National Maritime
S
ome strategically-located ports have loomed large in the memories of seafarers throughout the ages. In the world of ancient Greece, Corinth bridged the narrow peninsula leading to the Pelopennese, with access eastward through the Aegean and westward through the Sea of Corinth . In later centuries, H ong Kong and Sydney each opened the doors to the China and Austral ia trade. A smaller port tucked near the Atlantic edge of the English Channel gained rhe same prominence as a gateway to Britain. In the first millennium B.C., Phoenicians sailed to Falmouth in quest of Comish tin. Later, Romans used it to colonize southwest Britain. For British sailors, Falmouth was often the port of departure or landfall. Its large harbor became a natural stopping point during the era of commercial sail, when outbound ships went to "Falmouth for orders." Many homeward-bound vessels sailed into Falmouth
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after months at sea, either to discharge their cargoes, or more frequently, ro awai t new instructions from owners or charterers. In the 1880s rhe port ranked seco nd in pilorage fees throughout Britain and was rhe base for 25 foreign consuls. Falmouth is still an important center for shipping bur, today, primarily a mecca for yachtsmen as a starring and finishing point for yacht races and voyages aro und the world. In 1968-1969 it served as both the departure and landfall of Sir Robin KnoxJohnsron' s single-handed circum navigation-the first eve r completed without a port stop. In 1997 Falmouth was the departure for rhe replica of Captain Cooke's Endeavour in its round the world voyage. Falmouth' s long maritime heritage has been recently enhanced by the construction of the massive new N arional Mari rime M useum in Cornwall, a complement to the National Mari rime Museum in Greenwich. The new museum pools The indoor flotilla is the core ofthe museum '.r exhibits the collections of the Cornwall Maritime Museum with a large number of boars from the National Maritime Museum of Greenwich. The flotilla, which includes canoes, yachts, rowing boars, dinghies, and power boars, form the core of the museum's exhibits. Royal involvement starred with rhe Duke of Edinburgh 's unveiling of the foundation stone in 1999. In 2002, Queen Elizabeth's Golden Jubilee Tour made it her first stop while rhe museum was still under construction . Finally, on 14 March 2003, the Duke of York officially opened the museum . Outside, rhe museum emerges directly from the harbor, set on massive piles and moored in a rower that has wi ndows both at the top and below the water. We headed
SEA HISTORY 105, AUTUMN 2003