Established in 1948, it preserves one of the largest collections of historic sea vessels in the United States.

Located on San Diego Bay, the centerpiece of the museum's collection is Star of India, an 1863 iron barque.

The replica was constructed in full public view in the bayside Spanish Landing Park in San Diego, giving people the opportunity to watch a living recreation of the first modern industrial activity in the Americas.

She was launched in 2015 and is stationed at the San Diego Bay Embarcadero as part of the Museum's fleet of historic and replica ships.

She opened for public tours in September 2016 in conjunction with the Maritime Museum's annual Festival of Sail.