AN INTRODUCTION TO THE SHIPS PLANS COLLECTION AT THE NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM AND ITS USES FOR PRESERVING HISTORIC SHIPS

Abstract

Royal Museums Greenwich is the National Repository for Admiralty ships plans and technical records. The institution also holds significant merchant collections, comprising of ships plans, photographs, business, and technical records. Despite its size, it is arguably an underutilised and relatively unknown archive outside model makers and a small group of maritime researchers. This paper gives an overview of the collections showing how are used as a key reference for the preservation and understanding of Historic Ships. It highlights specific examples where the collections have been employed, including the building of replica vessels, and recently built warships. It touches on the applications of the collection as an educational resource to facilitate further shipbuilding knowledge. This includes rediscovering lost shipwright skills and past techniques to inform future preservation. It can also potentially inform more greener ship designs through the extensive sailing ship archive from more hydrodynamic hull designs to cleaner propulsion systems.