Today, on my last day in Stockholm, I met with Pernilla Flyg, a curator for the Maritime Museum. She is in charge of many initiatives to share Sweden's maritime heritage with the public. Most of these initiatives are done through the Shipwer Project, a program which I discussed in my Birka blog post. While I had a lot of packing and cleaning to do today, I was excited to finally meet with Pernilla. We had been re-scheduling for over a week, so I'm very happy we were able to meet before I leave. During the interview I learned about the various Shipwer sub-projects that have been done and are being planned. For many of these projects, Pernilla works with the local authorities and interested entrepreneurs. So while she works for a national program, these initiatives are often supported locally.
Diving for Non-Divers: At Axmar
Pernilla showed me the shipwreck diagrams of Axmar wrecks, like the ones Bosse gave me. (I put a picture of one in the Axmar post). She explained that these will not only be useful to divers at Axmar, but would be great resources for non-divers, also. For example, a potential idea is for people visiting Axmar to take boats out to the wreck sites, and to read about the wrecks while floating over them. While this is not the same as being in the water with them, it would still be more of an impact than if they read the diagrams online back home. Axmar has a beautiful harbor, so non-diving visitors would probably like a wreck-related boat tour around the various islands.
She also said that they've considered ice skating tours, although none are currently being implemented. Some winters the ice is rather clear, and long-distance ice skating is quite popular in Sweden. So people could ice skate to wreck sites, and maybe even see the wrecks beneath the ice. There are many ways for non-divers to appreciate the wrecks at Axmar and throughout Sweden. Eventually, they would like some of these diagram-maps to be interactive online rather than just print-outs.
Diving for Non-Divers: Boat Tours
The big project on which Pernilla is currently working is a Diving for Non-Divers Boat Tour. This October they are doing three trial tours: one with museum staff and politicians, one open to the public, and one for the press and tourist businesses. The tours will go to two wrecks, where people can experience the wrecks through watching a live sideo from a Remote Operated Vehicle--ROV. Inside the tour boat will be a big screen, so non-divers can see the wrecks without going underwater.
On the way to the first wreck, between the two wrecks, and on the way back, the screen will show short pre-recorded underwater films of some the wrecks above which they are passing. Pernilla showed me one of these videos, for the wreck Anna Maria. The video tour will let people see what the wreck looks like underwater. On the left side of the screen is a map of the wreck, with a red dot which marks where the camera is in relation to the rest of the wreck. As the camera moves along the wreck, the red dot reflects the change in location. As people watch these videos, Pernilla will explain the history of the ships and how they were wrecked. Because of these films, the tours will encompass much more than just the two wrecks where they use the ROV. People will learn about some of the many local wrecks. They can also enjoy the scenery of the area.
Once at one of the main two wrecks, the boat will stop and they will put the ROV into the water. Pernilla will operate the ROV and guide it through the wreck. As she does this, she will be talking to the people on board, explaining what they are seeing.
While Pernilla is planning and running these three test-tours though the Maritime Museum, she also has been working with an entrepreneur who is interested in making these ROV-wreck-tours into a company. This woman owns a business called Sweden by Nature, where she runs high-end nature walking tours in Sweden. She has been working with Pernilla on the feasibility of making Diving for Non-Divers part of her company. She has been funded by her local municipality for three month's pay to work on this project. However, starting next year she will need to start-up the project on her own.
After each tour this October, the guests will fill out surveys. One of the questions will be about how much people are willing to pay for such an experience. However, as Pernilla pointed out, they cannot just put dollar-amounts on the survey, as people will always choose the cheapest option. Rather, they will ask people to compare it to other tourist excursions in Stockholm. For example, would this Diving for Non-Divers Tour be of equal worth as a balloon tour over Stockholm? Pernilla and this entrepreneur plan to use these surveys from the test-phase to budget out making this a real tour. They need to get quotes on how much it would cost to buy the boats, the ROVs, and the ROV pilot training. ROVs are extremely expensive, so Pernilla is helping her find funding.
I think this Diving for Non-Divers sounds like a very good program to start. Hopefully their test phase in October goes well. Such a tour would allow many more people access to shipwrecks. Being on the water and seeing a live video of the wreck is an innovative experience, and I think it would interest people who otherwise only would see the wrecks in photographs.
Maritime Museum on Tour
Another initiative Pernilla has developed is bringing the Maritime Museum to other parts of Sweden than Stockholm. One example of this is the excavation at Birka, of course. She also told me about their program in a town in northern Sweden, Luleå. A few years ago they went up to this town and taught the local schools and local community about their nearby shipwrecks. The town appreciated learning about their underwater heritage from experts in the field.
360-Degree Archiving
Pernilla showed me a recent project, which is a 360-degree picture of a shipwreck. The image does not distort as you move it. This technology was recently developed by a Swedish company, and the Maritime Museum is interested in using it to make 360-degree tours of some shipwrecks. If you use an iPad or iPhone, you can move the screen all the way around you. Pernilla said this is a nice way for non-divers to experience a more interactive version of a shipwreck than a mere picture.
Online Archives and Forums
I mentioned this briefly in my Birka post, but the Swedish National Heritage Board has an online archive of all archaeological sites in Sweden. This includes over 6,000 shipwrecks. However, Pernilla said the interface can be cumbersome, and it is difficult to sift through the information to find the interesting story behind a wreck. Because of this, a forum called Platsr was recently created. This is much more user-friendly, and it also engages the public by allowing people to edit information on shipwrecks. People can learn the interesting facts about a wreck, and if other people do further research, they can add it here. Pernilla said that the fun facts are featured here. Platsr links back to the Swedish National Heritage Board's archives if anyone wants more information. People can also find information online on how to report a shipwreck if discovered.
Scuba Diving Programs
The Maritime Museum sometimes runs Historical Diving programs for scuba divers, in which trained guides teach divers about the history of the wrecks. They have special slates with an archaeological map of the wreck printed on it. Pernilla said that working with the diving community is very important, because then the Maritime Museum has the opportunity to teach divers the safe way to navigate around wrecks. If the divers are made aware of the significance of the shipwrecks and are taught to respect this maritime heritage, there will be less looting.
Pernilla also explained that the Maritime Museum is always interested in having diving entrepreneurs and guides use this information they are making available. With all of these archives and maps and pictures, people can learn a lot about a shipwreck before diving it. They hope that people who take divers to the sites will take advantage of this available information and share it with divers.
Maritime Museum in a Shipping Crate
The Maritime Museum is in charge of all maritime heritage in Sweden, and Pernilla and two colleagues are the only people with the job of bringing that heritage to the public. Pernilla is also in charge of the dive parks. So one plan they have for next year is to engage some of their many supporters in Sweden. The Maritime Museum has a few thousand official supporters all throughout Sweden. Not everyone has access to the Maritime Museum itself, but Pernilla wants people to have access to the maritime heritage. So Pernilla wants to take a shipping crate, paint it the red color of the Maritime Museum logo, and fill it with exhibits, signs and information. Then, they can ship it to different locations throughout Sweden. She mostly wants it to go to some of the country's smaller maritime museums. She said there are around 35 maritime museums in Sweden. Another good location would be at vintage boat fairs. At such locations, supporters of the museum could un-pack the shipping crate and display that part of the Maritime Museum to the public. With such a project, Pernilla and her colleagues would not have to tour with the crate, but the information would still reach a large population.
Marine Harbor Mobile Application
When I brought up the fact that it must be difficult for the Vasa Museum not to be near the Maritime Museum, Pernilla told me that they are implementing some projects closer to the Vasa. For example, behind the Vasa Museum is the old marine harbor, which was active from the 17th century to the mid-20th century. She has developed a mobile app where people can take a tour of this area. There are still interesting buildings and sites in the area. Now, people visiting the Vasa can download the app and walk around the grounds, learning more about the maritime history of the harbor. There are also signs around this area with maritime heritage information.
Collaborating with Local Societies
Pernilla has been working with the Diving Historical Society, which houses a submarine training house in the area near the Vasa Museum. They have dive equipment dating back to the 17th-century, when the Vasa's cannons were salvaged. Pernilla is collaborating with this diving community to try to have them keep the building open more often. Right now, they are open to the public about five weekends a year.
She also is working with the Vintage Boat Society, which has an impressive collection of old boats. The society keeps the boathouse open every day for the three months of the summer. Often the entrance is manned by two little old ladies, according to Pernilla.
By working with these two societies, the Maritime Museum is encouraging locals who have an interest in maritime history to share their resources with the public.
Final Thoughts
I was astonished by how many initiatives Pernilla has created and maintained. It is a true testament to how much Sweden values its maritime heritage. The interview was a nice way to end my time here in Sweden. I think the people working with maritime heritage in this country have been very ingenious in creating ways to share the underwater heritage with the public. From coming up with inventive projects to garner interest in maritime history to keeping people updated on current research, Sweden has many projects which promote underwater heritage to both divers and non-divers. By making information readily available to the public, they also consider the best ways to protect these shipwrecks. It has been an amazing experience to speak with people so dedicated to underwater heritage here in Sweden.
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