Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

The USS Intrepid is considered by many to be one of the most successful ships in U.S. history. After a victorious 2-year stint in World War II, the ship went on to serve NASA as a primary recovery vessel and, following that, played an important role in the Vietnam Conflict.

In 1974, a concerned citizen saved the ship from demolition, instead rallying to turn it into a museum where people of all ages could learn about U.S. history. It was the vision of Zachary Fisher to make the Intrepid a lasting memorial that both Americans and foreign visitors could enjoy and, at the same time, “Honor our Heroes, Educate the Public, and Inspire our Youth.”

Climb aboard the Intrepid and you’ll be treated to an amazing array of aircraft, including a World War II TBM Avenger torpedo bomber, an F-14 Tomcat, an A-12 Blackbird spy plane, and much more, including several foreign-produced warplanes. There’s a great helicopter collection on board as well.

Sitting beside the Intrepid, you’ll find the USS Growler, SSG 577, the only intact strategic diesel-powered submarine that fired nuclear missiles open to the public anywhere in the world. Tours of the Growler are guided and children under 6 are not permitted to tour the submarine.

Also housed at the Intrepid Museum is the Concorde AD, the very plane that took less than 3 hours to fly across the Atlantic in 1996. The plane was decommissioned in 2003 and is now a permanent part of the museum.

A number of additional interesting exhibits are housed onsite, including one of the newest, entitled Heroic Journeys, which profiles “the heroic actions of everyday Americans who were thrust within extraordinary circumstances.” Visitors can also check out the flight simulators and test their physical skills by climbing the museum’s rock wall. A wonderful surround-sound film also tells the story of the Intrepid from her war days until her decommissioning.

**Please note that the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum is currently closed. The ship will be heading to Bayonne, New Jersey where it will be undergoing a $58 million overhaul including painting and refurbishing. The museum is slated to reopen in fall 2008.