Maritime Museum of San Diego facts for kids
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| Established | 1948 |
|---|---|
| Location | San Diego, California, United States |
| Type | Maritime museum |
| Key holdings | Star of India Berkeley Californian Medea |
| Visitors | 220,000 |
| Public transit access | County Center/Little Italy |
| Nearest car park | Street |
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is a super cool place in San Diego, California, where you can explore amazing old ships! It started in 1948 and has one of the biggest collections of historic boats in the United States. You can find it right on San Diego Bay.
The most famous ship at the museum is the Star of India. This incredible iron ship was built way back in 1863. The museum also has a special library and research area on the 1898 ferryboat Berkeley. It's a fantastic spot to learn all about the history of the sea!
Contents
Awesome Ships to Explore
The Maritime Museum of San Diego is home to many incredible vessels. Each one has its own unique story!
Famous Ships You Can See
- Star of India: This ship was built in 1863. It's a merchant ship and is the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship still floating today. It's also one of the oldest ships that still sails regularly!
- Berkeley: This ferryboat was built in 1898. It used to carry people across the San Francisco Bay. Today, it houses the museum's library.
- Californian: This ship is a replica built in 1984. It looks like a cutter from 1847. The Californian is even the official tall ship of the state of California!
- America: This is a replica built in 1995 of the famous 1851 yacht America. The original America won a very important sailing race. That race's trophy is now called the America's Cup.
- Medea: This beautiful steam yacht was built in 1904. It actually served in both World War I and World War II!
- Pilot: This boat was built in 1914. It was a harbor pilot boat, which means it helped guide larger ships safely into the harbor.
- HMS Surprise: This ship is a replica built in 1970. It looks like a Royal Navy warship. You might recognize Surprise from movies like Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. It also appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides as HMS Providence.
- USS Dolphin AGSS-555: This is a diesel-electric submarine. It was launched in 1968 and stopped being used by the Navy in 2007.
- PCF-816: This fast patrol boat was built in 1968. It was later used by the country of Malta before being retired in 2011.
- San Salvador: This is a replica of a galleon. It's a copy of the ship that Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo sailed. His ship was the first European vessel to visit San Diego Bay in 1542.
- A large railroad barge is also docked at the museum. It used to carry trains! Now, it holds workshops and storage areas for the museum's collection.
Ships That Used to Be Here
- B-39: This was a Soviet submarine. It was part of the museum's collection for a while. However, in February 2022, it was moved to a scrap yard.
Building the San Salvador Replica
Starting in 2011, the Maritime Museum of San Diego began building a full-sized replica of the San Salvador. This was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo's main ship. The museum wanted to make it exactly like the original, and it even works!
The replica was built in a public park called Spanish Landing Park in San Diego. This meant people could watch the ship being built. It was like seeing history come alive! The San Salvador was launched in 2015. It is now part of the museum's fleet of ships at the San Diego Bay Embarcadero. Public tours of the San Salvador started in September 2016.
Other Nearby Attractions
Just a short distance from the Maritime Museum is the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum. This museum is not part of the Maritime Museum. It is operated separately. When the Midway museum first opened, some worried it might take visitors away from the Maritime Museum. But actually, more people started visiting the Maritime Museum after the Midway museum opened!
See Also
- List of maritime museums in the United States
- List of museum ships
Images for kids
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The ferryboat Berkeley, housing the San Diego Maritime Museum and USS Dolphin
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Overall view of the museum's ships.
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Star of India.
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HMS Surprise.
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B-39.
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Another picture of B-39
