The DC Traveler

The Lone Sailor statute mans his watch on the “Granite Sea” covered by a map of the globe on Memorial Plaza at the United States Navy Memorial.

Memorial Plaza also incorporates ship’s masts with signal flags, fountain pools and waterfalls as an honor to the 340,000 active men and women of the United States Navy, as well as Navy personnel dating back to the Revolutionary War.

The plans for a Navy Memorial in Washington, DC date back to the days of DC architect Pierre L’Enfant. But it took years to finally develop one. The Navy plaza opened in 1991, after 14 years if planning, fund-raising and construction.

Attached to plaza is the Naval Heritage Center which provides visitors with rotating interactive exhibits and a theater that shows Navy-oriented films including At Sea and the Discovery Channel’s A Day In the Life of the Blue Angels. At times the theater show free classics and contemporary Hollywood movies about the Navy.

Throughout the history of the Navy, colorful naval officers have provided us with some great quotes, including:

• “I have not yet begun to fight!” - Captain John Paul Jones - 1779
• “Don’t give up the ship!” - Captain James Lawrence - 1813
• “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” - Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry - 1813
• “Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead.” - Admiral David Farragut - 1864

United States Navy Memorial
701 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, between 7th and 9th Streets
Washington, DC (map it)

Dates and Times - Nov. – Feb., Tuesday - Saturday - 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Closed Sunday & Monday. The center is open on Mondays during the rest of the year.

Admission - Free

Nearest Metro Subway Station - Archives-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter - Green and Yellow lines, the a 1/4 block walk.

Parking - Metered street parking is available but tough. Best bet may be in a close by paid parking garage. Watch for rush hour restrictions on weekdays as well.

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