National Maritime Museum

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, housing the world’s largest maritime collection, appears to harbor the spirits of sailors and naval officers from Britain’s seafaring past. Staff members report encountering figures in various naval uniforms from different historical periods, from 18th-century officers in tricorn hats to Victorian sailors in traditional dress. These phantom mariners are most often seen in the galleries displaying ship models, navigational instruments, and artifacts from famous naval battles and explorations.

Security guards working night shifts describe hearing distinctly maritime sounds throughout the empty museum - the creaking of ship timbers, the jangle of rigging, shouted naval commands, and even the sound of waves lapping against hulls. The Nelson Gallery, dedicated to Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, experiences particularly frequent paranormal activity. Witnesses report seeing a figure in a naval officer’s uniform standing before Nelson’s coat, which still bears the fatal bullet hole from Trafalgar. Some believe this is Nelson’s ghost revisiting his final uniform.

The museum’s extensive collection of artifacts recovered from shipwrecks and naval battles seems to carry spiritual energy from their traumatic origins. Conservation staff handling objects from sunken vessels report experiencing vivid impressions of drowning and maritime disasters, accompanied by the smell of seawater and gunpowder. The galleries displaying items from the slave trade period generate intense emotional responses, with visitors and staff reporting feelings of profound sadness and hearing phantom crying. The combination of Greenwich’s royal and maritime history, along with the museum’s vast collection of objects connected to death at sea, has created an environment rich with ghostly activity.