Ole Crumlin-Pedersen is one of the key people to bring archaeology to the post-war world and into the 21st century. Pederson was a Danish naval architect who turned to nautical archaeologist, museum curator, author, innovative designer, and founder of integrated research centers. 

Pederson has been described as “the most important nautical archaeologist so far.” He is famed for discovering Viking ships burried in the mud of Roskilde Fjord at Skuldelev, which he reconstructed in their original form after they were excavated. This excavation and reconstruction were instrumental in advancing the discipline of ship archaeology.

He died on 12 October, 2011 at the age of 76.