In 1883, the US Navy’s Bureau of Construction and Repair began a policy of constructing and retaining contemporary exhibition-type models of most new classes of warships. Since 1942 the program has been located at the David Taylor Model Basin in West Bethesda, MD. Under the auspices of the Bureau’s successor, the Naval Sea Systems Command, the collection has grown to about 3,000 models.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

The US Department of the Navy Ship Model Program collects, preserves, interprets, and displays scale models in federal museums and offices and in state and local public educational museums and facilities. Depicting the rich tradition, historical heritage, and technological development of the United States Navy from earliest times to the present, the Department of the Navy Ship Model Collection is recognized as a precious national treasure.