National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum facts for kids
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| Established | November 11, 1985 |
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| Location | 3300 N Hwy A1A, Fort Pierce, FL 34949 |
| Type | Military museum |
| Founder | Norman Olson |
The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, often called the Navy SEAL Museum, is in Fort Pierce, Florida. This museum teaches visitors about the brave Navy Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) and Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) teams. It also keeps the history of these special forces alive.
The first Navy frogmen, who were the start of the SEALs, trained right outside Fort Pierce. The idea for the museum came from Albert Stankie and other former UDT Frogmen. They collected items and stories from their time serving in World War II. They helped get the old Fort Pierce Treasure Museum building. The Navy SEAL Museum opened in 1985. In 2008, the U.S. Congress officially recognized it as a National Museum.
A very important part of the museum is the UDT-SEAL Memorial. This memorial honors all Navy SEALs and their earlier groups. It has a huge bronze statue of a modern Navy SEAL. This statue weighs 500 pounds and is 9 feet tall.
Around the statue, black granite walls list the names of all "Frogmen" and Navy SEALs. These are the brave service members who died while serving their country.
Amazing Exhibits to Explore
The museum has many cool items from the history of the SEALs. You can see things from their early days as Scouts & Raiders, through the Underwater Demolition Teams, and up to recent Navy SEAL missions.
- World War II Obstacles: See real obstacles used for training before the D-Day landings in World War II. These were used to practice blowing up barriers.
- "Shark Tooth Boat": This is an LCPL boat that UDT teams used during the Pacific Ocean theater of World War II and the Korean War.
- Patrol Boat River (PBR): Learn about the PBR boats used during the Vietnam War. These boats could go in shallow rivers and canals. This made them perfect for dropping off and picking up SEALs.
- Apollo Program Training Gear: See the actual training equipment used by UDT "frogmen" recovery teams. They helped retrieve astronauts after space missions like Apollo, Gemini, and Mercury.
- Mark V Special Operations Craft (SOC): This is a large, 82-foot boat used by Special Boat Teams. It helped SEALs get to and from missions along coastlines.
- SEAL Delivery Vehicles (SDVs): Check out mini-submarines like the MK XII MOD 0, MARK IX, and MARK VII MOD 0. These small subs fill with water inside, so operators wear air tanks. They are used to secretly enter enemy harbors.
- SEAL Vehicles: See different vehicles used by SEALs in operations in Kuwait, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
- MV Maersk Alabama Lifeboat: This is the actual lifeboat where Somali pirates held Captain Richard Phillips hostage. This happened during the Maersk Alabama hijacking.
- Medal of Honor Wall: A special wall honors all the brave SEALs who received the Medal of Honor. You can read about their amazing acts of courage.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de los Navy SEAL para niños
