The mission of the Maritime Museum of San Diego is to serve as the community memory of the seafaring experience by collecting, preserving, and presenting rich maritime heritage and historic connections with the Pacific world. 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 Star of India. Their collection of ships and exhibits are available for daily public tours.

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. The MacMullen Library and Research Archives is a resource for members as well as scholars and researchers from around the world. Along with our peer-reviewed quarterly, Mains'l Haul: A Journal of Pacific Maritime History, they encourage and enhance the study of maritime history.

Founded in 1948, the museum grew out of the earlier efforts of a group of local historians and maritime enthusiasts who acquired the sailing ship Star of India in 1927. Now fully restored, the Star of India is maintained by a dedicated group of volunteers and skilled craftsmen and sailed at least once a year. The museum’s collection also includes the 1898 steam ferry Berkeley, the 1904 steam yacht Medea, the 1914 Pilot, the state’s official tall ship Californian -a replica of a mid 19th century revenue cutter, and the H.M.S Surprise, a magnificent replica of an 18th century Royal Navy frigate featured in the award winning film “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.”