Description: The US Navy Memorial was an unexpected stop for us, and we’re glad we went. It’s a tribute to the men and women, past, present, and future of the United States Navy, as well as sailors, both merchant marine and naval, throughout the world. We unexpectedly came upon the Navy Memorial when we exited the Metro subway at the Archive-Navy Memorial-Penn Quarter station. We were headed to the National Archives, but emerging from the Metro escalator onto ground level, we found ourselves at the Navy Memorial. The name of station should have given us a clue. The Navy Memorial sits at the intersection between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and 7th Street NW, facing the National Archives Building.
The Navy Memorial consists of Memorial Plaza and the Navy Heritage Center. Memorial Plaza consists of the Granite Sea, surrounded by bas relief displays and two fountain pools in front. The Granite Sea is a large flat globe projection made of two different shades of granite, said to be accurately aligned with the earth. Standing in the upper left corner of the Granite Sea is the Lone Sailor statue. It’s 7 foot tall bronze statue of a sailor standing with his hands in his jacket pockets, patiently awaiting his ship to come in, thus beginning his sea tour. His seabag sits next to him next to a cleat, indicating he’s standing at the edge of a dock. The Lone Sailor is very moving, he has a steely stare out to sea, showing he’s ready for service, but he stands alone, and he’s going to miss friends and loved ones he leaves on shore. Around the Granite Sea are two fountains pools, currently being maintained. The east pool commemorates the US Navy, the west pool commemorates all other seafarers, regardless of nationality. There are granite displays with brass bas reliefs which commemorate important events in US Navy history, such as important battles, and communities within the Navy, such as Navy families, naval exploration, Navy engineers, as well as others. The bas relief displays are done very well. The 3 dimensional nature of the bas reliefs are very visually stunning. The multitude of aspects the reliefs depict does a very good job of honoring those that served, and currently serve the Navy.
There are two buildings immediately north of the Granite Sea. The east (right) side houses the Naval Heritage Center. At the entrance is the Submarine Window, a stained glass window with images of a World War 2 submarine in the middle, commemorating those who served in the Silent Service and those who didn’t make it home. Entering the Naval Heritage Center, the statue Homecoming is inside. It is a seven foot tall statue complimenting the Lone Sailor. The Homecoming shows a sailor hugging his wife and child after returning from sea. The Naval Heritage Center features a Navy Log, where you can look up those who served in the US Navy. Inside is the Arleigh Burke Theater, with daily showings of movies such as At Sea and A Day in the Life of the Blue Angels. There is also a gift shop in the rear.
The Naval Memorial is a very interesting venue and an excellent educational opportunity. Although I personally have no ties to the US Navy, I’m glad to know there is this beautiful memorial to celebrate our sailors. We basically stumbled into the Navy Memorial, as we had to pass it on the way to the National Archives Building, but we’re glad we didn’t pass it up.
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