The Midway Museum or the Maritime Museum of San Diego?
We only had time for one during our time in San Diego. I debated the merits of both again and again – my final decision was based on “which will I be more sad if I miss” and that led me to choosing the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Not because the Midway Museum isn’t AMAZING – you’re on an aircraft carrier, so it doesn’t get much cooler than that for a museum. But because the Maritime Museum of San Diego felt more “local” and had exhibits on various ships. You tour and wander ship to ship and learn about all kinds of maritime history. For myself, and my students, I decided that Maritime Museum was the way to go. And I’m so glad that I went.
The layout of the museum is really interesting. Each vessel has its own exhibits relevant to its work or time period, although The Berkeley has information about the entirety of maritime history, ship models, cartography and more. Here’s a brief idea of what you can expect at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
The Berkeley
The main portion of the museum is on The Berkeley, a Victorian-era ferry built in the late 1800s. It can be hard to choose where to go, so I started at the beginning and wove my way through the museum which took me off The Berkeley and on to various other vessels. Upon reflection I’d probably do all of The Berkeley first and then go through the offshoots that lead to the other vessels.
The first floor that you enter is a variety of exhibits about the history of fishing and canning along the California coast, models of historic vessels from around the world and cartography on one side. The other side is about The Berkeley herself as well as the Swift Boat from Vietnam that’s available for tours on the weekends.
Once you head downstairs on The Berkeley you end up in the inner workings of the ship. It was a steam powered vessel, so there are boilers and other tools and machinery to see. One of the most interesting things was hearing the “pistol” shrimp along the outside of the vessel. The small clicks you hear in the video below are these tiny shrimp stunning their prey with the click of their claws.
When you head upstairs on The Berkeley you’re arrive in the area that’s restored to look like it did when The Berkeley sailed. Stained glass, wooden benches and more add to the effect and it’s now used as an event space with a dance floor.
The top deck takes you to the bridge where the Captain is located. You can see inside where the orders would be sent to and from the boiler room decks below and the charts for navigation.
The USS Dolphin
The USS Dolphin was a research submarine and the record holder for the deepest diving submarine in the world with its unclassified depth at 3,000 feet and its classified depth still unknown. It holds other records too, including sending the first submarine to aircraft email, deepest torpedo launch and more.
It was interesting to see another submarine after going on the USS Cod a few years ago. I find them fascinating even though I’d never want to work on one in real life. The USS Dolphin is also special because it has only one compartment. Unlike other subs that have multiple compartments to help if a vessel starts to take on water, the USS Dolphin only has one. There’s an interesting story shared on board of a time when the ship began to take on water and the actions of its crew.
It’s also fun to look through the periscope which had a great view of The San Salvador.
The San Salvador
The San Salvador is a replica of a Spanish Galleon that would’ve sailed the seas from the 1500s-1700s. The San Salvador was the first ship to reach the area we now call San Diego and was commanded by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. When The San Salvador arrived it found the area inhabited by the Kumeyaay people.
Stepping on to these ships and seeing the detailed exhibits on the docks around them really gives the museum an immersive feeling.
The Californian
The Californian is a tall sailing ship that still provides cruises. It’s a replica of an 1847 Revenue Cutter C.W. Lawrence and the official tall ship of California.
The HMS Surprise/The HMS Rose
This ship is a movie star! It’s been in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World with Russell Crowe and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides captained by none other than Captain Barbosa. Originally a replica of The HMS Rose, The HMS Surprise is a replica of a British Navy Frigate.
With views and information about what happens underway, like the capstan, and exhibits below including photos from the Master and Commander movie, there’s so much to take in that it truly is a “surprise” they can fit it all onboard.
The Star of India
The oldest continuously-operating merchant vessel in the world, The Star of India is just that… a true star of the fleet at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Originally a cargo vessel, her purpose changed when she began sailing to New Zealand with immigrants. I found the information about what life was like for those immigrating on the transformed cargo ship really interesting. They held up to 410 people on board at the prime of her immigration career.
I peeked over the edge and saw something going on below.
I noticed that you could go down another deck which I did and boy am I glad I did so. I got to speak with two of the men restoring The Star of India’s original figurehead. The figurehead needed to be taken back to the wood (likely the first time this has ever happened since she was commissioned), repaired inside and I watched as they took image after image to make a complete composite of 3-D images. If anything tragic happens to the figurehead in the future, they’ll be able to make exact replicas using these images.
Other Vessels
Other vessels you can go on at the museum include a Vietnam Swift Boat that offers tours on the weekends with a veteran docent and The Medea, a steam yacht from 1904.
There’s a Russian Submarine that’s off exhibit and will be scrapped in the near future, making way for the Maritime Museum of San Diego to pour valuable resources into vessels that are more salvageable at this point.
The Harbor Cruise
For an extra $10 you are able to go on a 45-minute harbor cruise. Having already been on one with a ticket from The Westin I wasn’t sure this would be different, but I wanted to see how this cruise stacked up.
My vote? Skip the other harbor tour and just come to the museum’s tour. Our guide (Kiki) was amazing, hilarious, interesting and the cruise added more to the experience of the museum.
One of the coolest things I learned was about the Dole ships that come in 4x per week loaded with cargo – you can’t see the red waterline on the ship when it’s full. It returns to the Dole plantations empty and ready to be refilled. This was the Dole Caribbean and you can track its progress online.
Plus – bonus sea lions!
Ticket Prices & Final Thoughts
At the time of my visit the tickets were $20 per person for adults with an additional $10 for the harbor tour. At first it felt like a high price, but I was willing to go find out anyway. I’m so glad I did. It’s well worth the ticket price and the additional cost for the harbor tour.
Overall, I’d highly recommend a visit to the Maritime Museum of San Diego. There’s a ton of information, cool things to look at and you can even practice your sailing skills. I kid you knot – it’s a can’t-miss while you’re in San Diego!
Betaalbare Topkwaliteit keukens
Sailing Though History At The Maritime Museum Of San Diego, California – No Home Just Roam