Groton — The Submarine Force Museum is holding an event at noon Friday on the pier to commemorate the anniversary of the Battle of Midway and mark the reopening of the museum, following its closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is free and open to the public.

The Battle of Midway, which occurred June 4-7, 1942, turned the tide in World War II. The commemoration will include laying a wreath in the Thames River to honor those who died in battle.

The museum reopened May 26, and the event Friday will serve as its grand reopening. A new addition to the museum is an augmented reality feature in which visitors can use a phone app to superimpose virtual images over what is in front of them.

Expected guests at the event include U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District; Capt. Todd Moore, commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base in Groton; Master Chief Kellen Volland, command master chief of the Naval Submarine Base; retired Adm. John Padgett of the Submarine Force Library & Museum Association; and Lt. Cmdr. Derek Sutton, the new director of the museum and officer-in-charge of the USS Nautilus.