aircraft carrier tour bremerton

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Aircraft carriers at Bremerton

There are three mothballed aircraft carriers at Bremerton, from the left: USS Independence (CVA-62), USS Constellation (CVA-64) and USS Ranger (CVA-61).

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Permanent Exhibits

USS Nimitz   (CVN 68)

Experience life as a sailor while exploring the Museum’s first permanent exhibit. This exhibit portrays life onboard one of the U.S. Navy’s nuclear aircraft carriers. Explore where sailors sleep, what they eat, and how they spend their time and learn about the aircraft carrier’s mission and ship operations.

A Heritage of Excellence

For more than one hundred years the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility has provided industrial strength and support to the U.S. Navy. Learn about Lieutenant Ambrose B. Wyckoff’s vision of establishing a naval station in Puget Sound and how his vision became reality.

Family Discovery Room

Our Family Discovery Room is an immersive and fun environment designed especially for children and families. Make sure to check out the yellow submarine!

The 3 Best Naval Museums around Seattle

Are you looking for some great places to explore the history of the U.S. Navy? Check out this 3 amazing sites around Seattle. I believe we all have seen ships of the U.S. Navy in movies and TV shows, like the currently running show “The Last Ship”. If you are into this kind of stuff check out the three places listed below.

Naval Undersea Museum

The Naval Undersea Museum is an official U.S. Navy museum which concentrates around the history and technology of submarines. You can see what role the U.S. Navy plays in exploring the last frontier on our planet. The deep oceans!

• Ocean Environment: Tell you all about life in- and under the sea. Hear the sounds of whales, earthquakes and other undersea phenomena.
• Undersea Weapons Technology:  Learn about torpedos and mines and the history of naval warfare. You even get to see a Mark 48 ADCAP Torpedo, the current standard torpedo carried by the U.S. Navy submarines. See the portion of two starboard torpedo tubes of the USS Tecumseh located inside the torpedo room.
• Submarine Technology:  The highlight in this area of the museum is the control room of the USS Greenling (SSN-614), a Permit-class nuclear fast attack submarine.
• Diving & Salvage:  In this area of the museum you get to see remotely operated vehicles like the CURV III, diving suits, a swimmer delivery vehicle (SDV), used by SEAL teams and a Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV)

Outside, at the parking lot, you will see a couple of this DSRV’s and small rescue submarines. In front of the museum is the sail of the USS Sturgeon (SSN-637), a Sturgeon-class nuclear fast attack submarine. The museum is located right next to the Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Keyport. Getting here is a bit tricky if you are visiting Seattle and don’t have a car. However, it is worth the drive if you are interested in that kind of things. Admission and parking are free and the museum is open from 10 AM to 4 PM every day, except October through April, where Tuesdays are closed. More info on the website of the museum .

Puget Sound Navy Museum

This museum is located near the Bremerton ferry terminal next to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility. It’s easily reachable by the Seattle-Bremerton ferry and just a short walk from the ferry terminal. Building 50, in which the museum is located, was built in 1896 and served as the first Administrative Headquarters for Shipyard commanders. It was moved three times: first in 1910 when Dry Dock 2 was built, second in the 1930s to Farragut Ave where it served as apprentice classrooms and administrative offices, and third in 2006 to its present location where it serves as a museum. You can’t miss the building neither the sail of the USS Parche ( SSN-683) a Balao-class diesel-electric submarine.

This is an official U.S. Navy museum. You will learn about the history of the nearby shipyard, Special Operations Submarines and about the life aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74). This was my personal highlight – I love aircraft carriers.

Admission here is free as well. Parking is available for free on some of the streets or paid parking near the waterfront. The museum is open from 10 AM to 4 PM every day, except October through April, where Tuesdays are closed.

www.pugetsoundnavymuseum.org

Behind the Museum is the Harborside Fountain Park. A great place for kids to cool down in the summer and to watch the bay.

Not far from here you can see two decommissioned aircraft carriers docked at the shipyard.

Always wanted to explore a destroyer? Head over to the…

USS Turner Joy a U.S. Navy Destroyer

This is by far the greatest museum, because the museum itself is a real war ship, which you can tour on your own and go pretty much everywhere in the ship. All the way down to the engine room and up to the bridge. Pretty much every area of the ship is accessible and you will have to climb some steep ladders up and down to get there. This gives you a real feeling of what life was aboard this ship. You will see the bunk beds of the crew and the captains quarters. You can even climb into one of the gun turrets. This is truly an unforgettable experience. The ship was commissioned on 3. August 1959 and donated as a museum and memorial to the Bremerton Historic Ships Association and berthed at Bremerton, Washington on 10 April 1991. You can find the complete history of the ship on the official website of the museum .

Make sure you bring your camera for an unforgettable experience.

The museum ship is located on the Bremerton waterfront and easily reached by ferry from Seattle. From there it is just a very short walk along the Bremerton waterfront to the ship. Same as for the Puget Sound Navy Museum, parking can be found along the streets or at one of the parking lots near the waterfront.

The ship is open daily from March to October from 10 AM to 5 PM. From November to February the ship is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 4 PM. Check the homepage for special events and for the different admissions they offer . Regular admission is $14 for an adult and as a AAA member, you get $1 off.

Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.

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Aircraft carrier coming to new homeport in Bremerton

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LIVE ABOARD PROGRAM

The Bremerton Historic Ships Association  takes exceptional pride in providing the Vietnam Era destroyer USS TURNER JOY for your appreciation. Visiting this historic vessel is one way to enjoy its past, but can’t compare to remaining on board overnight to fully appreciate the firepower and excellent shipboard construction that US Navy crews have experienced over the many years when this fine ship steamed in support of our nation’s defense.

Now you can go back in time and imagine yourself stationed on the bridge during combat or in Combat Information Center during one of the ship’s many missions on the line providing naval gunfire support off the coast of Vietnam. Perhaps you were standing watch during a night underway replenishment or while providing plane guard duties for one of the Navy’s aircraft carriers such as the USS HORNET.

Experience eating meals in the crew’s galley, and sleeping in the crew’s quarters. Your night aboard the USS TURNER JOY will be an adventure you will never forget.

While aboard Turner Joy you and your fellow crewmembers will be considered shipmates. The term shipmate comes with it the rich heritage of the United States Navy where each crewmember is expected to act and serve along with and side by side his or her friend both in duties assigned and on liberty. You can count on your shipmates to support you in all you do while on board the USS TURNER JOY.

We at the Bremerton Historic Ships Association have made a considerable effort to maintain this famous destroyer in a manner that anyone who served aboard would be proud to see. We hope you enjoy the enormous effort that has gone into the ship’s restoration. Please refer to, and read in its entirety, the information below so as to receive the maximum benefit from your stay aboard the USS TURNER JOY and experience what it was like to be “haze gray and underway!”

WE ARE NOT CURRENTLY TAKING RESERVATIONS FOR THE LIVE ABOARD PROGRAM DUE TO STAFFING CONCERNS.

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USS Ronald Reagan arrives at new homeport in Bremerton, Washington

The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan arrived in Bremerton, Washington , this week after being based in Japan for nearly a decade.

The carrier, which got underway from Yokosuka, Japan, in May, steamed into its new homeport at Naval Base Kitsap on Tuesday, and is poised to complete a routine maintenance period.

“I am incredibly proud of our crew and the work they’ve accomplished in our time as the Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier,” Capt. Daryle Cardone, commanding officer of the Ronald Reagan, said in a statement. “They were asked to perform at the highest level and exceeded those expectations. Now we are looking forward to making upgrades to the ship, and even more well-deserved time stateside for the crew.”

USS George Washington to deploy to South America

The george washington is also poised to return to yokosuka, japan, as the navy’s only forward-deployed carrier later this year..

The ship, which swapped some crew members with the aircraft carrier George Washington in San Diego before heading to Washington, participated in Valiant Shield 2024 en route to the West Coast. The exercise, based out of Guam, included U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s joint forces and Japan Self-Defense Forces working together across domains.

“Even though Ronald Reagan’s time in 7th Fleet is over, we are still in the fight,” Cardone said. “The success of our previous deployments is a testament of the crew’s warfighting capability and displays our adaptability in an ever-changing theater. Everything we accomplished while forward-deployed carries over as we continue to improve the ship and prepare the crew for Ronald Reagan’s next chapter.”

The George Washington is slated to replace the Reagan in Japan as the Navy’s lone forward-deployed carrier. The Navy previously homeported the ship in Yokosuka from 2008 to 2015.

GW completed its mid-life refueling and complex overhaul maintenance, or RCOH, last year, and is completing a Southern Seas 2024 deployment as it transits to Japan.

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USS Ronald Reagan arrives at new homeport near Seattle as Navy carriers crisscross the Pacific

A Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan Dunfee, of Shadyside, Ohio, mans the USS Ronald Reagan's rails as the aircraft carrier approaches Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., Aug. 13, 2024. (Ryan Freiburghaus/U.S. Navy)

Sailors manned the rails of the USS Ronald Reagan on Tuesday as the aircraft carrier steamed through Puget Sound toward Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., for a scheduled overhaul.

The ship arrived just three days after leaving Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., where it exchanged approximately 350 sailors — or about 13% of its crew — with the carrier USS George Washington.

“Even though Ronald Reagan’s time in 7th Fleet is over, we are still in the fight,” Capt. Daryle Cardone, the ship’s skipper, said Tuesday in a Navy news release. “The success of our previous deployments is a testament of the crew’s warfighting capability and displays our adaptability in an ever-changing theater.”

The Ronald Reagan’s accomplishments while under 7th Fleet will carry over as the crew prepares for the ship’s “next chapter,” he added.

The carrier was one of four Navy flattops on the move in the Indo-Pacific.

The George Washington is set to replace the Ronald Reagan as the centerpiece of 7th Fleet’s Carrier Strike Group 5 at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan.

On Aug. 1, the two carriers began their exchange, which included personnel and aircraft from Carrier Air Wing 5 and staff from Task Force 70 and Destroyer Squadron 15.

The George Washington’s whereabouts, or whether it had left California, were not immediately clear on Wednesday.

Spokespeople for Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 3rd Fleet, the USS Ronald Reagan and USS George Washington did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails requesting comment.

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan steams through Puget Sound toward its new homeport, Naval Base Kitsap, in Bremerton, Wash., Aug. 13, 2024. (Heather Wamsley/U.S. Navy)

USS Ronald Reagan sailors man the rails as the aircraft carrier arrives at its new homeport, Naval Base Kitsap, in Bremerton, Wash., Aug. 13, 2024. (Kevin Steffanson/U.S. Navy)

Meanwhile, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its strike group were en route through the Indo-Pacific to relieve the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the waters around the Arabian Peninsula. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday ordered the ballistic-missile submarine USS Georgia to make for the area and the Abraham Lincoln to speed up its voyage.

The carrier strike group left Guam and Saipan on Aug. 8 after a four-day port call.

A growing U.S. naval presence in the Middle East, from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf, aims to forestall Iran from starting a war with Israel in retaliation for last month’s assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Hamiyeh in Tehran. Israel has not publicly commented on the killing but told U.S. officials it was responsible, according to The Associated Press.

The Navy is also part of a coalition shielding commercial shipping in the Red Sea and neighboring waters from attacks by missiles and drones supplied by Iran to Houthi militants in Yemen.

The fourth carrier, USS Carl Vinson, left Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on Aug. 5, according to USNI News. On Monday, it was in the Eastern Pacific, according to Navy.mil.

The Ronald Reagan spent nine years in Yokosuka starting in 2015, when it replaced the George Washington. The two carriers swapped nearly two-thirds of their respective 3,000 crewmembers at the time.

The George Washington arrived at Newport News, Va., in 2017 for nuclear refueling and maintenance — a process significantly delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and other setbacks.

The Ronald Reagan’s maintenance period is scheduled to take place at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, also in Bremerton, Wash.

previous coverage

• Italian strike group makes historic stop on Guam as US carrier rushes to Middle East
• USS Abraham Lincoln strike group steams toward Middle East after Guam, Saipan port calls
• Burnout vs. mission: How long, tough deployments could affect Navy retention and recruitment
• US carriers Reagan, Washington set to exchange sailors ahead of homeport shift
• USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier hosts new USO center
• USS Ronald Reagan returns to Guam for first time in 2 years
• USS Ronald Reagan takes leave of Japanese port it has called home since 2015

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