For friends of Germany's military history the city of Wilhelmshaven offers a very special highlight in the form of the German Naval Museum. The museum is located in the immediate vicinity of one of the largest bases of the German Navy and one of Wilhelmshaven's landmarks - the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge, which is also well worth seeing. Founded in 1998, the museum presents the development of German military seamanship since 1848 in an impressive exhibition. Currently, the exhibition focuses on the Federal Navy and the German Navy of the former German Democratic Republic. In the large outdoor area, visitors have access to smaller exhibits such as guns, mines, torpedoes, and also to a Lockheed F-104 "Starfighter", which was used as a fighter bomber by the West German Navy until the 1990s. The main attractions of the museum, however, are clearly the three battleships lying in the harbor basin, some of which are accessible. This group of ships includes the very impressive guided-missile destroyer "Mölders", named after Werner Mölders, one of the most famous fighter pilots of the Second World War. The "Mölders" is on permanent loan to the Naval Museum from the Bundeswehr Military Technology Study Collection. Equally impressive as the Mölders is the U-10 submarine, which was deployed at the naval base in Kiel during its active period from 1967 to 1993. The exhibits in the open-air grounds are rounded off by an extensive and similarly interesting permanent exhibition on the history of the German Navy from the 19th century to the present day. An average of 100,000 visitors come to Wilhelmshaven every year to learn about the fascinating history of the Navy in Germany. Further details about the museum and the current opening hours can be found at www.marinemuseum.de