RNLI lifeboat crewmember and Walmer Station historian Colin Varrall talks about the project in which he was involved that led to the plaque's unveiling in the 85th anniversary year of the Dunkirk evacuation.

Nicholas Haddock, one of four admirals in his seafaring family, had a home in Kent. This post provides highlights of his lengthy career.

The Mariners Mirror Podcast hosted by the historian Sam Willis and produced by the Society for Nautical Research is the world’s No.1 maritime history podcast with over 500,000 downloads so far. A recent series on the Cinque Ports focusses on Kent’s links to the confederation. In this blog post Daisy Turnbull of the SNR explains how the series came about and her involvement.

In May, over 50 of the original Dunkirk Little Ships set off from Ramsgate to commemorate the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo. This blog highlights Ramsgate’s involvement in the excellent Heritage Harbours initiative, which was instrumental in the planning and preparation of the anniversary events.

New exhibition at Southend Central Museum, ‘The London Shipwreck: Her Final Voyage’, to shed light on life aboard a 17th century ship through the display of never-before-seen objects.

The Society of Nautical Research are delighted to be producing, alongside long-term partners at the Lloyds Register Foundation, a new ‘mini-series’ of episodes for the Mariner’s Mirror Podcast in collaboration with the Cinque Ports confederation.

The Maison Dieu at Dover was for a long time a naval victualling yard and so, to mark the building’s reopening after a fantastic £10.5m restoration project, this blog post by Andy Plumbly focusses on the supply of beer to the Royal Navy at Dover.

Teacher and researcher Stephen Garnett reflects on ‘Britain’s greatest painting’ and the legacy of J. M. W. Turner on the 250th anniversary of the artist’s birth.

The KAS Maritime Kent Research Group reports on The Kent Shipbuilding Conference held at Chatham Historic Dockyard on the 7th and 8th November 2024.

Report by Vanessa Sanderson, Jason Mazzocchi and Kieron Hoyle on the Shipbuilding conference at Chatham Dockyard organised jointly by KAS Maritime Kent Research Group and Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust. Featured on the Centre for Kent History blog at the Canterbury Christ Church University website.

Dr Philip MacDougall outlines his research into the influence and connections of Kent’s naval facilities with the Russian Navy through from Peter I's visit to Chatham in 1698 to the later use of Chatham by the Russian Navy during the French Wars of the eighteenth century.

Useful web links for reading and research on the rich history of maritime Kent.

The extended and updated Maison Dieu website now includes much more detailed information about the history of the building, including its many maritime links.

Dave Batchelor and Paul Damon of the Sandwich Medieval Trust give an update on a fascinating project to build a replica of a medieval ship.

A report on the first meeting of the Maritime Kent Special Interest Group held on 5th January 2023 at Chatham Dockyard.