You can reach back in time to the early days of the American Revolution, when the Continental Congress voted to arm ships to fight against the British. On 13 October 1775, the U.S. Navy was born. John Paul Jones and John Barry and the Ranger, Hornet, and Wasp were the men and the ships that helped win the war for independence from Great Britain.
In 1794, the U.S. Congress—by that time established in Washington, D.C.—voted to procure six frigates and appointed six captains to superintend the building and manning of those ships. A strong naval presence began to emerge and became an integral part of U.S. heritage. That presence is felt today not only in ships and planes at sea, but also in the many headquarters and support offices that ensure the safeguarding of our shores. It reaches farther as a protective authority in troubled spots around the world where U.S. citizens and interests are threatened. It is clearly evident in the monuments, the memorials, and the historic places around our Nation's Capital.
The Navy Yard
The Navy Department was created in 1798, and the Washington Navy Yard, built on land set aside on the northern bank of the Anacostia River by George Washington for federal use, was authorized in 1799. It operated as a shipbuilding yard until it was burned in 1814 by Captain Thomas Tingey, the yard's first commandant, to keep it from falling into British hands. Rebuilt after the War of 1812, it concentrated on ordnance work; it was expanded during World War I. Today, the Navy Yard primarily is a supply and administrative center, but it also is an important historic complex. It is the longest continuously operating federal facility in the country.
Of special interest to Navy Yard visitors is the Navy Museum, which chronicles the history of the U.S. Navy from the revolution to the present. The museum, opened in 1963, displays naval artifacts, models, documents, and fine art and commemorates the Navy's wartime heroes and battles and its peacetime contributions. It holds an annual Seafaring Celebration, usually in November, that features workshops, demonstrations, storytelling, and musical performances. Also at the Navy Yard are the Museum Annex of submarines; the Dudley Knox Center for Naval History; the Navy Art Gallery, which displays various exhibits of naval art throughout the year; the Marine Corps Historical Center and Museum; and Willard Park, which features static displays of naval weaponry.
The destroyer Barry (DD-933), which served 26 years in the Atlantic and Pacific fleets, is permanently moored at Pier 2 as a "visit ship." Leutze Park, with its collection of historic bronze ordnance captured as trophies of combat by U.S. forces, is a parade ground for formal affairs and is known as the "Ceremonial Quarterdeck of the Navy." Tingey House, or Quarters "A," is the official residence of the Chief of Naval Operations.
The Naval Historical Center—a valuable resource for anyone researching Navy information—collects, preserves, displays, and interprets naval collections and publishes various works on U.S. naval history. The center holds monthly naval history seminars followed by no-host luncheons at the officers' club. The center's semiannual one-day conferences promote the study of modern U.S. national security issues.
Getting around Washington, D.C., is easy on the Metro subway system. The closest Metro stop to the Navy Yard at Ninth and M Streets, S.W., is Eastern Market on the Blue and Orange lines. Admission to and parking in the yard are free. All attractions are open from 0900 to 1600 Monday through Friday, and from 1000 to 1700 on weekends and holidays. You can phone the Navy Museum at 202-433-4882 and the Marine Corps Museum at 202-433-3267.
The U.S. Navy Band
The Navy Yard also is home to the Navy Band—but that doesn't mean you have to go there to hear its musical magic. In the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area and beyond, you'll find the U.S. Navy Band, in some form or other, performing at schools and colleges, churches, theaters, festivals, memorial dedications, the White House, the Pentagon, and many other places.
Composed of 163 enlisted musicians and three officers, the band is a diverse musical organization featuring a concert-ceremonial unit and three specialty groups—the Sea Chanters chorus, Commodores jazz ensemble, and Country Current country bluegrass group. It also features a jazz-rock quartet and several chamber music groups that take their special sounds around the country. The Navy Band was established on 4 March 1925 by an act of Congress and since then has participated in 17 presidential inaugurals. It also presents honors at White House ceremonies and memorial services in Arlington National Cemetery.
For information on what Navy Band units will perform during your visit, call the 24-hour Navy Band Performance Calendar at 202-433-2525.
U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center
The U.S. Navy Memorial and Naval Heritage Center is located at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventh Street, N.W. (close to the Archives-Navy Memorial Metro stop and halfway between the Capitol and the White House). Dedicated in 1996, the memorial consists of a flat, inlaid granite circular map of the world that is 100 feet across. Sculpture walls that surround the map floor feature bronze reliefs commemorating sea service communities and events. Standing to one side with his duffel bag is The Lone Sailor, a seven-foot-high bronze statue by Stanley Bleifeld that represents all who have served and will serve in the U.S. Navy. Twin flagpoles, like ships' masts, tower 75 feet over this open-air amphitheater, where school bands and choral groups and U.S. military service bands perform. Many ceremonies take place at the site, but one of the most moving is the Navy honor guard's participation in the Veterans' Day ceremony.
Entering the Naval Heritage Center, just beyond the amphitheater, you'll see a life-size bronze statue that depicts the joyous reunion of a Navy family. A poignant reminder of family dedication and sacrifice, The Homecoming is a favorite spot for snapshots. Beyond the statue, the Wave Wall—with historic ships etched in three layers of sea-green glass—leads to the lower deck, which houses a Ship's Store; the Arleigh and Roberta Burke Theater; the U.S. Presidents' Room (available for private bookings); the Gallery Deck with its interactive video kiosks, exhibits, and other displays; a meditation room; and the Navy Memorial Log room, where names of past and current Navy personnel can be registered permanently. For a donation of $25, the enrollment includes name, branch of service, rate or rank, dates of service, and date and place of birth. An additional $25 donation is requested for inclusion of a photograph. Names in the Log are displayed electronically on video screens. Anyone who has served in the U.S. Navy or the other sea services—Marine Corps, Coast Guard, their reserve components, or wartime Merchant Marine—is eligible for inclusion.
One of the must-see events at the Center is the impressive 35-minute, 70-mm action film At Sea. Shown in the 242-seat theater, viewers enjoy sounds and sights normally heard and seen only by Navy personnel on the deck of a carrier or by pilots in Navy aircraft. George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" synchronizes perfectly with flight-deck action, the roar of F-14 Tomcats being catapulted off the deck, and the serenity of the ocean beneath white fluffy clouds as seen by a pilot.
The Naval Heritage Center is open 1000 to 1800, Monday to Saturday, and 1200 to 1700 on Sunday. Phone: 202-737-2300.
The Decatur House
The Decatur House, an imposing brick structure on the corner of H Street and Jackson Place, N.W. (one block north of the White House), was built by Commodore Stephen Decatur, a hero of the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. Decatur and his wife lived in the house for only 14 months.
Susan Decatur rented out the house for 14 years to foreign dignitaries and U.S. government officials. It was later purchased by John Gadsby, used by the Union Army during the Civil War, and later purchased by Edward Beale, who revived the house as a Washington social center.
The Decatur House is now a museum, open for guided tours on the hour and half-hour Tuesday through Friday, 1000 to 1400, and Saturday and Sunday, 1200 to 1600. It is closed Mondays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Adjoining the house is a museum shop (open Monday-Friday, 1000 to 1700, and weekends, 1200 to 1600) that occupies what was once the kitchen and laundry behind the house. Phone: 202-842-0920.
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
In your naval heritage tour around Washington, D.C., don't forget to pause at the statues that grace many parks and squares.
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, near the Lincoln Memorial between Constitution Avenue, N.W., and the Reflecting Pool, while not strictly a Navy memorial, has engraved into its black granite walls the names of 2,554 naval personnel killed during the Vietnam War. The nation's most visited monument, the wall is open 24 hours and staffed daily from 0800 to midnight in the summer. Phone: 202-619-7275. The closest metro stop is Foggy Bottom-George Washington University.
The Pentagon
The Pentagon houses the offices of the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Naval Information, and other commands. The general Pentagon tour includes the Navy Executive Corridor, where models of ships and submarines of the fleet are on exhibit. Tours are conducted Monday through Friday, 0930-1530, every 30 minutes on a first-come, first-served basis. The tour lasts one hour and 15 minutes and involves about one mile of walking. Wheelchairs are available. All visitors 16 and over must have valid identification, such as a driver's license or passport; those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Tours begin at the Pentagon Metro entrance. For groups of ten or more, reservations must be made two weeks in advance. Phone: 703-695-3324.
U.S. Naval Academ
Just 28 miles east of Washington is Annapolis, home of the U.S. Naval Academy, which was founded in 1845. The Academy's 338-acre setting on the south bank of the Severn River is tranquil. The best time to visit the Academy is in the spring. The Visitors' Center is open every day 0900-1700, and tours are conducted every half hour beginning at 0930. Tours last one hour and 15 minutes, plus 15 minutes for viewing a film. The tour takes visitors into the Athletic Center, Bancroft Hall dormitory, Memorial Hall, the Chapel, and the crypt of John Paul Jones.
Those who attended the Academy—and even those who did not—come to Annapolis for reunions, conferences, seminars, football games, midshipmen parades, and just to enjoy the beauty of the Severn River setting. The Visitors' Center phone number is 410-263-6933.
Annapolis is also home to the U.S. Naval Institute, publisher of Naval History and Proceedings. Editorial and membership offices (410-268-6110) and the Naval Institute's bookstore are located in Preble Hall, just inside Gate 3 (Maryland Avenue). The Naval Academy Museum (410-293-2108) is on the first floor of Preble Hall.
Frigate Constellation
Thirty-six miles northeast of Washington is Baltimore's Inner Harbor, home of the frigate Constellation, the Navy's only remaining Civil War-era ship. The 1854 warship, whose stern bears the American eagle, is undergoing restoration in dry dock at the Fort McHenry Shipyard. After a $9 million restoration, the 142-year-old ship should return to Baltimore Harbor in spring 1999. The ship was sent to dry dock in November 1996 because its rotting planks and sagging timbers had put it in jeopardy.