On Saturday 11th September the Scottish Maritime Museum Dumbarton will be opening its doors for free as part of Doors Open Days 2021!
No need to book, just arrive on the day, Sat 10th Sept and you’ll get in for FREE.
The Museum is located on the former site of the William Denny Shipyard. It is a historic landmark which still contains the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank – the first commercial ship testing facility in the world! It is tradition that whenever a new testing tank is set up a small amount of water from the Denny Tank is added to it!
Visit the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank, Dumbarton to discover how William Denny and Brothers’ innovative and experimental approach to shipbuilding made waves in the shipbuilding industry from the 1800s to 1963.
- See the world’s first commercial ship model experiment tank, the length of a football pitch
- Enter the world of the bygone ship designer in William Denny’s drawing office, and find out how to design your own ship.
- Learn about Denny Brothers, builders of the famous Cutty-Sark and inventors of the Denny helicopter, Denny hovercraft and Denny-Brown stabilisers.
- Discover ship models, photographs and historic objects in the Propeller shop. Experience the working environment of the traditional model makers, clay moulders and carpenters in 1882.
As well as seeing the Denny Ship Model Experiment Tank and the offices and workshops the shipbuilders worked in, you can also take the chance to see Into the Maelstrom: The Scottish Kayak Expedition to North West Norway 1980 which charts the story of Jim Breen, Angus Mathieson, Bill Turnbull and Peter Wilson who, together, paddled 394 miles (634 kilometres) as they circumnavigated the two island groups of Lofoten and Vesterålen in North West Norway, 200 miles within the Arctic Circle.
