United States Navy Memorial

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United States Navy Memorial
United States Navy Memorial
United States Navy Memorial
United States Navy Memorial (USA)
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Coordinates: 38 ° 53 '38.8 "  N , 77 ° 1' 22.5"  W.
Location: District of Columbia , United States
Founding: October 13, 1987
Address: Washington, DC, 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
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The United States Navy Memorial on 7th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Indiana Avenue in Washington, DC (701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW) honors those who have served or are currently serving in the Navy , Marine Corps , Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine .

The memorial is maintained by the United States Navy Memorial Foundation, supported by the National Mall and Memorial Parks administration unit of the National Park Service . The memorial is located next to the Archives – Navy Memorial – Penn Quarter Station and the National Archives building .

The US Navy Memorial Museum is connected to the memorial. The museum is open Monday to Saturday from March to October and Tuesday to Saturday from November to February.

history

For the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Mechant Marine, a centuries-old dream came true with the United States Navy Memorial. In the early days of America's national independence, the architect Pierre L'Enfant envisioned a monument in the capital to "celebrate the birth of the Navy and bless its advances and achievements". But it was not until the 20th century that L'Enfant's dream of a naval monument in Washington, DC was realized.

Pennsylvania Avenue, “America's Main Street,” the boulevard that connects the US Capitol and the White House, was chosen as the location.

After President John F. Kennedy - a Navy war hero himself - suggested the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue, another Navy war hero, Admiral Arleigh Burke , announced in 1977 that “we have discussed a Navy Memorial long enough, and it is Time for us to do something about it. "

In the spring of 1977, Burke, who was Chief of Naval Operations for 6 years, began recruiting for a private charitable foundation for a US Navy Memorial. The following year, under the direction of Rear Adm. William Thompson, USN (Ret.), The Foundation began work on the five steps to building the Washington monument: Legislation, Design, Site Selection, Fundraising, and Construction and Maintenance.

Congress approved the memorial in 1980, with the stipulation that the funds would come exclusively from private contributions. In March 1980, President signed Jimmy Carter , the Federal Law 96-199, which approved the memorial as part of a larger bill for the Interior Ministry.

Although multiple locations in Washington, DC were possible, the foundation, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Avenue Development Corporation, selected the marketplace as the location for the memorial. Together they chose Conklin Rossant from New York as their architect.

Navy Memorial

By December 1985, the foundation had raised enough donations to get approval from the Interior Minister. Construction began the following month. The Foundation's staff and board of directors raised $ 18 million on the opening day of the visitor center. The collection of donations continues today to pay off the remaining debts from the construction of the memorial and to support the foundation's educational programs.

With the completion of The Lone Sailor Statue by Stanley Bleifeld in August 1987, construction of the memorial was nearing completion.

The memorial was inaugurated on October 13, 1987.

Navy Memorial with the visitor center in the background

From the end of 1987 to the mid-1990s, 2 buildings were built on the northern edge of the memorial. The east of the two buildings was chosen as the memorial's visitor center. The building was completed in September 1989 to the point that the interior work could begin. The visitor center opened in June 1991 and was officially inaugurated on October 12, 1991.

During the summer of 2006, the water in the fountain turned blue as it was mixed with chemicals to combat algae. According to a spokeswoman for the memorial, the algae were surprisingly difficult to remove and that they "preferred blue water to an algae-encrusted memorial". By the end of summer the blue water was gone.

In the middle of the United States Navy Memorial is the Memorial Plaza, a representation of the world with the oceans made of granite. "The lonely sailor" is written on the Memorial Plaza, a tribute to the members of the sea service. The plaza is framed by two pools of water with fountains that honor US Navy personnel and the world's naval units. The southern hemisphere is framed by 26 bronze reliefs commemorating events, personnel and communities of the maritime services.

Quotes

Well-known quotes from the history of the Navy and its originators are engraved on the outer wall of the memorial. Here is a small selection

  • "I have not yet begun to fight!" (I haven't even started fighting!) - Captain John Paul Jones - 1779
  • "Don't give up the ship!" (Don't give up the ship!) - Captain James Lawrence - 1813
  • "We have met the enemy and they are ours." (We met the enemy and they are ours) - Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry - 1813
  • "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead." (Forget the torpedoes, full speed ahead) - Admiral David Glasgow Farragut - 1864
  • "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley." (You can shoot when you are ready, Gridley) - Commodore George Dewey - 1898
  • "Sighted sub, sank same" (submarine sighted and sunk) - Aviation Machinist's Mate 1 / c Donald Francis Mason - 1942
  • "Underway on nuclear power." (On the move with nuclear power) - Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson - Jan 17, 1955
  • "That's one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind" - Capt. Neil Armstrong - July 20, 1969

See also

Web links

Commons : United States Navy Memorial  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kelly, John: John Kelly's Washington Live . In: The Washington Post . June 30 , 2006 . Retrieved August 21, 2006.
  2. ↑ Michael Grass: Blue Hue vs. Residue (English) (PDF). In: Express , The Washington Post , August 17 , 2006 , p. 36. Retrieved August 21, 2006. 
  3. ↑ Famous Navy Quotes . In: US Navy Memorial web site . Retrieved September 21, 2007.