Reopening of museum ship HMS Caroline postponed until 2023
In 1916, she was involved in the Battle of Jutland, the most significant naval battle of the First World War, and the only main fleet action between the German and British navies.
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‘The worst maritime disaster ever’: the Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff
Hitler’s Nazi Empire was in its death agony. Millions of Germans were desperate to escape the fast-advancing Red Army. Richard Selcer reports on a signal catastrophe amid the chaos.
World news in brief: underwater finds in Egypt, Mayan connections, and Pleistocene New Guinea
A look at the latest archaeology stories from across the globe, including a 4th century galley sunk off Egypt, evidence of social links between Mayan cities, and a study of Late Pleistocene husbandry.
Photos of Sutton Hoo excavation digitised
‘The collection is a slice of social history in documenting an excavation taking place on the eve of the Second World War'
Professor of Archaeology Seán McGrail
His work included ethnographic research into different forms of shipbuilding, especially the construction of vessels without the use of metal fasteners, which took Seán to sites near and far, from the west coast of Ireland to the east coast of India.
The Bridge, HMS Belfast
Built in the Northern Irish capital in the mid-1930s, the nine-deck Town-class light cruiser played a major role in the Second World War, initially as part of the British naval blockade against Germany.
The D-Day Story Museum
Reviewing the best military history exhibitions, with Calum Henderson.
Nelson and Trafalgar
Graham Goodlad concludes our series on naval leadership with a look at the legendary figure of Horatio Nelson.
Britain’s greatest naval victory
Military History Matters' Neil Faulkner analyses Nelson’s culminating tactical masterpiece.
Date announced for HMS Belfast’s reopening
Although primarily closed because of the pandemic, Belfast has undergone significant restoration in that time. Work
HARRIER 809: Britain’s legendary jump jet, and the untold story of the Falkands War
In 1982, Britain went to war in the Falklands, relying for the last time on an aircraft that was entirely made within the country: the Harrier Jump Jet. Not only this, but the head of the department that produced the…
Fishguard, February 1797: the last French invasion of Britain
Patrick Mercer begins an occasional series looking at some of history’s less well-known battles.
The Unicorn Preservation Society
Now approaching her 200th anniversary, HMS Unicorn is the third oldest ship still afloat in the entire world.
Sutton Hoo helmet in LEGO
'We really need the public’s help to make the LEGO Sutton Hoo helmet an official LEGO set that anyone can buy and build.'
World’s ‘deepest-known shipwreck’ surveyed in the Pacific Ocean
Heavily outnumbered and outgunned, she nonetheless fought valiantly against her larger opponents, allowing time for the escort carriers she was protecting to escape. Of the ship’s 327-man crew, only 141 survived the battle.
Contractors bid to deliver Hull’s new maritime visitor centre
The North End Shipyard is a surviving reminder of Hull's 800 years of maritime history.
Reinterpreting a Tudor flagship: the Mary Rose and her crew
Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, famously sank in the Solent almost 500 years ago. Her partial remains were recovered by archaeologists in 1982 – what has been learned since then? Peter Marsden explores some of the latest thinking on the Tudor vessel’s appearance and her crew.
News in brief
Excavations begin along the A303 Preliminary investigatons by Wessex Archaeology in advance of the planned A303 tunnel scheme are in progress. So far they have undertaken more than 462ha of geophysical survey and 440 evaluation trenches, uncovering diverse finds in…
In search of sunken ships: reflections of Britain’s colonial past
Britain’s involvement in the Transatlantic slave trade and the historical injustices of colonialism and the British Empire have been much in the news in recent months. In Britain and the Ocean Road, maritime historian Ian Friel asks how Britain got caught up in these nefarious activities. Chris Catling reports on what the new book reveals.
Ship shape: Viking burial found
Boat burials emerged in northern Europe in the 1st century AD and disappeared with the introduction of Christianity in the 10th and 11th century. The ship burial reflects the ultimate display of status, wealth, and connection.
HMS Glatton
Sometimes poor quality-control can be as lethal as bad design – this was certainly true in the case of HMS Glatton. On the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Admiralty began buying warships that British shipyards were building for…
Restoring HMS Victory
MHM'S Assistant Editor Calum Henderson delves into the history of HMS Victory.
Rodney, Howe, and the rise of British seapower
In the half century between the Battle of Quiberon Bay (1759) and the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), Britain’s Royal Navy transformed naval tactics and established global maritime supremacy. Developments in the technology of sail power and naval gunnery had combined…
The Glorious First of June
Neil Faulkner analyses the fighting on 1 June 1794 and sees a new British tactical system still in development.
Mayflower 400: Legend & Legacy
On entering the gallery, visitors are reminded that, despite their prominence in the story of the early colonists, the passengers of the Mayflower were not the first Europeans to settle in the ‘New World’.
What’s in the Box? Plymouth’s new museum opens
The large and ambitious opening exhibition, entitled Mayflower 400: legend and legacy, tells the story of the voyage and assesses the impact of the settlers’ arrival on the indigenous population.
A new approach to wood preservation
Wood can be a difficult, and costly, archaeological material to preserve. This is nowhere better highlighted than by the enormous efforts put into place to help conserve the Mary Rose. When the remains of Henry VIII’s warship were lifted out…
The Mayflower, 1620-2020: tracing voyages of discovery in Plymouth’s past
Four hundred years ago, the Mayflower carried around 100 would-be colonists across the Atlantic to found Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts. What can we learn of these voyagers, the city they left behind, and the impact they had on the indigenous people who were already living on the land where they settled? Carly Hilts reports.
X-ray analysis of chainmail from the Mary Rose
Analysis by X-ray of three copper-alloy artefacts recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose has offered new insight into their construction and the success of conservation efforts undertaken on them. Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose, was constructed in…
Nelson, Navy, Nation: the secret of victory
As the National Maritime Museum opens its new Nelson gallery, MHM Editor Neil Faulkner analyses the admiral’s legend.