Hampton Roads Naval Museum

Hampton Roads Naval Museum The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is an official U.S. Navy Museum that interprets the history of the U.S. Navy in Hampton Roads, Virginia

Welcome to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum’s official page. For the latest Navy news, please visit our official website at www.history.navy.mil/hrnm. While this is an open forum, it's also a family-friendly one, so please keep your comments and wall posts CLEAN and free from profanity. Please note: comments posted on official Navy social media accounts that violate the terms of service of

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05/29/2026

Our newest blog post is live! To celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and an upcoming exhibit we have in the works, we dive into the Battle of the Capes. Fought between the French and British navies at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, this conflict - in which no American sailor served - became a pivotal moment in the American Revolution and helped secure British surrender at Yorktown.

NOTICE! The Hampton Roads Naval Museum will be CLOSED Thursday, May 28th for staff development. We will reopen at our no...
05/27/2026

NOTICE! The Hampton Roads Naval Museum will be CLOSED Thursday, May 28th for staff development. We will reopen at our normal hours, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, on Friday May 29th.

On this Memorial Day, we remember and honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.
05/25/2026

On this Memorial Day, we remember and honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.

This week, our colleagues from the Conservation Branch of NHHC came to assist in cleaning a couple artifacts, including ...
05/22/2026

This week, our colleagues from the Conservation Branch of NHHC came to assist in cleaning a couple artifacts, including the sampan on exhibit in the Vietnam gallery and the CSS Hampton flag, which is now resting after being on display for 12 years. The CSS Hampton flag, a prize taken by Union soldier Lt. William Ladd when he entered Richmond in April 1865, will remain off exhibit until it can be conserved to care for this one-of-a-kind artifact.

William Ladd served in the 13th New Hampshire regiment and wrote about capturing the flag. "I was in the Capitol grounds as early as 5:30 am . . . I rode back towards Rocketts, and when near there met a white Union cavalryman - the first Union soldier I had seen in Richmond that morning. We tied our horses, took a skiff and rowed out to a rebel war ship in the James, and captured two Confederate flags then flying upon her. I pulled down the larger flag, the cavalryman the smaller one, and we rolled them up and tied them to our saddles."

This sampan (flat-bottomed boat), was captured by Sailors of River Section 542 during Operation Flankspeed on August 14, 1968.

Photo credit: Hampton Roads Naval Museum

Brick by Brick, our Lego Shipbuilding event, was a major success! Over 1,600 people turned up for a fun-filled day of cr...
05/20/2026

Brick by Brick, our Lego Shipbuilding event, was a major success! Over 1,600 people turned up for a fun-filled day of creativity and imagination at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. There were ship masterpieces of all shapes and sizes from Lego enthusiasts of all ages!

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible, and thank you to all of the participants. We'll see you next year!

Welcome back to Mascot Monday! For this week’s feature, we have a much more traditional ship mascot. Since ancient times...
05/18/2026

Welcome back to Mascot Monday! For this week’s feature, we have a much more traditional ship mascot. Since ancient times, ships' cats have been a staple of naval life. This tradition continued from the early days of the U.S. Navy. The cats served a very important purpose: they kept down the rodent population on board.

These cats of USS Mississippi (BB-41) - photo from c. 1925 - were clearly well trained, and could even climb a ladder into their hammock! The ship was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia, and was commissioned in 1917.

During WWII, Mississippi saw action in several battles in the Pacific. Despite being hit by kamikazes twice, the ship survived to witness Japan’s surrender from Tokyo Bay.

Photo credit: NHHC

Recently, HRNM educators visited B.M. Williams Elementary in Chesapeake and had a blast doing our "Trading, Bartering, a...
05/14/2026

Recently, HRNM educators visited B.M. Williams Elementary in Chesapeake and had a blast doing our "Trading, Bartering, and Shipbuilding" program with their 2nd grade classes. The 2nd graders wrote us wonderful thank you notes, three of which we've featured in this post!

To schedule an in-classroom education program, contact Zac Cunningham, School Programs Educator, at [email protected]. Though the school year is winding down, we can even schedule programs this summer for your library, camps, or day care.

Photo credit: Hampton Roads Naval Museum

Everyone on staff here at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum would like to give our warmest thanks to our team of volunteers...
05/12/2026

Everyone on staff here at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum would like to give our warmest thanks to our team of volunteers! Last week, in honor of all the time and effort they’ve donated to us, we had a small thank you luncheon to recognize their hard work.

In 2025, a total of 194 volunteers donated 5114 hours to helping keep our operations running and make special events possible.

We would also like to single out Lou Gull in particular, as our volunteer with the most lifetime hours. In total, he has donated 3595 hours of his time to our museum!

If YOU are interested in volunteering, we would love for you to come aboard and lend a hand. Contact Dana Woody at [email protected] for more information.

OTD, May 7, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln, while at Fort Monroe to oversee military operations, visited USS Monitor. L...
05/07/2026

OTD, May 7, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln, while at Fort Monroe to oversee military operations, visited USS Monitor. Lincoln had approved the construction of the vessel in 1861, and was extremely invested in this new technology. In the ship’s log, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant William Flye recorded the visit, writing “1 P.M. President Lincoln & suite came on board.” He would again visit the ship in July of the same year.

The previous day, the president, along with Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, had arrived at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA. Tired of the hesitancy of George McClellan in his Peninsula Campaign, Lincoln decided to personally take command of the military operations in and around the fort, hoping to reclaim Norfolk and its naval yard.

Eventually, the operation to drive the opposing force out of Norfolk would be successful, as the Confederates surrendered the city on May 10, 1862. Unfortunately for federal forces, the southern soldiers destroyed the Gosport Navy Yard as they retreated.

Image: turret of the USS Monitor from July, 1862
Image Credit: Library of Congress

It's teacher appreciation week, and we here at our museum would like to say thank you to all of the educators out there!...
05/05/2026

It's teacher appreciation week, and we here at our museum would like to say thank you to all of the educators out there! We greatly appreciate the time and effort you put into teaching our nation's children. And, we'd also like you to know that we're here to help!

This summer, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum will present, "Battlefield Hampton Roads!," a FREE summer teacher workshop, on July 20-21, 2026. This two-day workshop is open to K-12 educators, who will learn about the crucial battles that took place in our region over the course of 250 years of U.S. history. From classroom activities to a driving tour of battle-related locations - including Cape Henry Lighthouse - teachers will learn what all the Hampton Roads region has to offer!

Spots are limited, so registration is necessary, and must be completed by Monday, June 29. Please contact Zac Cunningham at [email protected] for questions and registration.

Address

1 Waterside Drive, Ste 248
Norfolk, VA
23510

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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