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Ocean Portal by The Smithsonian Institution

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IMAGE GALLERY Pirates of the Golden Age Meet seven of the most fearsome pirates from the Golden Age of Piracy. Like pirates? Read more about William Dampier, a most fearsome pirate -- and naturalist.MORE GALLERIES


	VIDEO MORE VIDEOS Protecting Titanic: 100 Years Later One hundred years after it sank on April 15, the RMS Titanic still rests on the...
	PHOTO MORE PHOTOS Giant Squid Myth A giant squid attacks a boat - something that has not been known to happen in re...
	BLOG POST MORE STORIES Still Blue After a Century of Ocean Science and Exploration This year marks 100 years since the National Museum of Natural History opened it...

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					Fish Swim Around Shipwreck Mar 11, 2013 - 7:27AMFish swim around the wreck of the HMT Bedfordshire, an Arctic fishing trawler that was converted into an anti-submarine warship during World War II. Originally part of Great Britain's Royal Navy, it was sent to assist the...

First Giant Squid Photo

Mar 6, 2013 - 8:27AM

This 1874 photo of a squid draped over a bathtub was the first ever taken of...

Whale Products in Fashion

Jan 23, 2013 - 12:35PM

In the 19th century, "whalebone" was an important fashion tool—however, it...

SPOTLIGHT


The Sant Ocean Hall: Salmon Shape a Way of Life Boats Connect Us to the Ocean More than any other objects, boats symbolize human connection to the ocean. As you look...

Fresh Shellfish for Sale Nov 18 2010 - 5:20pm A local woman sells live shellfish from her boat in Halong Bay, Vietnam.	Dampier’s First World Voyage Jul 6 2010 - 5:02pm This map shows the route of pirate and naturalist William Dampier’s first voyage around the world. The journey lasted more than 12 years. Learn more about William Dampier, his voyage, and his discoveries!
Raven Spirit: A Native American Canoe's Journey Oct 7 2009 - 4:08pm Under a watchful raven’s eye, this handmade Tlingit canoe became a symbol of the ocean and of Alaska’s Native peoples. Over the course of a year, Douglas Chilton skillfully chipped away at a cedar log with traditional tools used by his ancestors for generations. Chilton, a master carver and member...	Inupiat Harpoon Box Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am During whale hunts, this carved whale box stored harpoon blades like the three shown beside it. "Living" inside the box was meant to give the blades spiritual powers to carry a harpoon back to the blade's "home" in the whale.
Captain Kidd on His Ship Jul 7 2010 - 12:22pm In 1697, aboard his ship Adventure Galley, Kidd captured his largest prize ever—a richly loaded Moorish ship, The Quedah Merchant. Kidd assumed the ship was a legitimate prize. But when its French papers were not found, Kidd was put on trial in London for piracy and found guilty. His tarred body...	Celebrating the Raven Spirit Canoe Launch Nov 1 2010 - 6:08pm November is American Indian Heritage Month. Mark the occasion by learning about the Raven Spirit Canoe, a craft that was carved in Alaska by master carver Douglas Chilton of the Tlinget Nation. The Sealaska Heritage Institute brought the canoe to the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, where members of...
Gyotaku Flounder Jul 14 2011 - 5:32pm Gyotaku is a traditional form of Japanese art that began as a way for fisherman to keep a record of the fish they caught. The fisherman would apply sumi ink to one side of a freshly caught fish, then cover the fish with rice paper and rub to create an exact image of the fish. The ink was non-...	Australian Fish and Cuttlefish Jul 9 2010 - 12:22pm Dampier was not able to collect specimens of fishes and other ocean life. But he had his shipboard artist carefully record the species that Dampier found new and unusual.
Map of Early European Whaling Region Sep 9 2011 - 2:52pm For over a decade scientists have been investigating an early European whaling site at Hare Harbor in Quebec, Canada. Located in the Gulf of St.	The Buccaneers painting Jul 23 2010 - 4:55pm This painting of swarthy buccaneers in the midst of a fierce battle was painted by the prolific American marine painter Frederick J. Waugh, and won an award in 1910. The New York Times wrote: “The Thomas B. Clarke prize for the best American figure composition painted in the United States by an...
First Scientific Illustration of Giant Squid Jan 26 2010 - 11:46am Published in 1882 by Yale Professor A.E. Verrill, this is the first scientific illustration of a giant squid. More about the giant squid can be found in the Giant Squid section.	Celebratory Harvest in Papua New Guinea Nov 18 2010 - 6:13pm A fisherman in Papua New Guinea shows his catch for a ceremonial feast. Communities there are successfully managing their local reefs by observing temporary fishing closures that end in time to celebrate the traditional feast.
Ocean Symbols in Ceremonial Art Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Decorated ceremonial regalia—like this eagle claw holding a salmon, and the sculpin headdress—symbolize the importance of ocean fish to Native communities.	Blackbeard the Pirate Jul 28 2010 - 1:05pm With headquarters in the Bahamas and North Carolina, Blackbeard and his band terrorized people along the North Atlantic coast and loaded his flagship-the Queen Anne's Revenge-with prizes. Eventually the citizens of North Carolina turned to Governor Spotswood of Virginia for help.
Inupiat Guardian Spirit Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am This ivory sculpture from Point Barrow, Alaska, represents Kikámigo, a guardian spirit, holding a whale in each hand.	Inupiat Ceremonial Mask Jan 26 2010 - 11:45am Made from spruce wood and caribou teeth, this mask was worn in ceremonies of thanksgiving. It sits atop a decorative breastplate with images of whaling crews in skin boats called umiaks.