USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc.

The USS Saratoga Museum is tasked to educate and inform future generations about the ships and aircraft, which defended our freedom, the people who developed and built them, and the men and women who served in them. While the main portion of our programming cannot begin until we are actually in possession of the aircraft carrier, we have already launched a number of creative and innovative initiatives to ensure wide popular appeal. As an example, the Foundation established the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame, and held the inaugural inductions during its Centennial of Aviation dinner in December 2003. The November, 2007 induction was sold out for the fifth consecutive year. The Foundation also acquired a rare F9F Panther jet, the same type that Baseball hero Ted Williams flew in combat in Korea. That plane will be restored in the colors of his Marine Corps fighter squadron. This initiative has already gained the sponsorship of the Boston Red Sox and the Ted Williams Museum. Once we have possession of the ship, the USS Saratoga Museum will: -Become a true community resource: a safe haven for children, a vocational training center, and an important family recreation and entertainment destination and a facility for major special events; -Develop a significant math and science center, a living laboratory for cutting-edge computer technology and virtual reality; -Restore and maintain the USS Saratoga (CV-60), commemorating this ship, the World War II carrier (CV-3) and all previous US Naval ships named Saratoga; -Acquire, preserve, protect and interpret vintage aircraft and other artifacts relating to ship/aircraft operations and maintenance in general, and ships named Saratoga in particular; -Collect and display materials associated with Rhode Island's naval and military heroes, ships named USS Rhode Island, and ships named for any of Rhode Island's city and towns; -Restore to operational condition artifacts of significance, so they can be observed in the historical environment and context their builders and users intended; -Develop exhibitry to show what life was like during periods covered by the collection; -Create interactive exhibitry to bring alive Quonset and Saratoga's past and help anchor them firmly in the region's technological future; -Work with the neighboring Quonset Air Museum and other elements, which participate in the Park and support its mission.