Courier August/September Courier | Page 25

That ship has sailed

Museums with a nautical tie abound
BY BOB ROUSE
USS Yorktown at Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum
MUSEUMS ILLUMINATE visitors on everything from amphibians to zeppelins . And NTA tour operators are arriving every day .
“ We include at least one museum in 95 percent of our tours ,” says Lydia Griego-Hansen , co-owner of Destination Southwest . “ We package our museum visits as exclusive , behind-the-scenes tours to meet the needs of a new generation of travelers who are well-educated and well-traveled .”
And many of NTA ’ s member museums — a virtual fleet of them — are related to ships . ( We should note that some of the nautical connections are easier to fathom than others .) To get contact information for these — and all — member museums , turn to the guide starting on page 50 .

Ship … duh !
TOP : JIM VICKERS
Many member museums are not only related to ships — they are ships . And being on board is an enlightening experience for visitors .
“ People are fascinated that Midway was a floating city at sea — population 4,500 — whose average age was only 19 ,” says Scott McGaugh of the USS Midway Museum in San Diego . “ Only 10 percent of the crew were pilots . Everyone else had city-like jobs below deck to enable the airport ( flight deck ) to operate .”
Authenticity is important , too , says Rhonda Davis of the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile , Alabama . “ Our curator and his staff have done a wonderful job interpreting each compartment aboard the battleship and submarine here . When you tour the ships , you get the sense that the crew has just gotten up to go get a cup of coffee .”
TED WALTON
Maritime Museum of San Diego
The experience of visiting a floating museum can vary by citizenship , according to Keith Snode of Intrepid Sea , Air & Space Museum in New York City . “ Domestic visitors often feel a connection to the history and legacy that inspires national pride ,” he says . “ Many international visitors don ’ t have the opportunity to visit military ships , which makes a visit to the Intrepid Museum very appealing .”
You can use this information to plot a course for museum ships :
Maritime Museum of San Diego is a waterfront museum offering more than 10 historical vessels dockside , plus bay cruises and tall-ship sailing .
All aboard School groups , adult groups , military groups and reunion groups experience 500 years of seafaring history , from sail to steam to submarine . Tours are led by docents who bring history to life through storytelling and re-enactment .
New to port “ We have replicated the first vessel to reach America ’ s West Coast , galleon San Salvador , and made her available for day sails as well as part of a heritage tour of the California coast , which visits partnering museums and ports ,” says Dr . Ray Ashley , the attraction ’ s president and CEO .
On the horizon Tall Ship Adventure Active Escapes , with overnight stays aboard the tall ship Californian , will include meals , kayaking and wildlife discovery .
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