Freedom Park, Omaha

Freedom Park Navy Museum is an outdoor naval museum beside the Missouri River, combining preserved military vessels with aircraft, weapons, and other equipment. Opened in 1974, the city-owned park was developed to commemorate United States naval service. Its main exhibits introduce visitors to naval operations during the Second World War and the Cold War, creating an unusual maritime museum setting far from the nation’s coasts.

The museum’s centerpiece is USS Hazard (AM-240), an Admirable-class minesweeper commissioned in 1944. The vessel served in the Pacific during the Second World War, participated in minesweeping operations near Okinawa, and later cleared waters near Japan and Korea for occupation forces. Hazard received three battle stars and is preserved as the only surviving intact Admirable-class minesweeper in the United States. Nearby stands USS Marlin (SST-2), a Cold War training submarine commissioned in 1953 and used for submarine and antisubmarine warfare training until 1973. Other outdoor exhibits include the Douglas A-4C Skyhawk, LTV A-7D Corsair II, a Coast Guard helicopter, rocket launchers, artillery, anchors, propellers, and a captain’s gig. Visitors can walk among the exhibits while enjoying views of the Missouri River.

Access to the interiors of Hazard and Marlin is generally available only during scheduled museum hours and may depend on volunteer staffing, weather, flooding, or maintenance. Guided tours explain the vessels’ construction, machinery, living quarters, armament, and service history, making the museum a specialized destination for visitors interested in American naval history.