Maritime Museum of San Diego

The Maritime Museum of San Diego is the region’s only waterfront maritime museum with an impressive historic collection of national landmarks and vessels that also offers on visitors a host of on-the-water adventure options. The Maritime Museum enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels, including the world’s oldest active ship, Star of India. Tour 500 years of seafaring history as you step from deck to deck….from sail to steam to submarine.

General admission tickets open a whole new world – tour ALL museum vessels plus art, photography, ship model, and maritime exhibits below deck too. The Museum displays permanent and temporary exhibits on maritime history, commerce and exploration

For extra fun, head out to the San Diego Bay for a high-speed naval history tour – only $10 with general admission ticket purchase. You’ll learn more about San Diego Bay and or deep military roots.

The Museum staff produce popular public events year round including the popular family overnights aboard Star of India.

Are you up for a tall ship sailing experience? Then join the Maritime Museum sail crew for an afternoon sail aboard the tall ship schooner Californian and galleon replica San Salvador. The Museum staff and volunteers built these ships right here in San Diego. So, grab your friends and family and head out for a weekend you will never forget. Jump in and join in with the crew or just sit back and enjoy the beautiful maritime wildlife.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego historic vessel collection includes the National Historic Landmark Victorian-era steam ferryboat Berkeley, 1863 barque rig Star of India, 18th century royal navy frigate replica featured in the award-winning motion picture Master And Commander, HMS Surprise, and now America’s West Coast Discovery ship San Salvador, a replica of the vessel European explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay in 1542. The Museum’s collection also includes the 1904 steam yacht Medea, 1914 Pilot boat and Vietnam-era PCF 816 Swift boat plus the USS Dolphin and Soviet navy foxtrot submarine.

Thousands of school children from throughout Southern California visit the Museum each year for a variety of dockside and at-sea educational programs.

Several ships in the fleet play host to more than 200 private events each year including weddings, private parties, pirate themed birthday events for young and old, corporate or convention receptions, civic/community group networking events, meetings and seminars, and team building charters.

Founded in 1948, Maritime Museum of San Diego grew out of the earlier efforts of a group of local historians and maritime enthusiasts who acquired the sailing ship Star of India in 1927. Now fully restored, the Star of India is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and skilled craftsmen and sailed at least once a year.

Current & Upcoming Exhibitions

NEW MARITIME VINTAGE “WISH YOU WERE HERE” POSTCARD AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT OPENING NOVEMBER 16, 2019

Maritime Museum of San Diego, serving as the community memory of our seafaring experience by collecting, preserving, and presenting our rich maritime heritage and historic connections with the Pacific world, announces the opening of Wish You Were Here, a new exhibit featuring an array of vintage postcards and photography from around the globe. Opening this November at the Maritime Museum of San Diego Compass and Gould Eddy Galleries aboard the national historic landmark, the 1898 steam ferryboat Berkeley, Wish You Were Here invites visitors to become immersed in an amazing array of vintage color-tinted San Diego postcards. From landmark events to world-class attractions, guests will see why the region has for more than 100 years earned a reputation as one of the world’s most popular spots for travel and adventure. Visitors to the exhibit will also receive a commemorative postcard to send to friends and family.

For opening day of the exhibit Saturday, November 16, representatives from the US Postal Service will be on-site from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with an exclusive Maritime Museum of San Diego pictorial cancellation postmark that will be placed on visitor’s commemorative post card.

The new exhibit provides an opportunity for locals and visitors alike to stroll down memory lane as the Museum unveils a collection of scenic San Diego backdrops that stun and inspire pride and return visits to America’s Finest City. Wish You Were Here includes an eclectic vintage postcard portfolio of the old Santa Fe Depot, Tent City, the ferryboat and ferry landings, downtown San Diego, the glistening beaches and the crazy caves, the Cabrillo Lighthouse, Harvard & Yale Coastliners, horseracing hotspots, high society yachting and generations of racing. Up and down the coast visitors will go, from San Diego to Long Beach to Redondo, San Pedro and Catalina Island. Flashbacks include the historical days at the Balboa Park Exposition, Charles Lindbergh’s visit, WWI Naval fleet and stations, the Spreckles yacht sailing San Diego Bay and our rich history in development of aviation and airports.

For adventurous types, the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s Wish You Were Here exhibit also taps into the jet-setter deep within. Stepping outside of the SoCal known, visitors will wander through a brilliant collection of black and white international Ports of Call photography featuring contributions from Southern Californian history buff Nancy K. Dubois. Ms. Nancy K. DuBois of Beverly Hills, has a passion for sailing and historical photographs. Over many years she has been an avid photo collector of sea port images from around the world, and recently donated her collection to the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

The Maritime Museum also created a new, fun, interactive element within the exhibit. Visitors can design their very own vintage postcard to snail mail to friends and family and before departure snap their very own Wish You Were Here selfies to instantly share on social media from any one of the Maritime Museum’s historic vessels overlooking San Diego Bay.

Visits to all exhibits found aboard the Museum’s historic fleet are included with one general admission ticket purchase. Visitors can purchase tickets to the Maritime Museum of San Diego at sdmaritime.org or visit the ticket booth and Gift Shop located on the north embarcadero between W. Grape and Ash Streets at 1492 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA 92101-3309. For more information, call 619.234.9153. x101.