About

Join historian and guide John Wilson for a British Sign Language (BSL) tour about remarkable animals, taking place in the Pacific Encounters and Sea Things galleries at the National Maritime Museum.

Do you think that cats and water don't mix? Think again! The majority of sailing ships had at least one ship's cat aboard – sometimes more than one. There are many stories of brave, loyal, funny and legendary cats on ships.

We don't just talk about cats; discover why Captain Cook always took a goat with him on his expeditions, how birds are teaching humans how to navigate, and more.

You'll also discover more about the rich symbology used on ship's badges – some realistic, some mythological. Sometimes it’s obvious why an image was chosen, but sometimes a bit of code-cracking is needed!