Ship Models of the American History Museum, Washington DC

I've been to the American History museum a number of times over the years, and always love gawking at the maritime models. Recently I had another opportunity to do so, and I thought this time I might put together a little photo tour of some of my favorites for those who aren't able to visit the museum any time soon.

The exhibit covers American maritime history, civilian and military, from colonial days to the present, with a large number of ship models of every kind, as well as other artifacts and, in several instances, original vessels. By far the most valuable piece of maritime history in the museum is the gunboat Philadelphia, which sank on Lake Champlain in 1776.

I've focused primarily on the age of sail, as that is where my primary interest lies, though I've included a few photos of later subjects as well. This is, of course, just a small sampling of just one exhibit.

In all cases, explanatory plaques precede the photo of the model being described.

I thought I might try my luck at privateering...

But it wasn't quite as glorious as it was cracked up to be.