Simon Stephens

Curator of Ship Models

My job is to look after and research the large and varied collection of ship models at the NMM, ranging from the small craft of the 17th century to the massive container ships of today. I also curate a varied collection of ship’s equipment as well as 150 small boats (full-size, not models), most of which have now been transferred to the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Falmouth.

My favourite part of the job

Working with these amazing objects is a real privilege. The NMM has one of the foremost collections of ship models in the world, with over 3000 models – from the minute (a few centimetres long) to the enormous (nearly five metres in length!). Having the opportunity to undertake research and investigate how and why these models were made is extremely rewarding. Studying the miniature three-dimensional form of scale models is a very illuminating way to understand the construction and operation of full-size ships.

The question I am asked most often

Why did the model makers include details on, or inside, a model that cannot be seen by the naked eye?

There is no definitive answer to this intriguing question as very little written evidence survives to explain model makers’ thoughts and the sequence of construction that they followed. However, in recent years, I have investigated this issue by using a medical endoscope and video camera to look inside the ship models and have often presented this at lectures and talks about the sailing warship models of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A suggestion I would offer for the reason behind the ‘secret’ details within models is that some models may have made in stages and used for discussion and approval by the Navy Board either before or during the building of a warship, so these details may have been on view at certain points during the construction. Another theory is that model makers are, in general, fascinated by miniaturization and detail – in a way, it must have been difficult for them to visualize the finished model and know which features to include without compromising the aesthetic appearance of the hull.

My recommended books

If you are interested to read more:

• Brian Lavery and Simon Stephens, Ship Models: Their Purpose and Development from 1650 to the Present, (Zwemmer, 1995)
• John Franklin, The Navy Board Ship Models (Conway Maritime Press,1989)
• Ewart Freeston, Prisoner of War Models, (Nautical Publishing, 1973)
• Norman Boyd, Discovering Ship Models, (Tring Shire Publications,1971)