Cultural Expeditions

Today was a very exciting day for our cultural expeditions! We started the day bright and early with a bus over to the Malta Maritime Museum. The museum lays out the history of seafaring and naval power in Malta. The island, as mentioned in my ES 410 research paper, has a long and colorful military and naval history. The museum displays focus first on the arrival of the Knights of St. John in the mid 16th century. They brought with them one of the most influential and heavily armed navies of the known world. This created an immediate need for a developed harbor and ship facilities. Several support buildings popped up on the waterfront, including ship building yards, navigation and pilotage schools, and even a cannon foundry.

The shipyards of Malta evolved gracefully over the years, incorporating changes in bigger, stronger ships, faster propulsion, and more powerful artillery. When the Knights finally left and the British took over, Malta had well-developed maritime facilities. The Brits, well-versed in the industrial revolution, immediately set about modernizing the infrastructure. Steam engines and steel became the tools of choice in this modern age. Unfortunately, the island nation of Malta does not have coal or iron reserves, and now had to rely on a constant stream of imports to support its shipyards and facilities. Thanks to the limited range and insatiable hunger of the steam ships of the time, Malta became a popular coaling station and trade flourished. However, as ship propulsion advanced and the island's ports were no longer necessary, the facilities gradually died out. After the raids of WWII destroyed a large portion of the waterfront, most of the buildings were never rebuilt, being replaced instead with shops and homes. Today, very little remains, except for the imposing Fort Angelo and the old port bakery, where the museum is now housed.

Timmy, our group lead, is very well versed in maritime history, and really added to our experience of the museum. He was full of all sorts of insights and interesting stories. His connections with the museum staff got us behind every closed door, and we got to see the restoration and storage rooms in addition. They have some very exciting exhibits in development! After the recent closure a major port, museum personal had the opportunity to salvage a great deal of important artifacts, including a massive collection of blueprints, ranging from the 16th century to modern oil tankers. One of my personal favorite relics in these storerooms was a very valuable Italian cannon that had been captured by the Turkish sultant and mounted on his flagship. When the Knights sank the ship they recovered the artillery piece and brought it back to the grand master, who had his name permanently carved into the barrel. It is in immaculate condition and awaiting a suitable display space in the main museum.

As our ES 410 education focuses on global engineering, it was very interesting to see the influence of technology and engineering on Malta's culture. The Knights' demand for naval infrastructure created a huge demand for engineering, and advanced structures were promptly developed to support their ocean fairing. These new systems also required educated operators, so the naval academies of shipbuilding, pilotage, and navigation were established. The British brought further technological advances in manufacturing, sea fairing, and electricity. The industrial revolution brought Malta a surge of trade and activity as travelers stopped to resupply.

After our tour, we headed to the old inquisitors palace up the block. The prison cells were certainly far from comfortable, and the torture chambers looked foreboding indeed. Don't worry; the plaque said that they were rarely used, and never for more than thirty minutes! Afterwards, we had time for some coffee, cheese, and calamari before heading back to the apartment and continuing to work on our research projects. Until tomorrow!