thumb|The Russian [[Russian cruiser Aurora|Aurora, one of the few protected cruisers to be preserved, is one of the world's most visited vessels]]

A museum ship, also called a 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, mostly for the small number of museum ships that are still operational and thus capable of regular movement.

Several hundred museum ships are kept around the world, with around 175 of them organised in the Historic Naval Ships Association though many are not naval museum ships, from general merchant ships to tugs and lightships. Many, if not most, museum ships are also associated with a maritime museum.

Significance

thumb|right|Former crew members of pose for photos after the Anniversary of the End of World War II ceremony in 2003.

Relatively few ships are preserved beyond their useful life, due to the high cost of maintaining them against the ravages of the elements. Most are broken up and sold for scrap, while a relative handful are sunk as naval target practice, scuttled to create artificial reefs, and so on. Some survive because of historical significance, but more often due to luck and circumstance. Since an old ship tied up at dockside, without attention, still decays and eventually sinks, 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.

When the USN turns over one of their ships to a museum, a contract must be signed, stating that the Navy bears no responsibility for the costs of restoration, preservation and maintenance. Also, major pieces of equipment such as engines and generators must be permanently disabled. If the ship requires services such as electricity and water, they must come through shore connections.

The restoration and maintenance of museum ships presents problems for historians who are 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 analyze how life on and operation of the ships took place. Numerous scientific papers have been written on ship restoration and maintenance, and international conferences are held discussing the latest developments. 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.

Another consideration 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). 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.

Many consider the tourism appeal of an interesting old vessel on the city waterfront strong enough that any port city should showcase one or more museum ships. This may even include building a replica ship at great expense.

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File:HMSVictoryPortsmouthEngland (version 2).jpg|: the only surviving ship of the line, preserved in Portsmouth.

File:Fregatten Jylland total.jpg|Jylland: the only surviving wooden screw frigate, preserved in Ebeltoft.

File:Averof Today2.jpg|: the only surviving armored cruiser, preserved in Athens.

File:USS Salem (CA-139) museum ship - Quincy, Massachusetts - USA - 30 March 2012.jpg|: the only surviving heavy cruiser, preserved in Quincy, MA.

File:MIKASA02.jpg|: the only surviving pre-dreadnought battleship, preserved in Yokosuka.

File:USS Texas01a.jpg|: the only surviving dreadnought battleship, to be preserved in Galveston, TX.

File:Blyskawica l d.jpg|The Polish destroyer : the oldest preserved destroyer in the world, preserved as a museum ship in Gdynia.

File:U995 2004 1.jpg|: World War II German submarine, preserved in Laboe.

File:USS Yorktown (CVS-10) panorama 2012.jpg|: the first aircraft carrier converted into a museum, preserved in Charleston, SC.

File:Constellation bow.JPG|: sloop-of-war, the last sail-only warship designed and built by the United States Navy, preserved as a museum ship in Baltimore.

File:USS Olympia (6219191508).jpg|: one of two surviving protected cruisers, preserved in Philadelphia.

File:HMS Warrior - Portsmouth April 2009 (3421286551).jpg|: the world's first iron-hulled warship, preserved in Portsmouth.

File:1914 British Light Cruiser ‘HMS Caroline’ – Belfast (45830550741).jpg|HMS Caroline: WW1 light cruiser, preserved in Belfast.

File:HMS Belfast with rainbow.jpg|: WW2 light cruiser, preserved in London.

File:Huascar1.jpg|: one of the earliest ironclad warships to be preserved afloat, anchored in Talcahuano.

File:Royal Yacht Britannia.JPG|: former royal yacht of the British monarchy, now preserved in Edinburgh.

File:USS SARSFIELD Dec2016.jpg|: served in the Republic of China Navy as ROCS Te Yang (DDG-925), now preserved in Anping.

File:Northeast View of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich.jpg|Cutty Sark: 1869 clipper preserved at Greenwich, London.

File:SSMeteor-whaleback-050507-02.jpg|SS Meteor: the only surviving whaleback freighter, on display at Superior, WI.

File:NS Savannah exterior MD2.jpg|NS Savannah: the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship, on display in Baltimore.

File:Hikawa-maruYokohama.jpg|Hikawa Maru: Japanese ocean liner preserved at Yokohama.

File:Brunel's SS Great Britain - geograph.org.uk - 2473459.jpg|Brunel's 1843 steamship , preserved at Bristol.

File:USS Pueblo (4634638484).jpg|USS Pueblo: captured by North Korea in 1968, preserved as a museum ship in Pyongyang.

File:Platypus submarine display unveiling, Middlemarch, NZ (10 Dec 2023).jpg|1873 submarine Platypus on display in Middlemarch, New Zealand.

File:J37 574 ARA Presidente Sarmiento.jpg|ARA Presidente Sarmiento: considered to be the last intact cruising training ship from the 1890s, moored at Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires.

File:RMS Queen Mary by Don Ramey Logan.jpg|RMS Queen Mary. Preserved in Long Beach, California.

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See also

  • List of museum ships
  • List of museum ships in North America
  • List of submarine 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.
  • Heidbrink, I. (1994). Schrott oder Kulturgut. Zur Bewertung historischer Wasserfahrzeuge aus der Perspektive des Historikers. Bestandserfassung - Bewertung - quellengerechte Erhaltung. Lage / Lippe: Fritz Heidbrink.
  • Historic Naval Ship Visitors' Guide (from the international Historic Naval Ships Association website)