Guide to the Hellas Liberty Floating Museum: Exhibition, Admission, History

The Hellas Liberty Floating Museum is a floating maritime museum in the port of Piraeus. The WWII ship is a must-see for all history buffs.

In this complete guide to Hellas Liberty Floating Museum in Piraeus, you'll learn all about the exhibition, history, and helpful information about how to get there and tickets.

What Can I Do at Hellas Liberty Floating Museum?

A special museum experience is offered to you at  Hellas Liberty Floating Museum. The Maritime Museum is docked in the port of the Greek city of Piraeus, only 13 kilometers from downtown Athens.

The historic ship SS Hellas Liberty is an American freighter used by the Allies to transport pipelines during World War II and is now a museum. It is one of the world's last three remaining Liberty ships to serve with the Greek Merchant Navy after World War II.

You can learn interesting facts about the history of the Second World War and the naval history of the country, and also about seafaring in general.

During a tour of the ship's rooms, you can see the command station, the engine room, the officers' quarters and cabins, and other things. Various lounges, salons, holds and the ship's kitchen await you on the lower decks.

There is also a naval exhibition with equipment and objects that were in the Liberty ships of the time and which provide information about the development of the Greek shipping industry and the history of the ship type in general.

As a floating museum, Hellas Liberty Floating Museum clearly stands out among the museums around Athens.

Admission, Tickets and Guided Tours

How Do I Get to Hellas Liberty Floating Museum?

Hellas Liberty Floating Museum is tucked away in the western port of Piraeus, just 13 kilometers from downtown Athens.

Cruise passengers can therefore reach the museum in just a few minutes. But you can also easily reach the ship museum from the center of Athens with public transport.

The easiest way is with the M1 Metro. A single ticket is sufficient for the approx. 20-minute ride to the port of Piraeus (“Piraeus” station). From here it is a 23-minute walk to the museum.

History of Hellas Liberty Floating Museum

The Liberty Freighters were constructed at the time of World War II to counteract the enormous Allied losses caused by the U-boat war in World War II. They played an important role in the war, as the cargo ships could be produced faster and in greater numbers than the German navy could sink them.

After World War II, numerous Liberty ships made up the Greek merchant fleet and helped revitalize the Greek merchant marine.

Buying one of the few remaining Liberty ships and turning it into a floating maritime museum has long been the goal of a number of Greek shipping personalities.

However, this project only came to fruition in 2008 after the US government gave the decommissioned Liberty ship ARTHUR M. HUDDELL to Greece. This Liberty ship primarily transported pipelines during World War II, but also carried explosives and coal. After that it was part of the US Reserve Fleet.

After an extensive renovation, the floating maritime museum has been open to the public under its new name, Hellas Liberty, since June 2010. The museum is one of the top attractions in Piraeus.