Over a dozen expertly crafted display models guide visitors from the first landing aboard a ship by Eugene Ely in 1911, to the modern nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. U.S. carriers were key to defeating Imperial Japanese forces during World War II, and during the Cold War matured into premier assets for first response to international crises. Today, the aircraft carrier is  critical to U.S. power projection and diplomacy, serving as four-and-a-half acres of sovereign U.S. territory, anytime, anywhere.