The research mission of the DSM is set out clearly in § 2 (3) sub-sections 1-3 of the Foundation's statutes:
1."Scientific research on all aspects of the history of German shipping."
2."The collection and preservation of historical material related to German shipping, as well as the documentation and exhibition thereof."
3."The public presentation of matters relating to German maritime history by making use of the exhibitory, scientific and technical facilities at the disposal of the Foundation.
The museum conforms with this research mission in its function as a national museum and member of the Leibniz Association.
The DSM's research results are reflected in the individual sections of the exhibitions as well as in its publications and special exhibitions at regular intervals. Anyone interested, whether scientist or layman, has the opportunity to make use of the DSM's services, which offer access to the museum's pictorial, documentary and material resources.
The purpose of this is to make the research results available to as wide an audience as possible. It is particularly important to the DSM in an age of "media overkill" to stress the museum's originality and independence as a cultural institution through the presentation of authentic and original exhibits and objects.
The museum also promotes the development of young scientists. Pupils and students can apply for work experience or placements at all academic levels up to and including Ph.D. research.
But now we have to ask the question "What exactly is shipping?"
From a socio-economic point of view, shipping is not only the maritime economy. It also includes the exploitation of marine environment by man. Against this background, maritime history does not follow a strict chronology. It has to be viewed from a socio-scientific perspective. As a scientific field, it is defined primarily by the object under investigation. It can be seen as a subsection of various disciplines – economic history, technological history, ethics etc. Since maritime history is a relatively new sub-section of history, it has neither a tradition of research nor a comprehensive analytical methodology for all its aspects.
Research at the DSM is based on its systematic collection of resources on the history of German shipping. The collection has been digitally recorded with the help of the software "MusuemPlus". This software is also used by many other major institutes. Thanks to the constant scientific revision of the catalogue of material sources, new sections of the collection are continuously being opened up for research.
Picture: Egbert Laska
Picture: Egbert Laska