Hong Kong Maritime Museum Director, Richard Wesley announced on 18 July 2013 that Dr. Tianlong Jiao has been appointed as the museum’s Chief Curator. Educated at Peking University and Harvard University, Dr. Jiao has over three decades of experience working as an anthropologist, archaeologist and museum specialist in China and the Pacific. For the last decade he has been based at the world-renowned Bishop Museum in Hawaii as Chairman of the Anthropology Department.

"Hong Kong Maritime Museum believes the appointment of Dr. Jiao is a major milestone in the museum’s development, strengthening the organisation’s capacity to work in partnership with other maritime museums, located not just in China but the entire Pacific Rim. He also brings to the museum a wealth of experience that will enable HKMM to build on its current research and exhibition activities,” said Mr. Wesley.

The museum is also delighted to announce the generous donation of HK$1,200,000 by Dr. Frank Tsao Wen-king of the IMC Group to support the appointment through the creation of a Curatorial Chair. These funds will be used to support future curatorial initiatives including research, object acquisition and education programs.

In speaking about the challenges of his new appointment, Dr. Jiao stated “As a new, independent institution there are many opportunities to collaborate with maritime institutions, whether they be museums, research institutes or private companies in a whole range of subject areas including marine conservation, maritime archaeology, preservation of traditional maritime cultures and documentation of technological advances in the shipping industry. I look forward to working with my colleagues and members of the museum board to help chart a new phase in the museums development.”

The 1897 gaff ketch Wyvern from Stavanger Maritime Museum sank in the Baltic during a Tall Ships' Race in July 2013. Tragically, a crew volunteer from another vessel which went to the aid of Wyvern was lost at sea during the rescue attempt. Read the details here.

UPDATE - 15 July 2013: Stavanger Maritime Museum now hopes to salvage Wyvern after an underwater inspection shows the vessel sitting upright on the bottom of the Baltic. Read more here

The Mariners’ Museum at Newport News, Virginia, USA, has named Elliot Gruber as its new President and CEO.

Elliot Gruber comes to The Mariners’ following two high-profile assignments on the national stage. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President of Resource Development for the United Way of the National Capital Area. Prior to that, he was vice president and COO for the Gettysburg Foundation.

He was elected after a lengthy search following the resignation of Dr. William B. Cogar, who left the Museum in late 2011.

During his time at the United Way, Elliot Gruber helped lead the organisation to substantial revenue increases achieved by widening its donor base. In eight years at The Gettysburg Foundation, he helped raise more than $100 million to build the new Museum and Visitor Center in Gettysburg. He has a 30-year not-for-profit organisation background.

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From the Bronze Age.

A replica of a 4,000 year old craft has just paddled out on a short maiden voyage in Falmouth, Cornwall, UK. Christened the Morgawr after a mythical monster of Falmouth Bay, she is a 50-foot long, six-ton replica of a Bronze Age boat, which was built by a team of fifty volunteers over the last eleven months at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall.

See the first voyage here