The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum collects a wide range of artifacts to document our history as a U.S. naval vessel from 1943 to 1974. Developing a deep and rich collection of historical artifacts and archives will allow the Museum to share the extraordinary history of Intrepid and her crew with our current and future visitors.

In addition to collections specifically related to Intrepid, we maintain artifacts and archives associated with USS Growler, our Cold War era submarine, as well as the history and evolution of aviation and space exploration. We also collect items pertaining to the home front, including a growing collection of original World War I and World War II era propaganda posters.

While some historic objects may be placed on display in our long-term or temporary exhibits, others may be used in our education collection to help us teach the history of the ship to students. Other items, such as photographs or archival documents, help us to better understand the history of Intrepid and the men who served aboard her.

Our collections and exhibitions staff is always interested in expanding upon its artifact and archives collections with items that represent all periods of Intrepid’s history. Some of the types of materials that we are seeking include:

• Diaries and log books
• Letters
• Uniforms and patches
• Flight suits, helmets and flight gear
• Medals
• Photographs
• Certificates
• Souvenirs
• Training materials
• Ship’s newspapers and memos
• Posters and cartoons
• Film footage
• Ship’s equipment
• World War II home front memorabilia