SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- A new museum highlighting the history of the Navy SEALs, America's most elite combat unit, is coming to downtown San Diego.
The Navy SEAL Museum will take over the 10,000-square foot building at the corner of Broadway and Kettner Boulevard. The building used to house the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art.
"We have a big story to tell," said Todd Perry, the museum's executive director.
Perry added, "We have the longest continual commando training in U.S. The other ones kind of ended after World War II. Our Frogmen kept training, and then we have significant successes that we want to talk about, all the way from D-Day to Osama Bin Laden. And those successes came from sacrifice; we want to honor that as well."
There already is a Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida -- the place where the SEAL program began. But Perry said now that the SEALs train and have their headquarters in San Diego, it's a natural fit to have a second museum here.
"A lot of it will use interactive and immersive type simulators," explained Perry. "We've got virtual reality. We want different things so you can experience what it's like to put (a re-breather) rig on and dive."
Because of space limitations, the new museum won't have full-size replicas of many of the vehicles the SEALs use. But Perry said they're already looking at larger sites in San Diego where the museum can move when it's ready to expand.
In the meantime, Perry said the proximity to the Midway Museum, Navy Pier, and the Maritime Museum will bring people interested in military history to the SEAL Museum as well.
"It's been a dream. San Diego is America's largest military city. This is just the perfect location and it's long overdue,” Perry said.
The museum should be open by the end of 2024. For more information, visit their website, navysealmuseumsd.org.
