The model whalebone ship carved more than 200 years ago is a replica of a 19th Century whaling ship.
It is believed to be an example of the type carved by French captives in British prisons and aboard ships during the Napoleonic Wars.
Using leftover bone, the prisoners were also known to employ hair, clothing and jewellery in a model, which normally took a prisoner years to complete.
Other ships in the museum collection include wool clipper Cromdale, built in Glasgow in 1891.
After narrowly escaping disaster on her maiden voyage when she was hit by 300ft high icebergs, she later ran aground in thick fog, ploughing into cliffs off the coast of Cornwall, where the wreck is visible today.
Several members of the crew died, including one who was reportedly eaten by a shark in Montevideo Bay.
Also part of the collection is a scale replica of the RMS Queen Elizabeth.
More than a 1.5m long, the model is a tribute to the much larger original cruise liner, which was once the biggest passenger ship ever built.