This exhibit depicts the decorated light carrier USS Cabot (CVL 28) and includes a replica of the wooden flight deck and island superstructure. Assisted by his son, the same sailor who painted the original scoreboard highlighting the combat record of the ship and its embarked air groups duplicated his work for the museum. Famed war … USS Cabot (CVL 28) Flight Deck
The museum began recovering aircraft from the bottom of Lake Michigan, where they crashed during World War II carrier qualification, in the early 1990s. This exhibit takes visitors to the depths, preserving an F4F Wildcat and SBD Dauntless in the conditions in which they were found after spending decades underwater. A short film produced exclusively … Underwater Treasures of Lake Michigan
The first of a series of dioramas depicting the World War II experience paints a portrait of life on the home front where rationing and scrap drives were a part of normal life. Many of the businesses represented are actual establishments from Pensacola in that era, and a number of the “Hometown Heroes” whose pictures … Home Front U.S.A.
Stepping through the facade of the U.S. Navy Recruiting Station, visitors leave Home Front U.S.A. and find themselves at a Pacific island airfield with an FM-2 Wildcat fighter as its centerpiece. From rustic tent living quarters to an oil barrel shower to the ubiquitous sign showing the distance to Tokyo and places back home, the … Pacific Island
The final element of the World War II diorama takes visitors through the passageways of a wartime carrier to include the sounds of circulated air, pounding hammers and the high-pitched bosun’s pipe. Shipboard spaces include the ready room where aviators received briefings on their missions, the all-important parachute loft and the gedunk, the naval term … Life on an Aircraft Carrier
The most decorated ship of World War II, USS Enterprise (CV 6) fought in nearly every significant battle of World War II. The exhibit devoted to her history features original components from the ship and a highly detailed model depicting the aircraft carrier during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. A flag … USS Enterprise Exhibit
Blimps provided an effective way to combat enemy submarine attacks against convoys because they could remain airborne much longer that conventional aircraft. On only one occasion did a K-class airship engage an enemy submarine, the crew of a German U-boat shooting it down with a deck gun. Museum staff located the control car in a … K-Class Control Car
Procured from Goodyear to support the expansion of Naval Aviation’s airship fleet, the L-8 delivered vital parts to USS Hornet (CV 8) after the carrier departed California carrying the Doolittle Raiders and their aircraft for their famous raid on Tokyo. The L-8’s most famous flight inspired the nickname Ghost Ship, the blimp with the control … L-8 Control Car
The museum displays the cockpit section of the ZPG-2 Snow Bird, which on March 15, 1957, established a long-distance unrefueled flight record when it landed at Naval Air Station Key West, Florida, after traveling a distance of 9,448 miles. During the flight, it spent 264.2 hours straight in the air. President Dwight D. Eisenhower presented … ZPG-2 Snow Bird
The initial design for the FH-1 Phantom featured three small jet engines on each wing before finalization of the twin-engine design. The airplane was the Navy’s first operational jet and made its maiden flight on January 26, 1945. In May 1948, VF-17A flew the aircraft in operations on board USS Saipan (CVL 48), becoming the first carrier-qualified … FH-1 Phantom