Patriots Point to reopen May 15

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Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum will reopen May 15 with several improvement projects completed during its closure induced by COVID-19.

Executive Director Larry Murray said in a news release that when the museum is serving the public, it can’t close the hangar deck or a tour route to perform extensive renovations, but the past few weeks have provided that opportunity.

“COVID-19 has affected us all in negative ways, but the bright spot for us is the time we’ve had to make our museum better,” he said.

Projects have included installing ultraviolet light air purifiers in air conditioning units aboard the USS Yorktown, installing more than a dozen new hand sanitizing stations, renovating the ship’s handicap entrance and replacing the wood paneling inside the gangway.

Staff has also stripped and repainted tour routes, ladder wells and open spaces, and the five self-guided tour routes have been reconfigured into four new routes that incorporate new signage with Scrappy, the Patriots Point mascot.

The 28 aircraft at the museum will be pressure-washed prior to the museum’s reopening.

Only self-guided tours will be available; educational programs, guided tours and overnight camping operations remain suspended.

“When we reopen, the USS Yorktown will look like the Navy has been back aboard,” Murray said.