IV 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 984 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 16, 2009 Mr. McCarthy of California (for himself, Mr. McKeon, Mr. Dicks, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Miller of Florida, Mr. Courtney, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Kirk, and Mr. Capuano) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services RESOLUTION Recognizing the importance and contributions of the official United States naval history museums.

Whereas the National Museum of the U.S. Navy of Washington, DC, chronicles the history of the United States Navy from the American Revolution to present-day conflicts, through the display of naval artifacts, models, documents, and fine art; Whereas the Great Lakes Naval Museum of Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, is dedicated to telling the story of boot camp training in the United States Navy, and in particular, the Naval Training Station/Center at Great Lakes, Illinois; Whereas the Hampton Roads Naval Museum of Norfolk, Virginia, is dedicated to the study of 234 years of naval history in the Hampton Roads region, and is responsible for the historic interpretation and day-to-day operations of the battleship Wisconsin; Whereas the National Naval Aviation Museum, of Pensacola, Florida, collects and displays more than 150 historic naval aircraft and other artifacts, such as photographs and uniforms, to tell the story of the Nation’s naval aviation; Whereas the Naval Museum of Armament and Technology, of China Lake, California, preserves and displays unique achievements in naval armament and technology, including various missiles, bombers, and explosive weapons, and chronicles the history of the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division; Whereas the Naval Undersea Museum, of Keyport, Washington, preserves, collects, and interprets naval undersea history, science, and operations; Whereas the Naval War College Museum, of Newport, Rhode Island, focuses on a history of naval warfare, particularly as studied at the College, and the naval heritage of Narragansett Bay; Whereas the Navy Art Collection, of Washington, DC, has over 15,000 paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures, depicting naval ships, personnel, and action from all eras of U.S. naval history; Whereas the Puget Sound Navy Museum, of Bremerton, Washington, is dedicated to the naval heritage of the Pacific Northwest through exhibits about the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, USS John C. Stennis, and more; Whereas the Patuxtent River Naval Air Museum, of Patuxtent River, Maryland, preserves, interprets, and teaches the research, development, test, and evaluation activities essential to naval aviation; Whereas the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum, of Port Hueneme, California, preserves the legacy of the Seabees and the Civil Engineer Corps of the Navy, through operational records, battalion histories, manuscripts, oral histories, biographies, and personal papers; Whereas the Submarine Force Museum & Historic Ship Nautilus, of Groton, Connecticut, maintains and preserves artifacts, documents, and photographs relating to U.S. Submarine Force history; Whereas the U.S. Naval Academy Museum, of Annapolis, Maryland, contributes to the recognition of history as a basic source of knowledge in advancing the theory and practice of sea power, especially through artifacts related to naval officers and the Academy; and Whereas the USS Constitution Old Ironsides and its museum, of Boston, Massachusetts, brings the story of the Nation’s oldest commissioned ship to life: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)acknowledges the great contributions of the official United States naval museums; (2)commends the employees and volunteers at each museum for their hard work and dedication in promoting the naval history of the country; (3)recommends that people in the United States take advantage of the educational and historical exhibits at these naval museums; and (4)urges continued United States Navy support for the museums.