About Royal Navy Museums
Our story
On 28 June 1911, The Dockyard Museum opened in Portsmouth, growing and evolving into the Royal Naval Museum, which then became a part of the newly formed National Museum of the Royal Navy in September 2009.
The Museum changed its name to The National Museum of the Royal Navy, as the overall organisation grew to also encompass The Royal Marines Museum, The Royal Navy Submarine Museum, the Fleet Air Arm Museum and Explosion! Museum of Naval Firepower.
In 2015, we opened First World War Monitor HMS M.33 to the public, and in 2016 we added HMS Caroline in Belfast, and the Hartlepool Maritime Experience and HMS Trincomalee to the National Museum of the Royal Navy family.
In May 2026 the museum was renamed Royal Navy Museums.
To be the world’s most inspiring Naval Museum, Linking Navy to Nation.
Inspiring enjoyment and engagement with the continuing history and modern role of the Royal Navy and the Royal Navy’s impact on shaping both our nation and the modern world.
Royal Navy Museums was established in 2008. The Group includes theRoyal Navy Museums, Royal Navy Museum: Naval Aviation, Royal Navy Museums: Submarines with HMS Alliance, Royal Navy Museums: Explosion, Royal Navy Museums: Royal Marines Experience, Royal Navy Museums: HMS Victory, Royal Navy Museums: HMS Caroline, Royal Navy Museums: HMS M33, Royal Navy Museums: HMS Warrior and Royal Navy Museums: Hartlepool (including HMS Trincomalee). In August 2020, its subsidiary company, RNM Operations, created an equally owned joint venture company with the Mary Rose Trust, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Operations Ltd, to act as agent for the sale of tickets to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions, with the distribution of sales revenue and share of costs on an agreed split.
The Museum’s day-to-day operation is overseen by the Executive Directors within the context of an overarching strategy framework, and underpinned by a suite of Group policies, procedures and operating models. Operational activity has been consolidated into Royal Navy Museums Operations, a wholly owned charitable subsidiary of the Museum, simplifying the governance structure and allowing the benefits of operation of the museums through a single large organisation to be realised, improving visitor experience, enhancing access to and care of the collections and demonstrating greater cohesion in the delivery of the charitable objectives.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) concluded its review of its Services Museums in July 2016 and confirmed that the functions of Royal Navy Museums continued to support MOD objectives. It recommended that the Museum should remain as a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the MOD.
Legal status
Please refer to the below pages for further information:
To be the world’s most inspiring Naval Museum, Linking Navy to Nation.
Inspiring enjoyment and engagement with the continuing history and modern role of the Royal Navy and the Royal Navy’s impact on shaping both our nation and the modern world.
Royal Navy Museums was established in 2008. The Group includes theRoyal Navy Museums, Royal Navy Museum: Naval Aviation, Royal Navy Museums: Submarines with HMS Alliance, Royal Navy Museums: Explosion, Royal Navy Museums: Royal Marines Experience, Royal Navy Museums: HMS Victory, Royal Navy Museums: HMS Caroline, Royal Navy Museums: HMS M33, Royal Navy Museums: HMS Warrior and Royal Navy Museums: Hartlepool (including HMS Trincomalee). In August 2020, its subsidiary company, RNM Operations, created an equally owned joint venture company with the Mary Rose Trust, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard Operations Ltd, to act as agent for the sale of tickets to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard attractions, with the distribution of sales revenue and share of costs on an agreed split.
The Museum’s day-to-day operation is overseen by the Executive Directors within the context of an overarching strategy framework, and underpinned by a suite of Group policies, procedures and operating models. Operational activity has been consolidated into Royal Navy Museums Operations, a wholly owned charitable subsidiary of the Museum, simplifying the governance structure and allowing the benefits of operation of the museums through a single large organisation to be realised, improving visitor experience, enhancing access to and care of the collections and demonstrating greater cohesion in the delivery of the charitable objectives.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) concluded its review of its Services Museums in July 2016 and confirmed that the functions of Royal Navy Museums continued to support MOD objectives. It recommended that the Museum should remain as a Non-Departmental Public Body sponsored by the MOD.
Legal status
Please refer to the below pages for further information:
Who we are
Sir Philip Jones
Chair of the NMRN Main Board
Alison Start
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Audit and Governance Committee and Fundraising Committee
Ged Salzano
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and the Chair of the Collections, Research, Learning and Access (CRLA) Committee and a member of the Audit and Governance Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board representing the Fleet Air Arm and a member of the Nominations and Remunerations Committee. Jon is also a Trustee for the HMS Caroline Preservation Company
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board, Chair of the Digital Committee and a member of the Collections, Research, Learning and Access (CRLA) Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and committee member of the Audit and Governance Committee and member of the Programme Board. Mark is also a Trustee for NMRN Hartlepool
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and Chair of the Fundraising Committee. Mary is also Trustee for HMS Victory Preservation Company
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Fundraising Committee and Digital Committee. Phil is also a Trustee for NMRN Hartlepool
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and Fundraising Committee. Helen is also a Trustee for HMS Victory Preservation Company
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Digital Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Audit Committee
Sarah Humphrey
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board
Matthew Sheldon
CEO
Sarah Dennis
Executive Director: Finance and Resources
Andrew Baines
Executive Director: Museum Operations
Helen McKenna Aspell
Associate Executive Director: Funding and Partnerships
Emma Allen
Associate Executive Director: Commercial Operations
Lyn Andrews
Associate Executive Director: People
Sir Philip Jones
Chair of the NMRN Main Board
Alison Start
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Audit and Governance Committee and Fundraising Committee
Ged Salzano
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and the Chair of the Collections, Research, Learning and Access (CRLA) Committee and a member of the Audit and Governance Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board representing the Fleet Air Arm and a member of the Nominations and Remunerations Committee. Jon is also a Trustee for the HMS Caroline Preservation Company
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board, Chair of the Digital Committee and a member of the Collections, Research, Learning and Access (CRLA) Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and committee member of the Audit and Governance Committee and member of the Programme Board. Mark is also a Trustee for NMRN Hartlepool
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and Chair of the Fundraising Committee. Mary is also Trustee for HMS Victory Preservation Company
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Fundraising Committee and Digital Committee. Phil is also a Trustee for NMRN Hartlepool
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee and Fundraising Committee. Helen is also a Trustee for HMS Victory Preservation Company
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Digital Committee
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board and member of the Audit Committee
Sarah Humphrey
Trustee of the NMRN Main Board
Matthew Sheldon
CEO
Sarah Dennis
Executive Director: Finance and Resources
Andrew Baines
Executive Director: Museum Operations
Helen McKenna Aspell
Associate Executive Director: Funding and Partnerships
Emma Allen
Associate Executive Director: Commercial Operations
Lyn Andrews
Associate Executive Director: People
Our policies and reports
- Download the Impact Report - 2019 (PDF, 6.19MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2018 (PDF, 6.65MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2017 (PDF, 6.21MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2016 (PDF, 6.40MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2015 (PDF, 9.02MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2014 (PDF, 6.77MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2012 (PDF, 7.75MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2011 (PDF, 4.81MB)
- Download the Impact Report - 2010 (PDF, 1.04MB)
- Download the Museum's 2025 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 120Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2024 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 120Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2023 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 135Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2022 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 144Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2021 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 477Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2020 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 174Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2019 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 162Kb)
- Download the Museum's 2018 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 3.92MB)
- Download the Museum's 2017 Gender Pay Gap Report (PDF, 262Kb)
- Download the NMRN accounts 24/25 (PDF 2.69MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 23/24 (PDF 2.27MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 22/23 (PDF 2.84MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 21/22 (PDF 2.8MB)
- Download the First Five Years - Full Report (PDF, 7.40MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 20/21 (PDF, 1.56MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 19/20 (PDF, 1.12MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 18/19 (PDF, 1.16MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 17/18 (PDF, 1.13MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 16/17 (PDF, 2.49MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 15/16 (PDF, 1.02MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 14/15 (PDF, 6.85MB)
- Download the NMRN accounts 13/14 (PDF, 2.43MB)
Trustee EDI statement.pdf
(115.37 KB)
Our services
Brand guidelines and logos
Royal Navy Museums Guidelines show how the corporate identity of Royal Navy Museums and its constituent Museums should be depicted in print
Plan Your Visit
From oak ships to jet engines, our museums and collections explore centuries of change through the people who shaped life at sea, and the world as we know it today.
Support Us
We’re not just a collection of artefacts – rather we’re a place where the stories and lives of people are told.
Donations from people like you mean we’re able to care, preserve and display our ships, planes, and submarines. Equally importantly, they also make it possible for us to bring our collections to life and in doing so share the inspirational work of our curators, conservators, scientists, and volunteers.
View Our Collections
Discover our incredible range of items across the key branches of the Royal Navy including personal archives, photographs, figureheads and much more
