Hampton Roads Naval Museum

Operated by the U.S. Navy within the Nauticus complex, the Hampton Roads Naval Museum interprets the naval history of the Chesapeake region from the colonial era to the present. Revolutionary War exhibits address the Battle of the Capes (September 1781), Dunmore's use of the Chesapeake as a British naval base, and the strategic importance of the Elizabeth River and Hampton Roads anchorage throughout the war. The museum provides essential context for understanding why Norfolk's location — at the junction of four rivers feeding into Hampton Roads — made it the most strategically significant port in the Chesapeake.