Why naval history needs a sustainable research model

The proposed ShipShape Australia expedition was intended to do more than fund a research trip. If it secured enough support, it could demonstrate a workable model for sustaining naval historians. Naval history has struggled to attract funding, in part because its technocentric, matter-of-fact character does not match criteria favoured by many funding bodies. Younger researchers and PhD students consequently cannot rely on the professional route that was once available. Maritime history still explains how societies connected and developed through the sea. A successful public-facing project might finance that research and open career paths in naval history and other overlooked fields.