Current & Upcoming Exhibitions

Always Good Ships, 125 Years of Shipbuilding
Opening August 6, 2011

This exhibit showcases the people, the ships and the events that have shaped the art and craftsmanship of shipbuilding for more than a century and grown Newport News Shipbuilding into the world-class business Huntington envisioned when he said:

“We shall build good ships here
At a profit—if we can
At a loss—if we must
But always good ships”

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Up Pops the Monitor: The Battle of Hampton Roads in Pop Culture

On the morning of March 9, 1862, the Union ironclad Monitor fought the Confederate ironclad Merrimack to a draw in the waters of Hampton Roads, Virginia. This battle became an iconic event of the civil war and in U.S. history. It has been revered and popularized from 1862 to the present day.

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Endangered Species: Watermen of the Chesapeake

Today’s watermen are faced with environmental regulations, declining oyster, blue crab, and fish populations, and the increasingly endangered waters of the nation’s largest estuary. Photographer, Glen McClure, has captured the power, dignity, and spirit of these watermen in his striking portraits of what could be an “endangered species.”

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The USS Monitor Center

The USS Monitor Center is an extraordinary exhibit made up of historical artifacts and interactive displays that let you experience the fear, the awe, and the excitement that surrounded this extraordinary time in our nation's history.

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The Nelson Touch

The Nelson Touch explores the naval career and the fighting skills of one of the world's greatest naval heroes, Horatio Nelson.

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The Miniature Ships of August F. Crabtree

The jewel of The Mariners' Museum's collection is The Miniature Ships of August F. Crabtree. These amazing ship models, crafted by artist/carver August F. Crabtree, depict the evolution of boat building from a primitive raft to a Venetian galleass decorated with 359 carved figures.

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