Photos of the Melaka Maritime Museum. Click on any of the thumbnails to see the full size image.
Sri Terengganu Warship
Flor De La Mar Replica
Exhibits in the Navy Museum
The Maritime Museum has to be the star of Melaka's many museums. The giant replica of the Portuguese Galleon Flor De La Mar is certainly an eye-catcher. The huge wooden ship was built in the early 1990s and is patterned on the Portuguese galleons that took control of Melaka in the early sixteenth century. The real Flor de La Mar sank off the coast of Sumatra in 1511 while carrying a load of treasure from Melaka back to Portugal. While relatively authentic on the outside, the interior of the ship has been designed around the museum exhibits, which cover the early Portuguese period of Melaka's history as a center of trade in Southeast Asia.
"But wait! There's more!" As the saying goes. The giant ship is just one of three buildings that make up the Maritime Museum complex. Next to the ship replica is a building with displays on the marine life around Melaka, and all of Malaysia. There's a heavy conservation message here, which is good to see.
The third building making up the Maritime Museum is across the street. This gallery is dedicated to recounting the history of the Malaysian Navy. There are models of ships, sample uniforms and hardware inside the building, as well as a large outdoor exhibit area with a retired patrol boat and several other bits of military hardware.
The Melaka Maritime Museum is open every day from 9:00 am to 5:30 pm. Admission is RM 3.00 (0.61 USD). The museum is on the river just a short walk from the Town Square. You can't miss it.