After decades of planning, setbacks and determined effort, the National Coast Guard Museum is finally approaching the finish line. The long awaited facility is scheduled to open next summer along the Thames River in New London, Connecticut.
The 80,000 square foot museum will honor the maritime service across three floors of exhibits, interactive displays and immersive experiences. More than 5,000 photographs and 600 artifacts will help tell the Coast Guard’s story of courage, readiness and service.
Among the signature pieces will be an MH 60T Jayhawk helicopter and the Medal of Honor awarded to Signalman First Class Douglas Munro. Munro, the Coast Guard’s only Medal of Honor recipient, led the rescue of Marines under enemy fire during the Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.
Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday said the institution will go far beyond displaying historic equipment. He said it “will illuminate the hard earned lessons of the sea.”
“This museum is a permanent tribute to the Long Blue Line, the generations of crews who have saved lives, defended our borders and maritime approaches, facilitated vital commerce, and responded to crises with little or no warning,” Lunday said in a Tuesday news release.
Those missions have made the Coast Guard an indispensable part of American national security, even if Washington has not always given the service the recognition it deserves. The new museum aims to correct that oversight by placing generations of sacrifice before the American public.
Supporters have pursued a national museum for the Coast Guard since at least 2001. Officials initially hoped to establish it in New London’s historic Fort Trumbull neighborhood, but the waterfront property was tied up in a bitter eminent domain dispute.
That legal fight reached the Supreme Court, which ruled for the city in 2005, yet the anticipated development never materialized. In 2013, New London donated another waterfront parcel, while Connecticut pledged $20 million to breathe life back into the project.
Congress provided nearly $50 million in 2022, clearing the way for a keel laying ceremony and the beginning of construction on the main building. Then Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan said the museum would allow the service to “share our history and the stories with the American public.”
“Today was a beautiful day in New London and for the Coast Guard,” Fagan said at the time. The federal government followed with another $50 million last year to complete construction of the facility.
Once the Coast Guard museum opens, every armed service except the Space Force, which was established in 2019, will have a national museum. The Navy’s existing museum is currently closed because of aging infrastructure and its location on an active military installation.
The National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, traces its history to 1923 and is the world’s oldest military aviation museum. The National Museum of the Navy opened at the Washington Navy Yard in 1963, although fundraising is underway for a modern and more publicly accessible facility elsewhere in Washington.
The National Museum of the Marine Corps opened in Quantico, Virginia, in 2006, while the National Museum of the United States Army opened at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 2020. The Coast Guard’s entry will complete another important chapter in preserving America’s military heritage.
Retired Capt. Wes Pulver, president of the museum association, said completing the project represents “incredible dedication, vision and partnership.” He thanked the Coast Guard and everyone who kept the mission moving despite years of legal, financial and construction hurdles.
“We are deeply grateful for the Coast Guard’s steadfast support throughout this journey and look forward to continuing our collaboration as we build a museum worthy of the remarkable men and women who have served our nation. Together, we are ensuring their stories will inspire generations to come,” Pulver said.
The museum is scheduled to welcome the public on Aug. 2, 2027, followed by a formal dedication on Coast Guard Day, Aug. 4. That date will mark the 237th anniversary of Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton’s establishment of the Revenue Cutter Service, the Coast Guard’s historic predecessor.
“By bridging our rich history with the challenges of tomorrow, we are creating a dynamic foundation to inspire the next generation of leaders ready to answer our nation’s call,” Lunday said. For a service whose crews routinely run toward storms, smugglers and danger, the national tribute has been a long time coming.
