Mission
The mission of the Maritime Museum of San Diego is to serve as the community memory of our seafaring experience by collecting, preserving, and presenting our rich maritime heritage and historic connections with the Pacific world.

Premise
The history of human achievement is defined in large measure by our historical relationship with the sea. Not only has the sea determined the progress and shape of civilization, our understanding of that relationship and our responsibilities for stewardship of the oceans will determine our future. This relationship cannot be understood or defined in purely scientific terms; culture exerts a dominating influence. The role of any maritime museum is translation between human experience of the oceans and our understanding of their nature.

Purpose
To preserve the traditional knowledge, skills, and folk culture of the enterprise of the sea
To provide a safe repository for material culture
To illustrate how the maritime enterprise has touched and continues to influence our daily lives through innovative and engaging educational programs, exhibits, publications, and cultural events.

About us:

The Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world's finest collections of historic ships, including the world's oldest active ship the Star of India.

The Museum displays permanent and temporary exhibits on maritime history, commerce and exploration and stages popular public events such as "The Chocolate Festival", "Pirate Buccaneer Birthday Bash", "Festival of Sail each Labor Day weekend", and family sleepovers on the Star of India. Thousands of school children from throughout Southern California visit the museum each year for a variety of dockside and at-sea educational programs.

The museum's schooner Californian takes passengers sailing on San Diego Bay and weekend adventure sails to Catalina. The museum's ships play host to more than 200 private events each year including weddings, private parties, meeting and seminars, corporate events and charters.