Museum ship

The Polish destroyer ORP Błyskawica is currently preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia.

For ships that are not original see Ship replica. For preserved incomplete ships see Ships preserved in museums.

A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, a use found mostly with the small number of museum ships that are still operational, i.e., capable of regular movement.^[1]

There are several hundred museum ships around the world, with around 175 of them organised in the Historic Naval Ships Association^[2] though there are also many non-naval museum ships as well, from general merchant ships to tugs and lightships. Many, if not most, museum ships are also associated with a maritime museum.

Significance

Former crew members of USS Missouri pose for photos after the Anniversary of the End of World War II ceremony.

Despite the long history of sea travel, the ravages of the elements and the expense of maintenance has resulted in the destruction of nearly all the ships that were ever built, often by sinking, usually by being broken up and sold for scrap. Only a few have survived, sometimes because of historical significance, but more often simply due to luck and circumstance.

Since an old ship tied up at dockside, without attention, will still decay and eventually sink, the practice of recent years has been to form some sort of preservation society, solicit donations from governments or private individuals, organize volunteer labor from the enthusiasts, and open the restored ship to visitors, usually for a fee.

The restoration and maintenance of museum ships presents an interesting set of problems for historians who are frequently asked for advice, and the results periodically generate some controversy. For instance, the rigging of sailing ships has almost never survived, and so the rigging plan must be reconstructed from various sources. Studying the ships also allows historians to analyse how life on and operation of the ships took place. ^[3] Numerous scientific papers have been written on ship restoration and maintenance, and international conferences are held discussing the latest developments.^[4] Some years ago, the Barcelona Charter was signed by a variety of international owner organizations of traditional vessels, and provides certain accepted minimum criteria for the restoration and operation of traditional watercraft still in operation.^[5]

Another discussion in the preservation community is the distinction between a 'real' museum ship, and a ship replica. As repairs accumulate over time, less and less of the ship is of the original materials, and the lack of old parts (or even 'appropriate' work tools) may lead to the use of modern 'short-cuts' (such as welding a metal plate instead of riveting it, as would be the case during the ships historical period).^[6] Visitors without historical background are also often unable to distinguish between a historical museum ship and a (more-or-less historically relevant) ship replica, which may serve solely as a tourist attraction.^[3]

Museum usage

Typically the visitor enters via gangplank, wanders around on the deck, then goes below, usually using the original stairways, giving a sense of how the crew got around. The interior features restored but inactivated equipment, enhanced with mementos including old photographs, explanatory displays, pages from the ship's logs, menus, and the like. Some will add recorded sound effects, audio tours or video displays to add to the experience.

In many ships the radio room has been brought back into use, with volunteers operating amateur radio equipment. Often the callsign assigned is a variation on the original identification of the ship. For example, the submarine USS Cobia, which had the call NBQV, is now on the air as NB9QV. In other cases, such as the USS Missouri, a distinctive call (in this case KH6BB) is used. This radio work not only helps restore part of the vessel, but provides worldwide publicity for the museum ship.

A number of the larger museum ships have begun to offer hosting for weddings, meetings, and other events, sleepovers, and on a few ships still seaworthy, cruises. In the United States, this includes the Constitution's annual "turnaround", where the old ship is towed out into the harbor and brought back in facing the other way, so as to weather evenly. A place on the deck is by invitation or lottery only, and highly prized.

The tourism appeal of a city waterfront graced by an interesting old vessel is considered by many to be sufficient enough that any port city should showcase one or more museum ships, which are often great favourites of locals and visitors. This may even include building a replica ship at great expense.^[7]

The first museum ship could be considered to be Jason's Argo, which after his expedition for the Golden Fleece, was preserved on a beach and shown to visitors for ages afterwards.

Notable examples

Name	Location	Nationality	Type	Comments
HNLMS Abraham Crijnssen	Den Helder, Netherlands	Netherlands	Minesweeper	Escaped from Surabaya, Java during the Japanese invasion in 1942 disguised as a tropical island and reached Australia.
USS Alabama	Mobile, USA	United States	Battleship	Received nine WWII battle stars, later joined by USS Drum.
Aurora	St. Petersburg, Russia	Russia	Protected cruiser	Launched in 1900, survived the Battle of Tsushima and signaled the start of the October Revolution.
Balclutha	San Francisco, USA	United States	Tall ship	Launched in 1886, U.S. National Historic Landmark.
HMS Belfast	London, England	United Kingdom	Light cruiser	Only surviving cruiser built during the 1930s. Mined in 1939 and later assisted in the sinking of the battleship Scharnhorst and provided gunfire support on D-Day and during the Korean War.
ORP Błyskawica	Gdynia, Poland	Poland	Destroyer	Oldest surviving destroyer, escaped from Poland just before the German invasion began in 1939.
USS Bowfin	Pearl Harbor, USA	United States	Submarine	Fought in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
HMY Britannia	Edinburgh, Scotland	United Kingdom	Royal Yacht / Hospital ship (designed for potential conversion)	The last British Royal Yacht.
HMS Cavalier	Chatham, England	United Kingdom	Destroyer	Only preserved British World War II destroyer.
Charles W. Morgan	Mystic Seaport, USA	United States	Whaler	Wooden 19th century whaler, only such U.S. ship remaining.
USS Cod	Cleveland, USA	United States	Submarine	fought in the Pacific Theater of World War II.
USS Constellation	Baltimore, USA	United States	Sloop-of-War	At one point considered to be one of USS Constitution's sister ships, she is the only surviving American Civil War-era warship.
USS Constitution	Boston, USA	United States	Frigate	Oldest commissioned warship afloat.
Cutty Sark	Greenwich, England	United Kingdom	Clipper	Only surviving clipper ship. Heavily damaged by fire in 2007, under restoration to reopen in 2010.
Drazki	Varna, Bulgaria	Bulgaria	Torpedo boat	The only surviving example of a large steam-powered torpedo boat. Built in 1907, she saw action during the Balkan Wars including a successful torpedo attack on a Turkish cruiser.
Elissa	Galveston, USA	United States	Tall ship	One of the oldest tall ships still active, launched in 1877; U.S. National Historic Landmark.
Falls of Clyde	Honolulu, USA	United States	Full Rigged Ship	Worlds last surviving iron-hulled, four masted full-rigged ship and worlds only sail-driven oil tanker.
HMS Gannet	Chatham, England	United Kingdom	Sloop-of-war	Only surviving example of a steam-powered sloop.
Georgios Averof	Faliron, Greece	Greece	Armored cruiser	Former flagship of the Greek Navy. Last surviving armored cruiser in the world.
Gorch Fock	Stralsund, Germany	Germany, Soviet Union ,	Barque	Kriegsmarine school ship scuttled at the end of World War II, raised and re-used by the Soviet Union.
SS Great Britain	Bristol, England	United Kingdom	Ocean liner	A Brunel design, Great Britain was the first ocean-going ship to have screw propellor and an iron hull.
HMCS Haida	Hamilton, Ontario	Canada	Destroyer	Tribal class destroyer, one of the most successful ships of World War II.
Hiddensee	Fall River, USA	East Germany	Missile Corvette	The only Russian-designed Tarantul I class on public display in the world.
Hikawa Maru	Yokohama, Japan	Japan	Ocean liner / Hospital ship	One of the few pre-war Japanese merchantmen to survive World War II , she served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as a hospital ship before returning to civilian use after the war.
Holland 1	Gosport, United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Submarine	Laid down in 1900 was the first submarine commissioned by the Royal Navy.
USS Hornet	Alameda, USA	United States	Aircraft carrier	World War II Essex-class aircraft carrier, launched on August 30, 1943. Famous for recovering the capsule of Apollo 11.
Huáscar	Talcahuano, Chile	Peru, Chile ,	Ironclad	Launched in 1865, Huáscar is the oldest surviving ironclad turret ship. She survived a battle with a British squadron in 1877 and played a significant part in the 1879 War of the Pacific, later seized by the Chilean fleet.
USS Intrepid	New York City, USA	United States	Aircraft carrier	World War II Essex-class aircraft carrier, launched on April 26, 1943 and now part of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
Jylland	Ebeltoft, Denmark	Denmark	Screw frigate	Veteran of the Battle of Heligoland, she is the last surviving wooden screw frigate.
USS Laffey	Charleston, USA	United States	Destroyer	Hit by four bombs and six kamikazes off Okinawa, earning the nickname "The Ship That Wouldn't Die".
USS Lexington,	Corpus Christi,	USA	Aircraft carrier	Served in World War II and subsequently used in the training of US Navy aircrews for three decades.
Mary Rose	Portsmouth, England	United Kingdom	Carrack	Built 1510-12, she was one of the earliest purpose-built warships to serve in the Royal Navy. Sank 1545. Raised 1982.
USS Midway	San Diego, USA	United States	Aircraft carrier	Served from 1946 to Desert Storm.
Mikasa	Yokosuka, Japan	Japan	Battleship	Last surviving pre-dreadnought battleship. Admiral Togo's flagship at the Battle of Tsushima.
Minsk	Shenzhen, China	Soviet Union	Aircraft carrier	Currently a theme park.
USS Missouri	Pearl Harbor, USA	United States	Battleship	Site of the Japanese surrender ceremony that ended World War II.
USS Nautilus	Groton, USA	United States	Submarine	World's first nuclear-powered vessel.
USS New Jersey	Camden, USA	United States	Battleship	One of the longest-serving warships of the twentieth century. Most decorated battleship.
USS North Carolina	Wilmington, USA	United States	Battleship	Served in every post-Midway campaign of the Pacific Theater during World War II.
HMS Ocelot	Chatham, England	United Kingdom	Submarine	Was the last submarine built for the Royal Navy at historic Royal Dockyard in Chatham.
USS Olympia	Philadelphia, USA	United States	Protected cruiser	Commodore Dewey's flagship during the Battle of Manila Bay. Only surviving ship from the Spanish-American War.
HMS Onyx	Barrow-in-Furness, United Kingdom	United Kingdom	Submarine	The only non-nuclear submarine of the Royal Navy to take part in the Falklands War.
Passat	Travemünde, Germany	Germany	Barque	Four-masted flying P-Liner, sister ship of Pamir.
Peking	South Street Seaport, New York, USA	United States	Barque	Four-masted flying P-Liner.
Pommern	Mariehamn, Åland	Finland	Barque	Four-masted flying P-Liner and the world's last four-masted steel barque still in original condition as a cargo ship.
RMS Queen Mary	Long Beach, USA	United Kingdom	Ocean Liner	Famous Cunard liner. Now a museum, with its first-class staterooms used as hotel rooms; used frequently for film and television.
HNoMS Rap	Horten, Norway	Norway	Torpedo boat	One of the first torpedo craft, a class of warship that revolutionized naval warfare during the late nineteenth century.
USS Pueblo	Pyongyang, North Korea	United States	Technical research ship	Captured by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in 1968.
HMCS Sackville	Halifax, Canada	Canada	Corvette	Flower class convoy escort. Last surviving example of one of the most important ship classes of World War Two.
USS Salem	Quincy, USA	United States	Heavy cruiser	Only surviving example of a heavy cruiser.
NS Savannah	Mount Pleasant	United States	Nuclear merchant ship	The only American nuclear-powered freighter ever built and one of a handful of nuclear-powered civilian ships built worldwide.
USS Slater	Albany, USA	United States	Destroyer escort	Currently the only memorial/museum ship of this type afloat in North America.
HMS Småland	Gothenburg, Sweden	Sweden	Destroyer	Launched in 1956, the Småland became one of the first destroyers to carry missiles as part of her armament.
Star of India	San Diego, USA	United Kingdom, United States ,	Tall ship	One of the oldest tall ships still active, the Star of India was launched in 1863. U.S. National Historic Landmark
Sundowner	Ramsgate, England	United Kingdom	Pinnace	Built as a steam launch for the Royal Navy, later purchased by Charles Lightoller, Second Officer of the Titanic. Participated in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
USCGC Taney	Baltimore, USA	United States	Cutter	One of only two U.S. ships still afloat that were present at the Pearl Harbor attack, the other being thttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Museum_ship&action=submithe harbor tug USS Hoga.
USS Texas	Houston, USA	United States	Battleship	Only surviving dreadnought battleship. Served in Veracruz Expedition, WWI, and WWII. Berthed in the San Jacinto Monument Historic Park.
HMS Trincomalee	Hartlepool, England	United Kingdom	Frigate	The oldest British warship still afloat.
HMS Unicorn	Dundee, Scotland	United Kingdom	Frigate	Only example of a wooden frigate 'in ordinary', or in a reserve fleet.
HMS Victory	Portsmouth, England	United Kingdom	Ship of the line	Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar. Remains the flagship of the Royal Navy (though permanently in drydock) and is the oldest ship in commission in any navy.
U-505	Chicago, USA	Nazi Germany	Submarine	Type IXC U-boat captured by the United States Navy in 1944.
U-534	Birkenhead, England	Nazi Germany	Submarine	Type IXC sunk 3rd May 1945 in the Baltic and raised in 1993. It is now displayed in sections at the Woodside terminal of the Mersey Ferries at Birkenhead.[8]
U-995	Laboe, Germany	Nazi Germany, Norway ,	Submarine	Only remaining Type VIIC/41 U-boat. After World War Two she became the Norwegian KNM Kaura.
HMAS Vampire	Sydney, Australia	Australia	Destroyer	Largest warship preserved in the Southern Hemisphere.
Vasa	Stockholm, Sweden	Sweden	Galleon	The world's only almost fully preserved 17th century warship. Sank on her maiden voyage in 1628 and salvaged in 1961.
HMS Warrior	Portsmouth, England	United Kingdom	Armored Frigate	Launched in 1860, Warrior was the first ocean-going iron hulled ship of its type.
USS Wisconsin	Norfolk, USA	United States	Battleship	Served in various conflicts since World War II.
USS Yorktown	Mount Pleasant, USA	United States	Aircraft carrier	Launched in 1943 and served throughout the Pacific during World War II Yorktown is the oldest surviving aircraft carrier still intact.
INS Vikrant/HMS Hercules	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India	India, United Kingdom ,	Aircraft carrier	Commissioned on 4 March 1961 it served India till 31 January 1997 & took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
INS Kursura	Visakhapatnam, India	India	Submarine	Commissioned on 18 December 1969 it served India till 27 September 2001 & took part in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

See also

• List of museum ships
• Ship replica
• Ships preserved in museums

References

Further reading

• Aymar, B. (1967). A pictorial treasury of the marine museums of the world; A guide to the maritime collections, restorations, replicas, and marine museums in twenty-three countries. New York: Crown.
• Evans, M. H., & West, J. (1998). Maritime museums: A guide to the collections and museum ships in Britain and Ireland. London: Chatham Pub.
• Stammers, M. (1978). Discovering maritime museums and historic ships. Discovering series, no. 228. Aylesbury [England]: Shire Publications
• Sullivan, D. (1978). Old ships, boats & maritime museums. London: Coracle Books.

External links

• Historic Naval Ship Visitors' Guide (from the international Historic Naval Ships Association website)