The National Coast Guard Museum is a museum planned for construction in

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

, an historic seaport at the mouth of the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

that is the home of the

United States Coast Guard Academy The United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) is a service academy of the United States Coast Guard in New London, Connecticut. Founded in 1876, it is the smallest of the five U.S. service academies and provides education to future Coast Gu ...

. The Coast Guard Museum Association, which has been working to create the Museum since 2001, had hoped to break ground on the building in 2018. However, in 2019 David Collins, staff writer for the New London Day, wrote that the Museum, "keeps slipping deadlines, year by year, and it's beginning to look like it could sink hopelessly underwater before any rescue is mobilized." Construction of the museum officially started August 19th, 2022 with a "keel laying ceremony". The Coast Guard and the Space Force are the only two out of America's six service branches that do not yet have a dedicated museum; the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force already have museums. The Museum has been given a site on the Thames River by the City of New London. The federal government has committed $30 million, and the State of Connecticut has committed $20 million to construct a pedestrian bridge necessary to provide pedestrian access to the Museum over the main railroad track connecting New York and Boston. The Museum Association expects to raise the bulk of the necessary funds from private donations. In 2019

Lockheed Martin The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It ...

, which owns the locally manufactured Sikorsky Helicopters, pledged $1 million. The proposed five or six-story, 80,000 square feet building will include an outdoor concert pavilion where the

United States Coast Guard Band The United States Coast Guard Band is the premier band representing the United States Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Established in 1925, the Coast Guard Band is stationed at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Co ...

and other groups can give concerts.

References

External links

Coast Guard Museum website
{{authority control Proposed museums in the United States United States Coast Guard Naval museums in the United States History of the United States Coast Guard Military and war museums in Connecticut Maritime museums in Connecticut