Museum blog

When thinking of the role of the Royal Navy during the First World War we normally focus on the Grand Fleet, the Battles of the Falklands and Jutland or perhaps the Navy’s role in protecting merchant shipping from the threat of German U-Boats. But this only shows part of the First World War experience for Royal Naval personnel, some of which was not at sea at all.

Delve into the National Maritime Museum collections and find out what life on board a 19th century whaling vessel was really like.

Discover what to see in the night sky in October 2021, including two meteor showers and the Andromeda galaxy.

For over 200 years, British shipowners and companies have recruited sailors from the Indian Ocean region, more commonly known as lascars. These seamen have worked, fought and died on board British vessels yet have not always been given the recognition they deserve. The Caird Library and Archive holds phrasebooks which aimed to capture the language spoken by this diverse group of people serving on board European ships.

Collections Storage Officer Louise Bascombe and Object Conservation Manager Karen Jensen illuminate the history and future of some of the most vulnerable items in the collection and show how work continued safely behind the scenes while the museum was closed in 2020.

Assistant Curator Alex Grover gives a brief insight into his ongoing research into this small but significant collection of polar photographs

The Caird Library and Archive at the National Maritime Museum has a rich variety of items which include manuscripts, charts and maps, journals and diaries, prints and drawings, rare books, pamphlets as well as business records, crew lists and masters' certificates. Also included are the modern book and periodical collections. This article gives a taster of the types of documents and rare items that are under the care of the library team.