Life at sea

Insight into the lives of sailors and seafarers throughout history

What is the Merchant Navy?

Discover the role and history of the commercial shipping fleet – and its connections with Royal Museums Greenwich

Making Waves: Captain Philippa Bowden

What’s it like to work in Antarctica? Ice pilot Captain Philippa Bowden on navigating the immense frozen wilderness – and the challenges facing the region

Safeguarding Tresco's guardians: the Valhalla Collection

Safeguarding Tresco’s guardians: the story of the Valhalla collection

'I want to go to sea, do you think this might be possible?' – Nina Baker in her own words

Dr Nina Baker became the first female deck cadet in the British Merchant Navy. Listen to her account of a pioneering career

Thames barges and London docks – an oral history

Gordon 'Willie' Williamson worked aboard Thames barges throughout the 1960s, and witnessed the final years of central London as a busy cargo hub

'By the Stars influence'

Former Caird Fellow Dr. Jack Avery explores the seventeenth-century maritime journals held at the Caird Library and Archive, and in particular the one written by the amateur poet and astrologer Jeremy Roch

Printed ephemera: the golden age of ocean travel

Explore printed ephemera at the Caird Library and Archive, a collection that brings to life the golden age of ocean travel.

Life and love at sea: Merchant Navy oral histories

Seafarers Michael Rudder and Dominic Brown spent years working in the Merchant Navy. A chance encounter and a missed departure led to a life at sea together

Whitby, whaling and press gangs: the real history of Sylvia's Lovers

How a reading of a Victorian novel led to research into contemporary maritime themes and an exploration of our collections.
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