Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven, Germany

The Maritime Museum in Bremerhaven, which is not a really science museum or science center, but it has some very good displays of boats, ships, and marine-related technology. These exhibits include all manner of marine engines, mechanical devices, navigational equipment, and of course many different boats, starting with some more than 1,000 years old.





More important, however, are the stories that this museum tells and the way it tells them. The museum uses its stories to bring alive a subject that is increasingly distant for many people. There are some good lessons here.









For example, when I visited, the museum was showing a temporary exhibition called “Windjammer.” Having grown up with windjammer schooners (fore-and-aft-rigged sailing vessels with 2 or more masts) on the coast of Maine, and having always enjoyed seeing boat shows with what some people call windjammers (square-rigged or “tall” ships), I was interested to learn that “windjammer” was actually a derogatory term used by sailors of square-riggers to refer to sailors of schooners (who did not have to climb the rigging to set and furl the sails and were therefore considered second-class sailors). This exhibition was full of stories, such as the medical roles of the captain (responsible for amputations and deliveries) and the first mate (responsible for the unpleasant task of lancing carbuncles – a common medical marine malady in those days). The photo shows a 3D model of what a typical carbuncle looked like, to go along with the text.

Sailors were given a checklist of gear to bring along, including 150 name tags so that they could sew in into every piece of clothing they brought on board.

Other exhibits in the useum told stories such as the conversion of an experimental nuclear-powered ship to a conventionally powered container vessel (the original control console of the nuclear version is on display - see photo).

Or of the coal-fired boilers on a steamship and how workers on these boats shoveled 24-7 to keep the fires burning and the ship moving.

This museum relates its objects to the everyday experience of its visitors, thereby generating a heightened sense of connectedness and curiosity compared with typical maritime museums. This approach provides answers to the question "so what?" that can turn an old object into a fascinating window on another time and place.