GO SHIP I08S Blog - Week 2
As we continue to work our way to the first station of this cruise, I thought I would share a few other things from our last days in Fremantle, that I found especially cool. Before leaving Australia, I visited the Western Australia Shipwrecks Museum. Yes, I can see the humor in visiting a museum about shipwrecks as I was about to set off on a cruise myself – that said, this place is amazing for anyone of maritime inclination.
It was astounding to see how underwater archeologists and others have been able to identify and preserve old relics pulled from the water. As I walked through this place, I was grateful for the massive advancements in ship building we see today, compared with many of the preserved wrecks and reconstructions you can tour at the museum. If we had to sail on some of those relics, I think I might have to rethink being in the water for the length of time I currently will be especially on such turbulent seas.
One section of the museum I especially geeked out on was the navigational instruments from years past. I was mentally comparing what they had on display with the different software’s and instruments we use on the water today. One artifact that particularly caught my attention was the sounding leads, which not only gauged depth but also collected bottom sediment samples.
Of course, on our ship currently, we have access to more advanced technologies to relay depths, location, and trajectory accurately, but it was cool to think about what it might have been like to use these different instruments in place of our tools today.
One of the best parts of my job is being able to travel the world and see amazing museums and places such as this. Learning about what scientists before us had at their disposal to do the same jobs we do today is fascinating, along with seeing maritime history on different continents and from varied perspectives.
