Naval History & Heritage Command

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Naval History & Heritage Command

The Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC) is at the historic Washington Navy Yard. It is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. The NHHC is composed of 42 facilities in 13 geographic locations. This includes the Navy Department Library, ten museums and one heritage center, USS Constitution repair facility and detachment, and Historic ship NAUTILUS.

Mission[change | change source]

  • Collect, preserve, protect and make available the artifacts, documents, and art that best embody our naval history and heritage for present and future generations.
  • Advance the knowledge of naval history and heritage through professional research, analysis, interpretation, products and services.
  • Make naval history and heritage "come alive" for our Sailors and Marines to enhance readiness and esprit de corps.
  • Remind America of its need to maintain a strong Navy and Marine Corps to protect its citizens, their freedoms and the nation's maritime commerce.

Vision statement[change | change source]

Be the recognized authority on U.S. naval history and instill pride in America's naval heritage.

Director[change | change source]

The position of Director of Naval History was first established in 1944.

Collections[change | change source]

An artifact conservator at the Naval History and Heritage Command inspects a piece of pottery recovered from the wreck of the sloop-of-war USS Scorpion.
  • The Command starts and maintains records, manuscripts, books, photographs, artifacts, and artwork that document the Navy’s history. Extensive collections at the Command’s headquarters on the Washington Navy Yard include:
  • Archives—Millions of official operational records, historical documents, personal papers, officer biographies, oral histories, and manuscripts related to naval operations, policy, and strategy, including ships’ deck logs dating back thirty years and annual command operations reports of active U.S. Navy ships, aviation units, and shore commands
  • Historical Artifacts—More than 200,000 artifacts, such as shipboard equipment, anchors, bells, uniforms, flags, and weapons from some of the Navy’s most famous fighting ships and personnel
  • Archaeological Artifacts-Over 9,000 artifacts recovered and documented from sunken military craft such as personal affects, ordnance, ship's rigging and hull elements, and ceramic vessels
  • Photos—More than 500,000 historic still photos in a dedicated photo collection, with thousands more in the records collections housed in the Command’s archives
  • Art—More than 18,000 paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures
  • Library—More than 150,000 books and 80,000 manuscripts related to naval, maritime, and military history in the official Navy Department Library

Similar collections that document the Navy’s history in specialized areas of interest are located at the eleven official U.S. Navy museums nationwide.

Navy museums[change | change source]

There are fifteen official Navy museums.[3] They are designed to educate a national audience about the history, customs, and traditions of the U.S. Navy. These museums are dedicated to community outreach and offer curriculum-based education programs, docent-led tours, special evening programs, summer activities, lectures, and musical performances that are open to the public and free of charge. For more information on the following Navy museums, visit the NHHC website:

Related pages[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. "Director Biography". History.navy.mil. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  2. "Naval historical command director resigns - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq". Navy Times. Retrieved December 30, 2012.
  3. "Official U.S. Naval Museums". Naval History & Heritage Command (NHHC). Archived from the original on April 7, 2014. Retrieved December 30, 2012. The National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, Fort Pierce, FL, is not listed on this list of "Official U.S. Naval Museums" and is part of the NHHC.

Other websites[change | change source]