“Naše more” is an international scientific journal of marine sciences with a long tradition. There are few journals in the world with such a rich history. The journal was founded in Dubrovnik in 1919 by  prominent ship-owners, seafarers and bankers. It was published as a newsletter of the Yugoslav Shipping Foundation based in Dubrovnik, and it covered topics related to the shipping industry. Two issues were published in the first year (Issue No.1 and 2). Within the next year, eight more issues were published edited by Ljubo Leontić PhD. The eighth issue was published in October 1920, in which the editors announced that the newsletter would no longer be printed. The real reasons for this decision are not known, but evidently the journal lacked the state support. Nevertheless,  the 100^th anniversary of the journal “Naše more” was officially celebrated in 2018, thus accentuating the importance of the journal for the Croatian maritime tradition.

This confirms the ever-present awareness of the importance of shipping in this part of the world, and the importance of the sea for the existence and prosperity of our society.

The journal was launched again in 1954, this time as a newspaper of the Mariners’ Club “Miho Pracat” from Dubrovnik. The promotion committee consisted of Master Mariners: Maroje Aleksić, Zvonimir Goić, Mario Grbić, Viktor Nonveiller, Špiro Savin, Ivo Scarpa and Lujo Šoletić.

Zvonimir Goić was elected as Editor-in-Chief, while Maroje Aleksić, Dragutin Betner, Antun Depolo, Zvonimir Goić, Viktor Nonveiller, Nadan Palčok, Miljenko Sekula, Đuro Stojanović and Špiro Savin were members of the Editorial Board.

The editorial of the first issue began with: It is more of a success than an omission when we declare that this is our first issue.

The intention was to draw attention to thirty-five years of silence on the maritime topics, and this silence was a consequence of political circumstances that were unfavourable to the shipping thought and to the centuries of its uninterrupted existence, and not the result of a lack of interest and effort on the part of the Dubrovnik shipping society. That was the moment when the Dubrovnik merchant fleet began to rise from the ashes, supported by the same group of members of the Mariners’ Club, under the leadership of  the Master Mariner Špiro Savin.

For the next fifteen years, from 1954 to 1968, the journal was published as a journal of the Mariners’ Club ”Miho Pracat”. Due to financial problems of the Club and some other circumstances, the Socialist Workers’ Union of Croatia in Dubrovnik took over the role of the publisher.

At the very beginning of 1979, the Editor-in-Chief Master Mariner Zvonimir Goić passed away. He was the Editor-in-Chief ever since the revival of the journal, i.e. for 25 years. This loss caused a certain organizational gap that needed to be filled as soon as possible.

In mid-1979, on the initiative of the ”Society for the Study and Promotion of Yugoslav Shipping in Dubrovnik” and its president Professor Rudi Jelić, a formal agreement was reached on the financing of the journal. According to this agreement, the shipping companies ”Atlantska plovidba” and ”Mediteranska plovidba” as well as the ‘Port of Dubrovnik’, the Dubrovnik County Assembly and the Government Agency for Culture in the  Dubrovnik-Neretva County committed themselves to financially supporting the journal.

Co-signatories to this agreement, but without financial participation were: the Socialist Union of Labour – Dubrovnik, as the Publisher, Mariners’ Club ”Miho Pracat”, the Society for the Study and Promotion of Yugoslav Shipping in Dubrovnik, the County Council of the Croatian Workers’ Union – Dubrovnik and the Biological Institute in Dubrovnik.

A new Editorial Board was elected, consisting of: Josip Luetić PhD, Executive Editor, Josip Lovrić PhD, Editor-in-Chief, and Antun Martinović, Adiministrative Editor. Later on painter Josip Škerlj, Technical and Graphical Editor, and Anita Vlašić, Language Editor and Proof-Reader, were co-opted on the Board.

There were no changes in the Editorial Board until 1988, when Josip Škerlj left the Board, and Tereza Puzović was co-opted as the Board secretary from 1981 to 1983.

In 1989, two more members joined the Editorial Board: Boris Franušić PhD and Miljenko Kastrapeli.

In 1990, the new Publisher of the journal became the Maritime Faculty of Dubrovnik, when Luko Milić PhD, Antun Ničetić PhD and Jadran Šundrica PhD joined the Editorial Board.

In 1991, Srećko Krile PhD joined the Editorial Board (in charge of computer-editing of texts).

In 1992, Antun Česko PhD (as language editor) joind the Editorial Board, the post of Executive Editor was abolished, and Josip Luetić PhD remained a member of the Editorial Board.

In 1995, the International Editorial Board was established. Josip Luetić PhD became one of its members; the composition of this Board has not changed since then.

By legal succession,  the Polytechnic of Dubrovnik became the journal publisher in December 1996, and the University of Dubrovnik since December 2003.

For a journal with such a long history of publication, it is an exceptionally small number of changes at the top. From the re-launch of the journal in 1954, Zvonimir Goić, Master Mariner was the Editor-in-Chief until 1979.  He was born and raised in Dubrovnik, seafarer by profession,  active in all sorts of matters related to the sea. He was one of the pioneers of tourism in Dubrovnik. In our midst it has never been easy for editors. Skilful tactics were required, associates had to be animated, much devotion, dedication, enthusiasm and self-sacrifice were needed to keep the re-launched journal in print. Master Mariner Goić managed to keep the journal in press despite all obstacles and difficulties.

Josip Luetić was the Executive Editor of the journal from 1979 to 1989. He was born and raised in Dubrovnik, where he completed his maritime college education. He extended his education to the study of history, from which he acquired the PhD degree. He devoted himself entirely to scientific research of Croatian maritime history and literary work. He was the founder and first manager of the Institute for the Historical Research of Shipping in South Dalmatia and the Maritime Museum in Dubrovnik. His scientific papers and engagement in editing the column An Insight Into History were his special contribution to the journal.

Josip Lovrić was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal for over thirty years, from 1989 until his death in 2012. He was a scientist and a writer, born and raised in Dubrovnik, a naval architect by profession, but throughout his career and in his literary work, he remained closely associated with seafarers and their life experiences. His co-operation with Captain Goić in editing the journal began only a few years before the death of Captain Goić. Consequently, his election as successor was to be expected.

Srećko Krile was the Editor-in-Chief of the journal from December 2012 through January 2022. He is a Full Professor and a scientific advisor in the field of transport and technology. He has been a member of the Editorial Board as of 1991. For many years he was the Technical Editor, when he significantly improved the journal’s publishing technique.

The journal is categorized as a scientific journal. Nevertheless, the connection to a wider reading public was maintained by publishing professional papers depicting the life at sea. Furthermore, the journal has been included in the category of journals with international peer review and receives a regular financial support by the Croatian Ministry of Science and Education. The main goal is to continue improving the qualityof the journal, especially its international relevance. The International Editorial Board has been significantly expanded by a number of internationally recognized scientists. The Advisory Board – Commerce was established to facilitate a smooth integration of the journal with all parties involved in shipping within the Dubrovnik-Neretva County. The utmost has been done to maintain the journal “Naše more” as one of the prominent features of the University of Dubrovnik. It is expected that the journal will continue to promote the maritime thought, contribute to the development of the maritime science, and focus  the Croatian economy on the Adriatic Sea and its importance in the Mediterranean.