Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre The Royal Australian Navy Heritage Centre is the maritime museum of the Royal Australian Navy . The centre opened on 4 October 2005 and is located within the Public Access Area on the northern end of Garden Island Naval base . The need for such a facility was first recognised in 1922 , by Vice Admiral Sir William Creswell who suggested the building of a museum to permanently display the Australian Navy ’ s already rich and unique heritage . Since then , there have been several attempts to establish an international - standard naval museum . The origins of the RANHC date from 2001 , when the then Chief of the Navy commissioned a Naval Heritage Management Study to examine in detail how the RAN ’ s past might best be used to support the present Navy ’ s goals . One of the most important recommendations was the creation of a facility for the public display of the Naval Heritage Collection ( NHC ) . Once approval for funding was received , a RANHC Project Board was formed and the project began on 24 May 2004 . The NHC contains more than 250 , 000 individual items , and the mission of the RANHC is to display those objects of museum standard to the public , and through these displays capture something of the Australian naval experience . This is a large thematic display focusing on how the Navy ’ s people have ‘ done the job ’ at sea over the years . Branches and categories past and present are used to explain how the naval profession has changed and developed . This exhibit features a unique interactive display a fully operational submarine attack periscope has been installed to allow visitors an unusual view of Sydney Harbour . A specific display illustrating how the Navy has developed and applied technology to the sea - fighting environment . It includes precision instruments for navigation and gunnery , in addition to examples of naval ordnance ranging from shells and torpedo es to modern guided missiles . This centres on the fin and control centre from one of the Japanese midget submarine s that attacked Sydney Harbour on the night of 31 May - 1 June 1942 , and also includes the Boom Boat belonging to the Maritime Services Board that first raised the alarm . The display is supported by an interactive audiovisual presentation . This is a large chronological display of items that tell the stories of famous Australian ships and their battles . Artefacts are included from the colonial era , the First and Second World Wars , the Cold War and more recent operations in the Persian Gulf . The 1913 Boatshed has been dedicated as the display gallery for artefacts related to small boats and Australian dockyards , particularly Garden Island . This main exhibition display uses the entire mezzanine level of the workshop building , and provides visitors with an introduction to a sailor ’ s life at sea . The display includes a mock - up of a World War II - era mess deck , as well as artefacts highlighting naval traditions and pastimes . This is a mock - up of a Battle class destroyer ' s open bridge , and is one of the major interactive displays in the Centre . Using original equipment from 50 years ago , the Bridge is aimed at helping visitors acquire some experience of what takes place on a warship ’ s bridge at sea .