Aberdeen Maritime Museum

Lens from a light house, it was very big and bright.

The Aberdeen Maritime Museum is down by the docks in an old church building with parts of it going into a former Skeen's house.  It is very well laid out and well worth the visit.  Plus, it's free!

Ship's head from a sunken frigate.

Two other museums in town are closed for renovations, so parts of their treasures are on display.

Aberdeen has been associated with sea faring since it all began.  The museum traces it back to the iron age, but focuses on the 1800-1900 times especially.  The life for folks along the coast was very hard.

Looking out the large church windows upstairs onto the docks; very busy.

There is also a very informative section on oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.  What really caught my attention was the realization by the oil companies that the fields are not as productive as they once were.  They now have to dismantle the huge platforms, which are no longer being used, without just ditching them in the ocean; thanks to environmental protests!

Replica of the Murchison Platform which is in the North Sea.  I never appreciated how huge it is.

Stats for Murchison; they are pretty amazing!

The connection of Aberdeen to the opening of trade with Japan were also explored.  I've read  Shogun by James Clavel, but never realized how accurately he described the Scottish connection.