FORT PIERCE — U.S. Rep. Brian Mast is urging the Department of the Navy to designate the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce as part of the U.S. Navy’s official museum system, citing the site’s historical role in the origins of Naval Special Warfare.
Mast sent a request to Navy Secretary John C. Phelan calling for the museum’s inclusion, joined by 28 members of Florida’s congressional delegation from both parties. The lawmakers asked the Navy to formally recognize the museum under authority granted by the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which established criteria for museums to be included in the Navy’s system.
The museum is located on the former Naval Amphibious Training Base in Fort Pierce, where the U.S. Navy trained its first frogmen during World War II. Those early units later evolved into the Naval Combat Demolition Units, Underwater Demolition Teams and today’s Navy SEALs. Founded in 1985, the museum documents the history of those units through exhibits and educational programs…