16th International Symposium on Boat & Ship Archaeology

63 Zadar, Croatia | 26 September – 1 October 2021 John McCarthy Flinders University, Archaeology, Adelaide, Australia Ship shapes: digitising historic ship models This recently completed PhD project undertaken in the Maritime Archaeology Program at Flinders University in South Australia involved gathering of spatial data for large Dutch merchant ships of the 17 th and 18 th century and the conversion of that data into a common spatial format. The project explored spatial data from iconography, shipbuilding manuals, contemporary ship models and shipwreck surveys for new insights into ship design during this period. A large proportion of the known scale models of this type and period have been digitised in partnership with museums across Europe. Digital reconstructions of ships were created from 3D scans of wrecks within their wider landscapes and a number of virtual reality experiences were created to facilitate the dissemination of accurate maritime archaeological data and museum collections to the public.