By MOAA Staff

The Navy will construct a $450 million museum at a location to be determined near the Washington Navy Yard, Navy Secretary Kenneth  Braithwaite announced on the service's 245th birthday.

The facility would replace the existing museum at Navy Yard, which is closed because of the coronavirus pandemic. A timeline included in an Oct. 13 news release shows a potential 2025 completion, in time for the service's 250th birthday.

The museum "will foster public understanding of the U.S. Navy’s rich history and proud heritage," the release states. And it'll do it without charging admission, similar to the National Museum of the United States Army, which announced a Nov. 11 grand opening on the same day of the Navy announcement, and the National Museum of the Marine Corps, which has been in operation just outside Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., since 2006.

[RELATED: Army Sets New Opening Date for National Museum]

Plans call for a 4D theater, interactive exhibits, and displays of archival material. Groundbreaking would take place in 2023. The Navy plans to partner with a nonprofit organization to raise the funds required for the museum, per the release.

The existing museum at the Navy Yard opened in 1963. It closed in March because of coronavirus concerns. It sees 90,000 visitors in a typical year, per the museum website, but has been seen as difficult to access.