The Los Angeles Maritime Museum creates an awareness and appreciation of the maritime history of coastal California, with an emphasis on the people and institutions of the port city of Los Angeles. The Museum is located in the 1941 Municipal Ferry Terminal, now on the National Register of Historic Places. From 1941-1963, a ferry system transported thousands of passengers to the canneries and military bases on Terminal Island, where they could also make connections to neighboring cities and towns. Today the "ferry building" is still a place for making connections…to the community and to our shared maritime experiences.

The Los Angeles Maritime Museum is a facility of the City of Los Angeles, Department of Recreation and Parks, operating with the financial assistance of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum Foundation.