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Lithuanian Sea Museum

Smiltynes str. 3, Klaipeda
Tel.: +370 46 490754, 490740

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Exposition of the history of navigation

The exposition of navigation history of the Lithuanian Sea Museum is displayed in the former tunnels, casemates and caponiers of the 19th century fortress. It is divided into five exhibition halls.

The exposition of the history of Lithuanian navigation		Hall 1. An exhibition with a conventional title From a Raft to a Nuclear-Powered Ship. By means of ship models and photographic reproductions the exposition tells a story of the beginnings of navigation, the development of vessel types and design up to our times. Hall 2. The exhibition is devoted to the development of navigation on the Lithuanian seaside and in neighboring countries from the ancient times, the history of the ports in Sventoji (16th-17th centuries) and Klaipeda (up to the 20th century). The exhibition includes ship models, scale models of the ports, archeological finds from Sventoji dating back to the 17th century, ship canons and parts found in the harbour waters, authentic articles from seamen's everyday life. Part of this exposition is devoted to the history of the creation of the Lithuanian merchant fleet and navy prior to 1940. The exhibits and photographic material tell us how seamen were trained in Lithuania and in marine schools abroad, give data on the first Lithuanian seafarers, captains and navigators. Authentic gear from a Liberty-type steamship of World War II is also displayed there. The exposition concludes with the topics The Port of Klaipeda after 1945 and The Lithuanian Merchant Fleet. It shows a scale model of the modern port and models of the motor vessels of the Lithuanian Shipping Company. The exposition in Hall 3 is composed to the topic Rescue Works at Sea. In this hall visitors can see an authentic cart from the former Melnrage life boat station dating back to the early 20th century which was used for launching life boats into the sea. Displayed in the hall are materials on coastal life boat stations on the Lithuanian seaside before 1945 , tackle from rescue boats and ships wrecked off the coast. In the glass-cases and stands the visitors can see parts of wrecked ships collected on the seashore, read information on Lithuanian merchant ships which have perished at sea and study materials on ship disasters in the approaches to the port of Klaipeda which have occurred in our times. The memorial part of the exposition lists the names of 220 seamen from Klaipeda and Lithuania in general who died in the seas and oceans in the 19th-20th centuries. In Hall 4 we show materials on the activity of the joint-stock shipping company Lietuvos Baltijos Lloydas in 1936-1940 and present information on all the vessels of the company, their Masters and navigators. In the caponier located next to the Hall a 16th century skiff found at the bottom of Lake Plateliai, parts of sailing ships recovered from the Baltic Sea and a collection of sailor's knots are put on display. The former cannon platforms on the ramparts are used for displaying a collection of ancient and modern anchors. The oldest of these anchors were made by blacksmiths for sailing boats in the 18th century. Most of them have been recovered from the bottom of the Baltic Sea, some have been brought to the Museum from the Atlantic Ocean. The biggest item in the collection is an anchor forged in the Urals in 1803 which weighs about 2200 kg and which was brought to Klaipeda from the Aegean Sea by a ship of the Lithuanian Shipping Company.
The wheelhouse of a Liberty-type steamship
A cart for launching life boats into the sea
A 16th-century skiff from Lake Plateliai
Anchors on display in the open air
G.Paulionis' rowing-boat Alfredas Jensenas. G.Paulionis' wife and son.

During the summer months Alfredas Jensenas, a rowing-boat, is displayed in the Museum courtyard. In 1994 G.Paulionis, a resident of Klaipeda, crossed the Baltic Sea in this boat and perished in a storm on his way back.