Nautical Museum of Crete, Chania (must see)

Also called the Maritime Museum of Crete, the Nautical Museum was founded in 1973 by Vice Admiral Giannopolous H.N. The foundation date was also the anniversary of the Battle of Crete in 1941. The main collection of the museum is housed in the Firkas Fortress on the west side of Chania Harbor, close to San Salvatore Bastion.

"Firkas" means "barracks" in Turkish. The fortress was built in 1620 to protect the harbor entrance. A ship-stopping chain could be rigged between the Firkas and the Lighthouse at the end of the mole. Cannons could be zeroed in through arched gaps low in the walls to hit ships at water level.

The exhibits on the first floor of the Firkas include model replicas of ancient ships, and a scale model of Venetian Chania showing ship repair sheds with an oared galley inside. The second floor has models of modern Greek navy ships, including destroyers, missile frigates, and naval ships LSTs. One exhibit is a full bridge setup of a destroyer.

The Moro Shipyard part of the museum is at the east end of the harbor. Here is a special exhibition of ancient naval architecture. There is a 56-foot replica of a Minoan ship built between 2001 and 2004 and sailed from Piraeus to Crete. The museum is operated by the Municipality of Chania and the Naval Base of Crete.