The Coast Guard, Congress, and State of Connecticut are more committed than ever to bring the National Coast Guard Museum to New London. The city has played an enduring role in Coast Guard history, and there is no better place to honor the service’s past and celebrate its future.

Over the last two years, the Coast Guard, Congress, state, City of New London and the National Coast Guard Museum Association have made significant progress towards a shared vision of a National Coast Guard Museum. Nearly $60 million has been provided for the project, including $15 million appropriated by the Congress for design and fabrication of the museum exhibits, and up to $20 million provided by the State of Connecticut. The Coast Guard is designing exhibits to showcase the service’s rich heritage. The National Coast Guard Museum Association has made great strides with pre-construction planning, including the completion of building design and construction plans.

The museum will be developed in concert with state, regional and city stakeholders. Placed in the heart of downtown New London, where the ferry and Amtrak terminals facilitate access to the entire eastern seaboard, the museum will bring an estimated 300,000 annual visitors and approximately $10 million to local businesses each year. The Coast Guard Training Barque Eagle – America’s Tall Ship - will call the New London City Pier home, where together the museum and Eagle will spotlight New London’s rich maritime heritage and enhance the downtown waterfront. Complete with roof top event spaces and terraces, the museum will enable community gatherings with stunning views of the Thames River and its access to Long Island Sound.

New London is the deserving and rightful home for the National Coast Guard Museum. The historic waterfront has been interwoven with the Coast Guard for nearly 230 years, dating back to 1791 when the United States Revenue Cutter Argus first set sail from the downtown waterfront. In addition to cutter crews operating from the waterfront, beginning in 1910 countless generations of Coast Guard leaders developed their maritime acumen in this community. Today, New London, an official “Coast Guard City” is home to the service’s Academy, its sole Research and Development Center, the service’s Leadership and Development Center, a multi-mission Small Boat Station, Coast Guard Cutter Albacore, and Barque Eagle.

As a free museum, the National Coast Guard Museum will be an easily-accessible resource for the public, including school and youth groups. Exhibits and interactive displays including science and technology, humanitarian relief, and environmental protection are a few examples of themes that will inspire our youth. The museum will host a variety of programs, including special lectures and engagements for audiences of all ages.

We believe that a publicly accessible museum in downtown New London will foster continued partnership between the Coast Guard and the community for years to come.

I am proud to report the substantial progress to develop the National Coast Guard Museum in New London and reaffirm my continued commitment to ensuring it becomes a reality. I look forward to the day when the museum will open its doors in the Coast Guard City of New London, where it will serve to educate our nation about the Coast Guard’s past, present, and future.

Admiral Karl Schultz is the 26th Commandant of the Coast Guard and is a native of Hartford.