Long Overdue Tribute to the Long Blue Line: National Coast Guard Museum Opening in 2027
In the 165 years since the Medal of Honor was created, only one of the more than 3,000 recipients was a member of the United States Coast Guard. Signalman 1st Class Douglas Munro was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor after giving his life on September 27, 1942, while ensuring the safe evacuation of hundreds of U.S. Marines at the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Signalman 1st Class Munro’s Medal of Honor is just one of the many important artifacts demonstrating the heroism and importance of the U.S. Coast Guard, which will soon be getting the tribute it deserves at the National Coast Guard Museum, opening in New London, Connecticut, on August 4, 2027.
What Is the Long Blue Line?
How much do you know about the US Coast Guard? Did you know the Coast Guard was founded in 1790, the first new service branch to be established following the Revolutionary War?
Did you know that in addition to protecting the marine transportation system, regulating and safeguarding U.S. ports and waterways, and securing the nation’s maritime border, the Coast Guard partners with the Navy during wartime and takes part in national defense activities abroad?
Did you know that the Coast Guard leads the nation in maritime drug interdiction? Or that the Coast Guard saves thousands of American lives each year? And this is only scratching the surface of the Coast Guard’s activities and significance as part of the U.S. Armed Forces.
Defending more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, 25,000 miles of navigable rivers, and 4.5 million square miles of U.S. exclusive economic zone, the Coast Guard is known as the Long Blue Line protecting American waters.
Despite its undeniable impact and legacy of dedicated service, the Coast Guard is sometimes considered the “forgotten branch” of the U.S. military. This may be due in part to its smaller size compared to other service branches, and its unique multi-mission nature which combines law enforcement, regulatory activities, intelligence activities, and national defense.
The Long Road to a National Museum
Excluding the fledgling Space Force, the Coast Guard is the only branch of the U.S. military that does not have a dedicated national museum honoring and interpreting its history for future generations. But that will finally change when the doors of the new National Coast Guard Museum open to the public for the first time next summer.
This is a project decades in the making. Various smaller Coast Guard museums have been in operation across the country for years, including a small museum within the USCG Academy in New London, which has held many incredible historic artifacts in its collection that will soon be incorporated into the new national museum.
The Coast Guard has been supportive of a national museum since as early as the late 1990s, when the Coast Guard’s Commandant, Admiral James M. Loy, approached the Coast Guard Foundation with a proposal for a national museum. A nonprofit organization, the National Coast Guard Museum Association, was established in 2001, which took on the mantle of raising the funds and beginning the planning to develop the national museum.
In 2003, the development of the museum was officially codified into law with the passing of the Coast Guard Authorization Act. From then on, the National Coast Guard Museum Association continued to work toward developing the museum. Progress stalled briefly with the economic downturn of the late 2000s. However, when a new Commandant, Admiral Jim Loy, came on board in 2012, it was the push needed to get things going again.
In 2013, the intended location and initial design plans for the museum were officially unveiled by the City of New London, and the plans were made official in 2014 when the National Coast Guard Museum Association, the City of New London, the State of Connecticut, and the US Coast Guard entered into a Memorandum of Agreement to develop the museum.
Over the next decade, additional funds were raised by the National Coast Guard Museum Association, thanks to the generous support of more than 8,000 individual donors. Funding from the state and federal governments was also secured with bipartisan support.
The National Coast Guard Museum Association also collaborated with the Coast Guard, historians, and a variety of Coast Guard-related nonprofit organizations to develop the five core interpretive themes that would tell the Coast Guard's story:
- Defenders of the Nation
- Enforcers on the Seas
- Lifesavers Around the Globe
- Champions of Commerce
- Protectors of the Environment
The National Coast Guard Museum Association’s President, Captain Wes Pulver, USCG Retired, emphasized that the goal in developing these themes was to make the museum more than just a building with artifacts inside. These themes are meant to get people excited and interested in the work the Coast Guard does and to create a vibrant museum that welcomes all members of the American public, not just active-duty Coasties and Coast Guard Veterans.
“People always ask me, ‘Are you doing this to recruit?’ No. But, if people get inspired, do something that they otherwise wouldn’t have been inspired to do because they came to the museum, that’s a bingo,” Capt. Pulver explained.
Staff from the Coast Guard were brought on in 2020 to build out the museum’s exhibits from these themes, and plans to build the museum continued to move forward.
The museum’s official “keel-laying” ceremony was held on August 19, 2022, and construction officially began on Coast Guard Day, August 4, 2025. A year later, on August 4, 2026, the Coast Guard released a statement officially announcing the museum’s opening day: Coast Guard Day 2027.
What Can Visitors Expect at the National Coast Guard Museum?
According to the August 4 press release, the new facility will be more than a museum:
“[The] National Coast Guard Museum will serve as a place where Americans can connect with the people behind the uniform and gain a deeper appreciation for the Coast Guard’s unique role in protecting the nation every day. Through stories of courage, innovation, resilience, and selfless service, the museum will honor the Coast Guard’s legacy while inspiring future generations to answer the call.”
Best of all, this experience will be available for free. But what can visitors actually expect to see and experience?
A New Home on the Water
The National Coast Guard Museum will be a state-of-the-art, five-floor facility built on the banks of the Thames River in New London, Connecticut. New London was chosen as the ideal home for this museum due to the city's long-standing history with the US Coast Guard.
New London has served as a homeport for US Coast Guard Cutters since 1791, and has been home to the United States Coast Guard Academy since 1910. In addition to the USCG Academy, Coast Guard Station New London is also the location of the Coast Guard’s Research and Development Center and the Coast Guard’s Leadership Development Center.
Since 2015, New London has been officially recognized by the USCG as Connecticut’s Coast Guard City, a designation given to cities that show exceptional support and consideration to the Coast Guard family and their dependents.
The five-story museum will feature sweeping views of the Thames River waterfront, including an expanded riverfront promenade and a pedestrian bridge that will connect downtown New London to the waterfront. From the museum, visitors will also get unmatched views of the Coast Guard Barque Eagle, the only active duty sailing vessel in military service.
Signature Exhibits and Programs
The museum will feature more than 38,000 square feet of exhibit space across its five floors. These exhibits will explore the role of the Coast Guard across five key theme areas related to the Coast Guard’s mission: Defenders of the Nation, Enforcers on the Seas, Lifesavers Around the Globe, Champions of Commerce and Protectors of the Environment.
These exhibits will feature thousands of historic images and hundreds of artifacts. Signalman 1st Class Munro’s Medal of Honor will certainly be a centerpiece of the museum that visitors won’t want to miss, along with a suspended MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter, complete with a life-sized aircrew modeled after a real active-duty crew.
Beyond exploring the Coast Guard’s history and honoring those who served, the Museum seeks to inspire future generations through the promotion of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) learning and civics through its exhibits and programming.
The museum will feature two spaces for hands-on STEM learning. The Innovation Lab will be specially designed for little learners, aged 3 to 9 - sort of like a mini Coast Guard-themed children’s museum! The STEM Lab will take things up a notch for learners over age 9, offering unique 15-20 minute team-building and learning experiences in immersive, simulated missions based on real-life Coast Guard operations.
In terms of educational programming for students, the museum plans to offer a special Qualifications Program that will incorporate a guided tour of the museum and expose students to the diverse skills Coast Guard service members use every day to do their jobs.
But it’s not all for the kids! The museum also plans to offer a variety of programs for lifelong learners. So far, a Leadership Development program has been developed, inspired by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Admiral James M. Loy Institute for Leadership, and there will be more to come in the future.
Learning Outside the Museum Walls
Can’t make it to New London? That’s okay! The museum plans to offer distance learning opportunities for all ages, as well.
The museum hopes to partner with local and regional Coast Guard museums all over the country to increase their impact beyond coastal Connecticut.
Additionally, teachers across the country will be able to access STEM-centered lesson plans that they can incorporate into their curricula throughout the school year, with all necessary materials provided.
There are also plans to develop the museum’s website into a full-fledged resource for learning with the addition of virtual exhibits so that every American can learn more about the Coast Guard, regardless of their ability to visit the museum in person.
Last, but certainly not least, Captain Pulver explained that the National Coast Guard Museum Association is working to bring members from all over the country into the museum as part of the Coast Guard’s history in their own right by partnering with Together We Served to feature Veterans’ profiles and help them connect through interactive kiosks at the museum.
Countdown to Opening Day
The museum was originally projected to open in spring 2027, but with the official opening date announced, the National Coast Guard Museum Association is proudly displaying a countdown to August 4, 2027, at the top of its website.
Since the groundbreaking in 2025, construction updates have been shared periodically on the museum's web page. More recently, progress photos have been shared on Facebook @ncgmuseum. The museum recommends social media as the best way to stay in the know about the museum’s progress over the next year.
An official “commissioning” ceremony is planned for June, when donors are expected to get early access to the museum. A series of events will also be planned for the Week of August 2, 2027, to celebrate the museum’s official opening to the public.
Sign up for the National Coast Guard Museum Association’s newsletter and keep an eye on the website and social media pages so you’ll be the first to know when the official schedule of events for opening week is announced.
A Tribute Long-Overdue
The National Coast Guard Museum will finally give the Coast Guard, Active-duty Coasties, and Coast Guard Veterans the honor and recognition they deserve, 237 years after the service was created.
Captain Pulver noted that many of the more than 8,000 donors who have supported the museum are Veterans themselves, and that many are deeply touched by the opening of this museum.
According to Captain Pulver, if there’s one thing you should know about the National Coast Guard Museum, it’s how much passion there is behind it.
“We are really excited about what we've been doing. There's a lot of momentum, and we're growing into something that's going to be spectacular. This story hasn't been told… and it's not something that a lot of folks know.”
Captain Pulver expressed that he’s been too focused on getting the museum opened to consider how it makes him feel just as a Veteran, but he has considered what his proudest moment will be once the museum is open:
“I think it's going to be bringing my granddaughter through, just holding her hand and showing her different things. I was involved with all five [Coast Guard missions].” Captain Pulver explained.
“Right now I ask her, ‘Do you know what grandpa used to do?’ and she's sano whatever you're old so now I get a chance to have a great conversation with her.”
The museum will be a place for all Americans to explore, connect with one another, be inspired, and learn about the fascinating mission of the U.S. Coast Guard. Will you visit?
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BY DANA CONGELOSI
Military Spouse and Contributing Writer at VeteranLife
Marine Corps Veteran
Dana is a military spouse who has spent more than five years navigating the unique rhythms of military life alongside her partner. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Anthropology from St. Lawrence University and has built her career across museums, public libraries, and recreation. Thro...
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Dana is a military spouse who has spent more than five years navigating the unique rhythms of military life alongside her partner. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Anthropology from St. Lawrence University and has built her career across museums, public libraries, and recreation. Thro...
