Built in Newport News, Virginia, this nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is 1,092 feet long and weighs 90,000 tons. It was built by Northrop Grumman Newport News (NGNN) shipbuilding company*, and its homeport is located in San Diego, California.

Commissioned in 2003, USS Ronald Reagan has a unique relevance to our local history. During the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981 - 1989), the community of Santa Barbara served as the location for Reagan's "Rancho del Cielo" - also nicknamed the "Western White House."

In August 2005 the USS Ronald Reagan visited Santa Barbara for three days, hosting a number of functions for the public. Much of the crew came ashore during that period, to the delight of much of the community.

Loans courtesy of Navy League of the United States, Santa Barbara Council. Funds for model provided by Pacific Tug Service and Alan Porter.

*This company was founded in 1866 by railroad tycoon Collis P. Huntington, one of the wealthiest men of the 19th century. Huntington's vast estate is now a world-famous museum housing his collections -- The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens -- and is located in San Marino, California.

Built by Dwight F. Brooks in 1982, this model is based on the 312-foot Balao class submarine, U.S.S. Pampanito, built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard in 1943. Pampanito had six patrols in the Pacific and is credited with sinking six large ships and damaging four others. U.S.S. Pampanito also rescued downed pilots and survivors of torpedoed transports carrying allied prisoners-of-war.

The original U.S.S. Pampanito can be seen at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, as a floating exhibit of the San Francisco Maritime Museum. Tbe model weighs 100 pounds and is 10 feet long.

Scale: 4/10 inch = 1 foot

Gift of the Marbrook Foundation and Brooks Family Members.

Built by Dwight F. Brooks in 1982, this model is based on the 221-foot class VII C German submarine commissioned on October 22, 1941. The original U-406 went on 11 patrols. It only sank one ship and was sunk by depth charges from the British frigate, H.M.S. Spey in the North Atlantic on February 18, 1944. The Brooks model weighs 185 lbs. and is 10 feet, 2 inches long.

Scale: 1/2 inch = 1 foot

Gift of the Marbrook Foundation and Brooks Family Members.

U.S.S. Cree (ATF-84) is a 216-foot Apache class U.S. Naval Fleet Tug, built in 1942 and commissioned in March 1943. U.S.S. Cree performed as a towing and salvage vessel during World War II (WWII), cruising throughout the Pacific in numerous military operations. These tugs were specially designed to accompany fighting fleets, and were fast enough to match their cruising speeds.

U.S.S. Cree and other Apache class tugs were instrumental to the war effort in a number of ways. These vessels were responsible for towing damaged aircraft carriers, battleships, and other vessels and equipment to safe locations. Fleet tugs sometimes acted as fireboats, putting out fires aboard warships with their highly efficient water pumping systems. When necessary, these tugs performed their duties while defending themselves from attack.

These ships helped out with general defense during air raids, and used depth charges for anti-submarine warfare when needed. In postwar years, fleet tugs were just as important. They performed many different roles, among which towing and rescue duties were just a few.

U.S.S. Cree received two battle stars in WWII and three in the Korean War. Despite surviving these conflicts, U.S.S. Cree was accidentally bombed by aircraft while towing a target and was decommissioned in April of 1978. It was later sunk as a target in August of that same year.

This remote-controlled model has a complete lighting system, fully operable water hoses, and rotating radar masts. In case of attack, the U.S.S. Cree even has a working depth-charge delivery system and guns that fire blanks!

Dwight Brooks built this model between October 1979 and June 1980. He obtained plans for the U.S.S. Cree from both the Long Beach Naval Station in Long Beach, California, as well as the U.S. Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It weighs 204 pounds and is 9 feet long.

Scale: 1/2 inch = 1 foot

Gift of the Marbrook Foundation and Brooks Family Members.