The submarine could carry four crew members who operated a hand-cranked propeller and could travel underwater at four knots.
Test dives in the Passaic River in the late 1860s were successful, but the Navy decided to abandon the purchase after its operator was murdered.
The submarine was transported to the museum in Sea Girt by truck in April 1999 from the Washington Naval Yard, where it had been located since 1968.
As of 2019[update], the center has recorded over 600 interviews with veterans serving in World War II and other conflicts through Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In addition to the museum annex building, fifteen tanks, armored vehicles and cannon are on display outdoors.