Throughout history, the sea assumed various facets ranging from barrier to highway and resource to threat. The swing from one side to the other was commonly triggered by technological advancement and by the state of affairs on the wider geographical scenario. These oscillations are amply attested by the Maltese Islands. As lands of sea, these have had an eventful story that is unproportional to their minute physical extent. It is no coincidence, therefore, that the National Maritime Museum, which illustrates the global nature of seafaring and its impact on culture and society, boasts of the most extensive display area in the Maltese archipelago.
The museum is housed in one of the grandest buildings along the Birgu waterfront, formerly serving as the Royal Naval Bakery. Designed by British architect William Scamp, it was constructed between 1842 and 1845, replacing the arsenal or shipyard of the Order of St John. The location offered the added bonus of being within the confines of the Victualing Yard, which provided naval personnel with food, clothing and supplies to keep them fighting fit. This building made extensive use of iron elements in its structural design, a first in the Maltese Islands. These comprised cast iron columns and rolled steel beams.
Starting operations in April 1845, it was equipped with 12 ovens and produced close to 14,000 kilograms of bread and biscuits every single day, enough to feed the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean Fleet. The ‘bakery’, as popularly known, closed shop in the 1950s, after more than a full century of operation. Parts of the extensive compound were eventually used as Admiralty Constabulary (Dockyard Police) and was only handed over to the Civil Authorities following the winding down of the British Base in Malta in 1979.
This museum opened its doors to the public in 1992 and has since undergone repeated expansion and renovation sprees. The present display touches on a multitude of subjects, in particular ancient shipping, maritime activity during the tenure of the Order and the British, the two-year blockade leading to the ousting of the French, marine engineering and Maltese traditional boats.
While Malta was integrated in the prevailing Mediterranean routes following the Phoenician colonisation during the 8th century BC, it was only with the arrival of the Order in 1530 that it evolved into a veritable naval power. The Order’s own fleet was complemented by numerous merchant vessels and a host of other crafts run by daredevil corsairs. These were pivotal for the permanence of the Order and the subsistence of the ever-increasing population count. Indeed, the Order strived relentlessly to retain supremacy in the central Mediterranean. The main components of its non-negligible fleet, in particular the 18th-century ships-of-the-line squadron, are well illustrated by a selection of accurate period models formerly belonging to its nautical school.
The annexation to Great Britain at the turn of the 19th century triggered unprecedented investment in port infrastructure. The docks grew exponentially, extensive storage facilities came into being, while a host of onshore amenities were set up. The latter included the Bighi Naval Hospital.
Harbour facilities required routine and highly specialised maintenance, and this museum holds the gigantic 1950s marine steam engine of the grab hopper dredger Anadrian employed for the clearance of Maltese waters from war debris.
Visitors can also enjoy several other unique artefacts like the largest known Roman anchor in the world, the earliest known ex-voto on the island, the largest collection of cannon on the island, and the Napoleonic figurehead of the historic ship HMS Hibernia.
