Pier 86 used to have a piece of the Berlin Wall. This part of the wall weighed 7,000 pounds. It was painted by a German artist. A sculpture called Iwo Jima Monument was also outside the museum. This monument was removed when the museum closed for renovation in 2006. A fiberglass model of the Statue of Liberty was given to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.

How the Museum is Run

The Intrepid Museum Foundation is a special nonprofit group. It was started in 1979 and runs the museum. The foundation also supports programs like the Intrepid Family Support Fund. This fund helps families of US armed service members who have died in action. The museum also has internship programs for young people. As part of its Free Fridays program, the museum often offers free admission on certain Fridays during the summer.

Fun Events and Programs

Regular Events at the Museum

The museum is a popular place for community and national events. For example, it has hosted annual Fleet Week activities since 1988. It still hosts Fleet Week every year. During Fleet Week, the Intrepid has hosted fun activities. These include tug-of-war, cooking contests, and even a "Flight Deck Olympics." The Intrepid Museum also has Kids' Week. This is a series of activities just for children. The museum used to hold the New York Tugboat Race every year. This race had events like line-throwing and spinach-eating contests. Since 2009, the museum has hosted sleepovers called Operation Slumber. It also has Kids' Week events in late February.

The Intrepid Museum Foundation gives out several awards each year. These awards honor political leaders, businesspeople, artists, and community leaders. They also recognize people who have helped others throughout their lives. Many famous people have received these awards. These include U.S. presidents like Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.

Other Special Events

The Intrepid's superstructure and hull with lights at night

In its first year, the Intrepid Museum Foundation held a party to celebrate the Intrepid's 40th anniversary. Starting in 1982, the Intrepid also hosted an annual benefit called Night to Remember. This was a fancy event where thousands of couples dined and danced on the flight deck. The foundation also hosted concerts and other events on the nearby Pier 84. Other ships, like the battleship USS Iowa, also docked outside the Intrepid for special events. After the Gulf War began, the museum held events to honor those who served.

During the 1990s, the museum continued to host many events. These included memorials, benefits, ceremonies, parties, and weddings. The museum's flight deck was even turned into a stadium for the 1998 Goodwill Games. It hosted boxing and wrestling matches there.

Professional boxing matches started at the museum in 2001. The museum's flight deck was also used as a filming location for movies. These included the 2004 movie National Treasure and the 2007 film I Am Legend. When the museum reopened in 2008, it hosted about 150 events each year. These ranged from fancy parties to bar mitzvahs and fashion shows. It held concerts during the 2013 MLB All-Star Weekend and Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. The museum also hosts other events like political fundraisers, film screenings, and social events like Astronomy Night. People can even rent the flight deck and halls for weddings.