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Uses of maritime heritage: the twenty-first-century life of the Newport Medieval Ship

ABSTRACT This paper explores the contemporary uses of maritime heritage as an identity-building and place-marketing tool by examining the case of the Newport Medieval Ship, a fifteenth-century merchant vessel uncovered in Newport, South Wales, in 2002. It analyses the public campaign launched to ‘Save our Ship’ in the context of maritime heritage’s internationalising implications and its ability to boost a nation’s perceived historical significance by connecting local achievements with broader human themes such as trade and exploration. It is argued that these transoceanic qualities of maritime heritage chime with many of the commercial and technological virtues that modern societies want to project, especially where communities have experienced long-term decline or stagnation, and that this is one factor contributing to the prevalence of maritime museums internationally. Furthermore, the paper looks at some of the challenges inherent in interpreting maritime heritage, including the difficulty of balancing local and international narratives while satisfying both local stakeholders and potential visitors.