Famous Ships and Boats in History

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All Countries Cargo and Commerce Ships

A. J. Goddard — American paddle steamer
A Klondike Gold Rush era sternwheeler built for transporting men and supplies on the Upper Yukon River in Canada. She was not suited for the larger sections of the turbulent Yukon River, so instead she carried passengers and equipment across Lake Laberge. LAUNCHED: 1898 → FATE: Sank October 22, 1901.

(Another )

Adriyatik, MS UND — Turkish cargo ship
Cargo ship that caught fire off the coast of Istria, Croatia and burned for 2 days. She was sailing from Istanbul to Trieste carrying 200 trucks, nine tons of dangerous material, and 100-200 tons of ship fuel. In spite of fears, there was no environmental damage. LAUNCHED: 2001, June 18 → FATE: Being repaired.

Andrea Gail — American fishing vessel
Lost at sea off the coast of Massachusetts with six crew during The Perfect Storm of 1991. The tragedy was the basis of the 1997 book by Sebastian Junger and the 2000 movie The Perfect Storm. LAUNCHED: 1978 → FATE: Lost at sea October 28, 1991.

Batavia — Dutch galeon
The original ship was made famous by the mutiny and massacre of over 125 crew and passengers. The replica was built with traditional materials using the tools and methods as in the original Batavia's construction. LAUNCHED: 1628, original ship; replica completed 1995 → FATE: Wrecked on Houtman Abrolhos in June 1629; replica is on exhibit at Lelystad, Netherlands.

Baychimo, SS — German cargo ship, then British; steel-hulled
Known as a ghost ship and seen numerous times since, her last sighting in 1969. She was taken by Great Britain as part of Germany's WW I reparations and acquired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1921. LAUNCHED: 1914 → FATE: Abandoned and lost along the Alaska coast in November, 1931.

Boka Vanguard — Netherlands heavy-lift ship
She is the largest semi-submersible heavy-lift ship ever built and is able to carry cargoes up to 110,000 tonnes. She is capable of lifting ships or rigs out of the water and placing them back into the water. LAUNCHED: 2012, October 7 → FATE: Still in service

(Another )

Bounty (replica) — Canadian collier, three-mast (American owned)
A reconstruction of the original 1787 Royal Navy ship built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty. She also appeared in the 1989 movie Treasure Island and the 2006 and 2007 movies Pirates of the Caribbean. Over the years, she was also used for promotion, entertainment, and education. LAUNCHED: 1960, August 18 → FATE: Sank near North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.

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Bounty, HMS — English collier, three-mast
Mutiny aboard ship, April 28, 1789, led by Fletcher Christian against Captain William Bligh. Its mission was to pick up breadfruit plants from Tahiti and transport them to the West Indies. The mutiny was dramatized in several books and movies. LAUNCHED: 1784 → FATE: Was burned by the mutineers on January 23, 1790.

Bow Mariner — Norwegian tanker
She exploded and sank taking with her 21 of the 27 crew. At the time of the accident she was carrying 3.5 million gallons of industrial ethanol. She sank in 240 feet of water. LAUNCHED: 1982 → FATE: Sank off the coast of Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia February 28, 2004.

Buford, USAT — American cargo/passenger ship
Used to deport 249 non-citizens of the U.S. to Russia because of their alleged anarchist political beliefs; nicknamed the Soviet Ark.. In 1906, rescued over 600 passengers and crew from the SS Mongolia. In 1921, rescued 65 passengers and crew from the inferno of the Japanese steam freighter Tokuyo Maru. Used by Buster Keaton for his film The Navigator. LAUNCHED: 1890, August 29 → FATE: Scrapped in late 1929.

C.A. Thayer — American three-masted schooner
Last survivor of the schooners in the West Coast lumber trade. In 1912, she was converted for use in the Alaskan salt-salmon trade. In 1984, she was designated a National Historic Landmark. LAUNCHED: 1895 → FATE: She made her final voyage in 1950. After several restorations, she now is on exhibit at Hyde Stree Pier, San Francisco.

Carroll A. Deering — American five-masted commercial schooner
A famous maritime mystery after she was found with her crew of 11 missing. Theories of her demise include piracy, mutiny, hurricane, and paranormal events. Nine other ships also disappeared without a trace in that same area at about the same time. LAUNCHED: 1919 → FATE: Found wrecked off Cape Hatteras on January 31, 1921; scuttled on March 4 that year.

(Another )

Charles W. Morgan — American whaling ship
World's oldest surviving merchant vessel; America's only surviving wooden whaleship. After a 5-year, multi-million dollar restoration, she set sail again, July, 2013. LAUNCHED: 1841 → FATE: On exhibit at the Mystic Seaport museum in Mystic, Connecticut.

Clotilda — American two-masted schooner
Last known slave ship to bring captives from Africa to the United States. The shipwreck was discovered in early 2019. LAUNCHED: 1855 → FATE: Burned and sunk in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta probably in 1860.

Cotopaxi, SS — American bulk carrier
She disappeared on a voyage from Charleston, S.C., to Havana, Cuba; none of the 32 people on board were ever seen again. She became part of the legend of the Bermuda Triangle even though she was found outside that area. In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, aliens are responsible for the ship's disappearance. LAUNCHED: 1918, November 15 → FATE: Lost 35 miles off St. Augustine in Florida, December, 1925.

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Daigo Fukuryu Maru — Japanese fishing boat
First victim of a hydrogen bomb died of radiation poisoning because the ship was too near the test zone. On on March 1, 1954, the boat was contaminated by nuclear fallout from the US's Castle Bravo thermonuclear test on Bikini. On Sept. 23, 1954, the ship's radio operator, Aikichi Kuboyama, succumbed. LAUNCHED: 1947 → FATE: Now on display in Tokyo at the Tokyo Metropolitan Daigo Fukuryu Maru Exhibition Hall in Yumenoshima Park.

Derbyshire, MV — British cargo ship, oil-ore
Largest British ship ever to have been lost at sea. All 42 crew members and two wives were lost with the ship during Typhoon Orchid in 1980. LAUNCHED: 1976, June → FATE: Sank south of Japan September 9, 1980.

Duyfken — Dutch barque
First authenticated European discovery of Australia, 1606. Prior to finding Australia, she explored much of South Pacific including the "Spice Islands" as part of the Dutch East Inda Company fleet. Her replica was built in Australia. LAUNCHED: 1595, original ship; replica launched January 24, 1999 → FATE: Condemned and dismantled in July 1608; replica on display at Elizabeth Quay in Perth, Austrailia.

Edmund Fitzgerald, SS — American lake cargo ship, freighter; ore carrier
Sank suddenly during a gale storm on Lake Superior without a distress signal. All 29 crew members were lost gaining it the appellation "Titanic of the Great Lakes." The wreck was found 17 miles from Whitefish Bay 4 days later. LAUNCHED: 1958, June 18 → FATE: Lost in a storm on November 10, 1975.

El Faro, SS — American container ship (cargo ship)
The worst maritime disaster for a U.S.-flagged vessel in decades, resulting in the deaths of 33 crew. In 2003, prior to the invasion of Iraq in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the vessel, then named Northern Lights, ferried U.S. Marines and supplies from California to Kuwait. LAUNCHED: 1974, November 18 → FATE: Lost at sea with all hands on October 1, 2015 after losing propulsion near the eyewall of Hurricane Joaquin.

(Another )

Emma Maersk — Danish container ship (cargo ship)
First of the larger container ships. She was once dubbed SS Santa because she was bound for the United Kingdom from China loaded with Christmas goods. During construction, welding work caused a fire that spread throughout the ship. LAUNCHED: 2006, May 18 → FATE: Still in service.

Empress of China — American three-masted, square-rigged sailing ship
First American ship to sail from the newly independent United States to China, opening what is known today as the Old China Trade. She left New York harbor on Washington's birthday, February 22, 1784 and returned to New York after a round voyage of fourteen months and twenty-four days. LAUNCHED: 1783 → FATE: Unknown.

Essex — American barque; whale ship, a three-masted
Basis of Nathaniel Philbrick's book In the Heart of the Sea and the movie as well as the inspiration for Herman Melville's 1851 classic novel Moby-Dick. She left Nantucket in 1819 on a whaling voyage in the South Pacific with 21 aboard. It was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean. Only two men survived. LAUNCHED: 1800, approx. → FATE: Sunk in the southern Pacific November 20, 1820.

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(Another )

Ever Given — Japanese container ship
The ship ran aground in the Suez Canal, completely blocking it. Traffic in both directions was blocked for just over six days, leading to a traffic jam of over two hundred vessels. The ship was finally freed on March 29, 2021. LAUNCHED: 2018, May 9 → FATE: Still operating.

(Another )

Exodus 1947 — American packet steamer
The ship carried 4,500 Jewish immigrants from France to British Mandatory Palestine on July 11, 1947. The incident was the topic of the 1960 movie Exodus.. Until 1942, she carried passengers and freight between Norfolk, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland. LAUNCHED: 1928 → FATE: After efforts to restore her, a fire destroyed her in 1952 while tied up in Haifa. The wreck was towed out past the ship lanes and scuttled. Two later attempts to raise her for salvage failed.

Exxon Valdez — American oil tanker
Spilled millions of gallons of crude oil in Prince William Sound. Over her life, she was renamed several times ending up in 2011 as Oriental Nicety. In 2010, as Dong Fang Ocean, she colided with Aali, a cargo ship, causing severe damage to both ships. LAUNCHED: 1986, October 18 → FATE: Beached for dismantling August 20, 2012.

Faith, SS — American Concrete cargo steamer
The first concrete ship built in the United States and the largest in the world at the time at 336.5 feet (102.6 meters) and 8000 tons. The first successfully launched cement ship was the 84 foot-400 ton Namsenfjord on August 2, 1917, N.K. Fougner of Norway. LAUNCHED: 1918, March 14 → FATE: After being cracked during a Gulf storm in 1921, she was towed to Cuba for use as a breakwater.

(Another )

Felicity Ace — Japanese roll-on/roll-off cargo ship
The greatest economic loss of cargo shipping in history, costing about $400 million dollars. She was carrying 3,965 Volkswagen Group cars, including Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and Bentley models. All crew were safely evacuated. LAUNCHED: 2005, July 2 → FATE: She caught fire on February 16, 2022 south of the Azores, then on March 1, 2022, Felicity Ace capsized and sank.

(Another )

Frigorifique — French steamship
First to carry frozen meat across the ocean; from Argentina to France. The first commercially successful shipment of frozen meat that launched the industry was by the steamship Dunedin from New Zealand to England in 1882. LAUNCHED: 1876 → FATE: Sank after a collision with British coal freighter Rumney along the coast of France in March of 1884.

Fujikawa Maru — Japanese cargo ship, transport ship
Her sunken remains are a leading wreck diving site for scuba divers. She was sunk in Truk Lagoon during Operation Hailstone during World War II. LAUNCHED: 1938 → FATE: Sunk by torpedo on February 17, 1944.

(Another )

Gaspée — English single-masted sloop-of-war, used as a fast revenue cutter
Subject of the "Gaspée Affair," the torching of the ship by a group of American colonialists, leading up to the American Revolution. The city of Warwick, RI commemorates the Gaspée Affair with a festival and parade, including burning the Gaspée in effigy. LAUNCHED: 1764, January → FATE: Looted and burned in Narragansett Bay June 9, 1772.

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Gaul — English fishing trawler
Worst peacetime maritime disaster to befall the UK fishing fleet. No distress signal was received and her loss was not realised until days later. 36 crew were lost. LAUNCHED: 1971, December 18 → FATE: Mysteriously sank in the Barents Sea, north of Norway February, 1974.

Ghost — American schooner; a seal-hunting ship
The setting for the 1941 movie The Sea Wolf, starring Edward G. Robinson and Ida Lupino. The story is based on the novel The Sea Wolf by Jack London. LAUNCHED: 1941 → FATE: Inconclusive.

Glencairn, SS — British tramp steamer
In the movie The Long Voyage Home about the men on board on the long voyage home from the West Indies to Baltimore and then to England. Nine prominent American artists, all painters, were hired to construct the dramatic scenes during the film's production. LAUNCHED: 1940, for the movie → FATE: Inconclusive.

Grandcamp, SS — American liberty ship
Origin of the deadliest industrial accident in U.S. history and one of the largest non-nuclear explosions. The initial blast and subsequent fires and explosions in other ships and nearby oil-storage facilities killed at least 581 people, wounding over 5,000. LAUNCHED: 1942, November → FATE: Exploded and destroyed April 16, 1947.

Hannibal, USS — American collier
A target ship in the Chesapeake Bay. In 1966, a old WW II Liberty ship, the American Mariner, was made a target ship, and, by tradition, was named Hannibal. LAUNCHED: 1898, April → FATE: Sunk as target practice March 1, 1945.

Henry B. Smith, SS — American lake cargo ship, freighter; steel-hulled, propeller-driven
One of several ships lost in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. The crew of 25 were lost and the wreck has not been located as of 2017. LAUNCHED: 1906, May → FATE: Foundered and sank near Marquette Michigan, November 10, 1913.

Herald of Free Enterprise, MS, famous ships

(Another )

Herald of Free Enterprise, MS — British roll-on/rolll-off ferry
Capsized moments after leaving the Belgian port, killing 193 passengers and crew, the highest death-count of any peacetime British maritime disaster since 1919. The ship owners, Townsend Thoresen, re-branded the company as P&O European Ferries, repaint the fleet's red hulls in navy blue and remove the TT logo from the funnels. LAUNCHED: 1980 → FATE: Because deck doors were left open, she filled with water and capsized March 6, 1987; was raised April 1987 and scrapped in 1988.

Hewell, USS — American cargo ship
Featured in the 1955 movie Mister Roberts, starring Jack Lemmon. For the movie, small alterations were made including the palm trees on deck. LAUNCHED: 1944 → FATE: Scrapped 1973.

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Holland I, HMS — British submarine
The first submarine commissioned by the Royal Navy. While being towed to the scrapyard she sank in bad weather off the coast of Eddystone lighthouse. LAUNCHED: 1901, October → FATE: On display at Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport.

Ideal X, SS — American cargo ship (container ship)
First container ship. She was converted from a World War II T-2 oil tanker named Potrero Hills by a trucking executive named Malcolm McLean. LAUNCHED: 1944, December → FATE: Scrapped in Japan in 1967.

John W. Brown, SS — American liberty ship
One of two still operational and one of three preserved as museum ships. After making 12 troop and cargo voyages across the Atlantic during World War II, she served as a training ship from 1946 to 1982. LAUNCHED: 1942, September 7 → FATE: After restoration, now a floating museum stationed in the Chesapeake Bay, Baltimore, Maryland.

(Another )

Lady Elizabeth — British 3-masted iron barque
The hulk of the ship is the only semi-intact hulk left in the harbours of the Falkland Island. After being condemned in 1913, she served as a timber warehouse alongside the East Jetty. In February 1936 she broke her moorings in a storm and drifted to her present location. LAUNCHED: 1879, June 6 → FATE: Her remains now lie at the bottom of Whale Bone Cove harbour, Stanley, Falkland Islands.

München, MS — German LASH carrier (cargo ship)
Sank with with 28 crew in a severe storm, probably due to rogue waves and featured in several television documentaries. A court case regarding the loss of cargo in this tragedy set a legal precedent used in many legal textbooks illustrating the administration of the Uniform Commercial Code. LAUNCHED: 1972, May 18 → FATE: Sank in the North Atlantic December 1978.

Maersk Alabama, MV — American container ship
Its hijacking by pirates near Somalia in 2009 was followed by the rescue of its crew. A second unsuccessful hijacking that year and several in 2011 were attempted. The hijacking was the subject of the movie Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks. LAUNCHED: 1998, launched as Alva Maersk → FATE: Still in service.

Maggie — British Clyde puffer cargo ship
Appeared in the movie The Maggie which was released in the U.S. titled High and Dry. The story is about a clash of cultures between a hard-driving American businessman and a wily Scottish captain. LAUNCHED: 1954, movie release; boat origin unknown → FATE: Inconclusive.

Marine Electric — American bulk carrier
Her sinking resulted in some of the most important maritime reforms in the 20th century. The tragedy, with the loss of 34 crew, resulted in better inspection standards, mandatory survival suits for winter North Atlantic runs, and creation of the Coast Guard's Aviation Survival Technician program. LAUNCHED: 1944, May 2 → FATE: Sank February 12, 1983 about 30 miles off the coast of Virginia.

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Merchant Royal — English merchant ship
Lost at sea with 18 men off Land's End, Cornwall, England, the ship is one of the richest sunken treasures. Lost were more than half million Spanish silver pesos, 500 bars of gold and ingots of silver, and hundreds of pieces of jewelry. LAUNCHED: 1627 → FATE: Sank in bad weather September 23, 1641.

Mighty Servant 2 — American heavy lift ship, semi-submersible
Hauled the USS Samuel B. Roberts from Dubai to Newport, RI after the frigate struck a mine in the Persian Gulf. Along with sister ships Mighty Servant 1 and Mighty Servant 3, used mainly for moving oil drilling rigs. LAUNCHED: 1983 → FATE: Capsized near the Indonesian island of Singkep with loss of 5 crew November 2, 1999.

Mont Blanc, SS — French cargo ship, freighter
The worst human-made disaster in Canadian history and was the world's largest human-made blast until the detonation of an atomic bomb in 1945, and known as Halifax Harbor. The collision with the Norwegian steamship SS Imo caused her ammunition cargo to exploded in Halifax Harbor, resulting ing 2000 killed, 9000 injuried, 13,630 homes wrecked, and 6000 left homeless LAUNCHED: 1899 → FATE: Blown to pieces December 6, 1917, after the collision.

Monte Carlo, SS — American concrete ship
She became a gambling and prostitution ship operating in international waters off the coast of Long Beach, California. In the 1930s, she was the largest of a fleet of ships making up Gambling Ship Row off the southern California. LAUNCHED: 1921, December → FATE: Wrecked during a storm in 1937, ending up on a San Diego beach where it remains.

(Another )

Morituri — German cargo ship
In the movie Morituri a freighter hauling rubber to Nazi Germany during WWII; starring Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner. The actual unnamed old German freighter was used for nearly all the film sequences. LAUNCHED: 1965, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

Mount Hood, USS — American ammunition ship
The ship and dozens of surrounding vessels were obliterated with over 370 casualties in a massive explosion. The ship's 3800 tons of ordnance produced a blast equivalent to a tactical nuclear weapon. LAUNCHED: 1943, November 28 → FATE: Exploded on November 10, 1944, at Seadler Harbor on Manus Island.

Niantic — American whaling ship
Brought fortune-seekers to Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) during the California Gold Rush of 1849. She was a prominent landmark in the booming city for several years. The site of Niantic beside the Transamerica Pyramid is now a California Historical Landmark. LAUNCHED: 1832 → FATE: Converted to hotel in 1849, destroyed by fire 1852.

(Another )

Norman Atlantic, MS — Italian roll-on/roll-off car ferry
At least thirty people died when she caught fire in the Strait of Otranto, in the Adriatic Sea. More than 400 people were rescued, most in nighttime helicopter sorties despite high winds and seas. LAUNCHED: 2009, November, 2 → FATE: Scrapped.

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Ocean Dover, MV — Australian livestock carrier
The largest livestock carrier in the world designed and built with special livestock support systems. She is capable of carrying 75,000 sheep or 18,000 cattle across oceans. In 2014, a fire broke out in the crew quarters, but was contained. LAUNCHED: 2002 → FATE: Still in service.

Onrust — Dutch yacht
First ship built to reach what is now New York State, and the first fur trading vessel built in America. The ship was the first to explore much of the eastern seaboard around New England. LAUNCHED: 1614, replica launched May 20, 2009 → FATE: Original ship, unknown; replica on display at Connecticut River Museum.

Ourang Medan, SS — Dutch cargo ship
Purported ghost ship in Indonesian waters after her crew had died under suspicious circumstances. No registration records for a ship by the name of Ourang Medan could be located in various countries. LAUNCHED: 1945, first referenced → FATE: Supposedly exploded and sank June, 1947.

Pamir — German barque, four-masted steel-hulled windjammer
Last commercial sailing ship to round Cape Horn in 1949. Over her life at various times, she flew under the flags of Germany, Italy, New Zealand, and Finland. LAUNCHED: 1905, July → FATE: Caught in Hurricane Carrie and sank off the Azores, September 21, 1957.

Pequod — American whaling ship
Fictitious 19th-century Nantucket whaling ship in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville and in several movies. In the novel, the ship's captain is the one-legged, monomaniacal Ahab. LAUNCHED: 1840, or earlier → FATE: Destroyed by a whale supposedly in 1851.

Pewabic, SS — American lake steamship; cargo ship
Worst shipwreck on the Great Lakes with the loss of an estimated 125 lives, hundreds of tons of copper, silver, and iron ore. Over the years five divers died attempting to salvage the cargo. Some of the copper was recovered during World War I, the rest in 1974. LAUNCHED: 1863 → FATE: Collided with SS Meteor in Michigan's Thunder Bay and sank August 9, 1865.

Pioneering Spirit — Swiss catamaran construction ship, Korean built
The world's largest ocean vessel, designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms. Displacing 1 million tons, the vessel operates as a semi-submersible. Using ballasts, she is able to lower herself when installing payload or raise herself when removing payload. LAUNCHED: 2013, January 18 → FATE: Still in service.

Robert E. Perry, SS — American liberty ship
Gained fame during World War II for being built in the shortest time for such a large vessel. Typical completion of liberty ships took 50 days; she was completed in 4 days 15 hours and 29 minutes after the keel was laid down. LAUNCHED: 1942, November 12 → FATE: Scrapped at Baltimore, June 1963.

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Rochambeau — American frigate, ironclad
The longest wooden ship ever built. When the French thought Otto von Bismarck might be interested in the ship, they hurriedly bought her from the Americans and commission her in 1867. LAUNCHED: 1862, July 22 as Dunderberg → FATE: The French scrapped her in 1874.

Rocknes, MV — Dutch rock dumping vessel, formerly a bulk carrier
As the world's largest rock dumping vessel, her unexpected capsizing killed 18 of 30 crew. The tragedy was due to high center of gravity, uneven cargo loading, and a punctured hull after touching bottom. LAUNCHED: 2001 → FATE: She capsized in shallow water south of Bergen Norway January 19, 2004. She was to be righted and repaired.

San Juan Bautista — Japanese galleon
One of Japan's first Japanese-built Western-style sailing ships. She crossed the Pacific in 1614 transporting a Japanese diplomatic mission to the Vatican. By 1619, then owned by Spain, she was a slave ship. A full sized replica of the San Juan Bautista is the centerpiece of museum in Ishinomaki, Japan. LAUNCHED: 1613, September → FATE: Unknown

Seawise Giant — Japanese supertanker, variously owned
Longest ship ever built at 458.46 meters or 1,504 feet. She was damaged during the Iran-Iraq War by an Iraqi Air Force in the Strait of Hormuz in May 1988. LAUNCHED: 1979 → FATE: Scrapped in January of 2010.

Serpens, USS — American Crater-class cargo ship
The most catastrophic single-event loss of life in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard with 250 casualties. In the explosion, a 12-ton locomotive, the wooden pier it sat on, and 16 boxcars loaded with bombs and ammunition disappeared completely. LAUNCHED: 1943, April 5 → FATE: Exploded in complete destruction January 29, 1945, on the coast of Guadalcanal.

SN.R4 — British Mountbatten class hovercraft
Was the largest civil hovercraft ever built, carrying 254 passengers and up to 30 cars. She is the only surviving hovercraft that served English Channel traffic from 1968 to 2000. The others, Sir Christopher, Sure, Swift, Princess Margaret, and The Prince of Wales, were all scrapped. LAUNCHED: 1968 → FATE: Preserved and on static display at the Hovercraft Museum at Lee-on-Solent, England.

Stellar Daisy — South Korean very large oil carrier, VLOC. Converted in 2006 to ore carrier
Demonstrated that ore-carriers converted from oil tanker are prone to disaster. Two crew survived, 22 lost at sea. LAUNCHED: 1993, February 18 → FATE: Sank off the coast of Uruguay on March 31, 2017.

Syracusia — Greek cargo ship
The largest transport ship of antiquity. It sailed only once to berth in Alexandria where it was later given to Ptolemy. LAUNCHED: 240, BC, circa → FATE: Unknown.

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Terra Nova — British wooden-hulled barque
Serving in the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, best remembered for the death of Captain Scott and four companions. She was built for the Dundee whaling and sealing fleet, working 10 years in the annual seal fishery in the Labrador Sea. LAUNCHED: 1884 → FATE: Sank off the southwestern tip of Greenland September 13, 1943.

Tonquin — American merchant ship
The ship was part of Astor's attempt to establish a fur trading outpost on the Pacific Northwest coast. After an angry encounter with natives, two surviving crew hid in the ship, then when the Indian natives returned to loot the ship, lit a fuse that detonated her powder magazine killing more than 100 natives and two crew. LAUNCHED: 1807, May 26 → FATE: Blown up June 16, 1811.

(Another )

Vital Spark — British Clyde puffer cargo ship
Star of the book series and British TV comedy series, The Vital Spark about the adventures of the boat captain and his crew. The BBC Scotland TV program The Vital Spark (1959-1974 series) was set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the books by Neil Munro LAUNCHED: 1931, book published; 1959 for the start of TV series; boat built in 1943 → FATE: The boat is to be restored as a tourist attraction with the Inveraray Maritime Museum.

(Another )

Vrouw Maria — Dutch merchant ship, wooden two-masted
Treasure ship that went down with great artworks and jewelry for Catherine the Great. After its discovery in 1999, a Vrouw Maria Maritime Museum was established in Helsinki, Finland. LAUNCHED: 1770, circa → FATE: Sank October 3, 1771.

Vulcan — Scottish barge
The original barge was the first all iron-hulled vessel to be built; the replica was the last Scottish vessel built using traditional riveting techniques. The iron canal boat named Trial, built by John Wilkinson in 1787, was not all iron. In 1988, a replica of the Vulcan was constructed. LAUNCHED: 1819, original ship; replica, 1985 → FATE: The original was sold for scrap 1873; the replica now sits decaying at Coatbridge, in North Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Wanderer — American whaling ship
Last American whaling ship. The mast of the Wanderer stands as a flagpole in Boston Navy Yard, a few feet from where it was built. LAUNCHED: 1878 → FATE: Lost in a storm near Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts, on August 26, 1924.

(Another )

Western Flyer — American fishing boat
Known for its use by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts in their 1940 expedition to the Gulf of California.. After Steinbeck's voyage, the ship was returned to commercial fishing, harvesting sardines, perch, and crab. Twice in 2012 the boat sprang leaks and sank and refloated each time. LAUNCHED: 1937, July 3 → FATE: Being restored to its historic glory by the Port Townsend Shipwrights Co-Op.

Zong — British square rigger slave ship
Infamous for the 1781 massacre of 132 sick and dying slaves thrown overboard so the ship's owners could collect on their cargo insurance. The Zong had been a Dutch vessel the Zorgue seized by the British in 1781 off West Africa, along with 244 Africans on board. LAUNCHED: 1776, or ealier → FATE: Unknown.

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Zoroaster — Swedish oil tanker
The first successful oil tanker, carrying the kerosene cargo in two iron tanks in her hull instead of many separate wooden casks. She was built by Ludwig Nobel, brother of Alfred who created The Nobel Prize. LAUNCHED: 1878 → FATE: Unknown.

The number of All Countries Cargo and Commerce Ships listed is 80

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For a full list of all ships, select HERE

First Ship on each page
Page	Ship Name (Country and Type)
1.	Adriyatik, MS UND (Turkish cargo ship)
2.	Bounty, HMS (English collier)
3.	Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Japanese fishing boat)
4.	Ever Given (Japanese container ship)
5.	Gaul (English fishing trawler)
6.	Holland I, HMS (British submarine)
7.	Merchant Royal (English merchant ship)
8.	Ocean Dover, MV (Australian livestock carrier)
9.	Rochambeau (American frigate)
10.	Terra Nova (British wooden-hulled barque)

All Countries Cargo and Commerce Ships
1.	Adriyatik, MS UND Turkish cargo ship
2.	Andrea Gail American fishing vessel
3.	Batavia Dutch galeon
4.	Baychimo, SS German cargo ship
5.	Boka Vanguard Netherlands heavy-lift ship
6.	Bounty (replica) Canadian collier
7.	Bounty, HMS English collier
8.	Bow Mariner Norwegian tanker
9.	Buford, USAT American cargo
10.	C.A. Thayer American three-masted schooner
11.	Carroll A. Deering American schooner
12.	Charles W. Morgan American whaling ship
13.	Clotilda American two-masted schooner
14.	Cotopaxi, SS American bulk carrier
15.	Daigo Fukuryu Maru Japanese fishing boat
16.	Derbyshire, MV British cargo ship
17.	Duyfken Dutch barque
18.	Edmund Fitzgerald, SS American lake cargo ship
19.	El Faro, SS American container ship
20.	Emma Maersk Danish container ship
21.	Empress of China American three-masted, square-rigged sailing ship
22.	Essex American barque
23.	Ever Given Japanese container ship
24.	Exodus 1947 American packet steamer
25.	Exxon Valdez American oil tanker
26.	Faith, SS American Concrete
27.	Felicity Ace Japanese roll-on/roll-off cargo ship
28.	Frigorifique French steamship
29.	Fujikawa Maru Japanese cargo ship
30.	Gaspée English single-masted sloop-of-war
31.	Gaul English fishing trawler
32.	Ghost American schooner
33.	Glencairn, SS British tramp steamer
34.	Grandcamp, SS American liberty ship
35.	Hannibal, USS American collier
36.	Henry B. Smith, SS American lake cargo ship
37.	Herald of Free Enterprise, MS British roll-on/rolll-off ferry
38.	Hewell, USS American cargo ship
39.	Holland I, HMS British submarine
40.	Ideal X, SS American cargo ship
41.	John W. Brown, SS American liberty ship
42.	Lady Elizabeth British 3-masted iron barque
43.	München, MS German LASH carrier
44.	Maersk Alabama, MV American container ship
45.	Maggie British Clyde puffer
46.	Marine Electric American bulk carrier
47.	Merchant Royal English merchant ship
48.	Mighty Servant 2 American heavy lift ship
49.	Mont Blanc, SS French cargo ship
50.	Monte Carlo, SS American concrete ship
51.	Morituri German cargo ship
52.	Mount Hood, USS American ammunition ship
53.	Niantic American whaling ship
54.	Norman Atlantic, MS Italian roll-on/roll-off car ferry
55.	Ocean Dover, MV Australian livestock carrier
56.	Onrust Dutch yacht
57.	Ourang Medan, SS Dutch cargo ship
58.	Pamir German barque
59.	Pequod American whaling ship
60.	Pewabic, SS American lake steamship
61.	Pioneering Spirit Swiss catamaran
62.	Robert E. Perry, SS American liberty ship
63.	Rochambeau American frigate
64.	Rocknes, MV Dutch rock dumping vessel
65.	San Juan Bautista Japanese galleon
66.	Seawise Giant Japanese supertanker
67.	Serpens, USS American Crater-class cargo ship
68.	SN.R4 British Mountbatten class hovercraft
69.	Stellar Daisy South Korean very large oil carrier
70.	Syracusia Greek cargo ship
71.	Terra Nova British wooden-hulled barque
72.	Tonquin American merchant ship
73.	Vital Spark British Clyde puffer
74.	Vrouw Maria Dutch merchant ship
75.	Vulcan Scottish barge
76.	Wanderer American whaling ship
77.	Western Flyer American fishing boat
78.	Zong British square rigger
79.	Zoroaster Swedish oil tanker

Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

War ships, ship tragedies, steam ships, yachts, and more

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All Countries Cargo and Commerce Ships