The 10,000-square-foot NSMSD is within walking distance of the San Diego bayfront and serves as the preview of a larger, world-class museum to be built in the coming years. (Photo courtesy of the NSMSD)

The Navy SEAL Museum opened Saturday downtown, offering access and insight into the secretive world of U.S. Navy SEALs through educational exhibitions, retired SEAL docents, sensory interactive experiences, virtual reality environments, and community engagement impact programs.

It’s open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except Tuesdays at 100 Kettner Blvd. near the Embarcadero in the One America Plaza building at the corner of West Broadway. Admissions will be managed through a timed-entry ticketing system. Visitors will be admitted in groups of 30, every 15 minutes throughout the day. The last admission ticket will be sold at 4:15 pm. Tickets can be purchased at https://navysealmuseumsd.org/tickets/.

“Navy SEALs have played transformational roles in our nation’s history through clandestine operations. And due to that fact, many Americans have no idea what it takes to become a SEAL, how we came to be, what our missions entailed, and where we’re going in the future,” Museum Executive Director Beef Drechsler said. “We will convey all of this through engaging and hands-on exhibitions that utilize cutting-edge technology, as well as face-to-face interactions with docents, most of whom served in the SEAL Teams and other special warfare operators, giving the visitor an unparalleled learning experience and an appreciation of the sacrifices made by anyone serving in uniform.”

This is the second such museum after the first one opened in 1985 in Fort Pierce, Fla.

The opening of the Navy SEAL Museum San Diego represents an expansion of the organization into San Diego, one of the largest military concentrations in the country, and just across the bay from Naval Special Warfare in Coronado, where all Navy SEALs are created and trained, according to Dreschler.

“We have a very compelling and captivating history,” National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum CEO Rick Kaiser said. “We have strong visitation despite Ft. Pierce being some distance from major tourist centers like Orlando, and so to be able to tell our story in a city that receives more than 30 million visitors every year made sense. We look forward to creating partnerships with our fellow museums and are eager to provide visitors with the opportunity for a ‘Maritime Triad’ experience, given our proximity to the USS Midway Museum and the Maritime Museum of San Diego.”

For more information, visit navysealmuseumsd.org or call 619-566- 7956.

— City News Service

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