Basil Greenhill, CB, CMG, director of Greenwich's National Maritime Museum from 1967 to 1981, has died.

Greenhill was responsible, says the Times, for identifying the need to expand the scope of the collections in the museum to include ancient and modern commercial fleet activities of all sorts and to improve on the site's original image of being something of a shrine to Admiral Nelson.

Born in 1920 and educated at Bristol University - a period disturbed by WW2 in which he served in the RNVR and the Fleet Air Arm - Greenhill joined what was to become the Commonwealth Relations Office to begin a diplomatic service career lasting nearly 20 years.

Foreign postings during this period included spells in East Pakistan - now Bangladesh - Pakistan, Afghanistan, New York and Tokyo.

His enduring enthusiasm for the sea and ships resulted in the publication of a great many books and articles on the subject - commencing with The Merchant Schooners in 1951 - and made his arrival at Greenwich in 1967 almost inevitable.

Whilst there, in addition to the changes to the museum's focus instituted under his stewardship, he campaigned to introduce marine archaeology to Britain and instituted and chaired several international conferences and symposiums on the subject.

Upon leaving the museum in 1981, Greenhill was appointed a CB and the following year became chair of the SS Great Britain project in Bristol.

He leaves a wife and two sons. Details: www.timesonline.co.uk / www.nmm.ac.uk