United States Navy Memorial

Abstract

Close view of bas-relief depicting "Admiral David Farragut - Mobile Bay - 1864" ("Damn The Torpedoes - Full Speed Ahead"); Congress authorized the Memorial in 1980, with the stipulation that funding come solely from private contributions. The United States Navy Memorial is home to the Memorial Plaza, which features Stanley Bleifield's statue, The Lone Sailor. The Lone Sailor, a tribute to all personnel of the sea services, overlooks the Granite Sea, an exact replication of the world's oceans. Surrounding the Granite Sea are two fountain pools, honoring the personnel of the American Navy and the other navies of the world. The southern hemisphere of the Granite Sea is surrounded by 26 bronze bas-reliefs commemorating events, personnel, and communities of the various sea services. Adjacent to the Memorial Plaza is the Naval Heritage Center, which features the Arleigh Burke Theater, several rotating exhibits about the sea services, and houses several Navy Log kiosks, for easy registration on the Navy Log. The Naval Heritage Center also features daily screenings of the films At Sea and A Day in the Life of the Blue Angels. The Media Resource Center provides a library of printed, audio and video historical documents on the Navy and The Navy Log room has touch-screen kiosks to register and search for Sea Service members and veterans. Source: Wikipedia; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page (accessed 7/17/2008