People and the ocean

Profiling the individuals and communities connected with our 'blue planet'

Making Waves: Gail McGarva

Gail McGarva explains how her passion for traditional wooden boatbuilding took hold

Making Waves: Dr Dawn Wright

Oceanographer and chief scientist Dr Dawn Wright on diving to the deepest part of the ocean – and why we need to stand up for our blue planet

'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

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

Flowing through history: the past, present and future of the Thames

Author Vanessa Taylor explores how discoveries by the banks of the Thames continue to shape our relationship with the river

The bombing of Rainbow Warrior: 40 years on

Forty years ago, the attack on the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior and the death of photographer Fernando Pereira caused international outrage.

Nina Baker: one of the first women navigation officers in the Merchant Navy

Learn about Dr Nina Baker’s struggle to become one of the first women navigation officers in the British Merchant Navy

Oral histories: the women of the RNLI

Listen to the stories of women who volunteer with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – part of a series of recordings by the National Maritime Museum

Timehri’s travels: how a ship model sent Remiiya Badru on a journey of discovery

One sunny afternoon a few years ago, I decided, quite spontaneously, that I needed a sea fix.