Famous Ships and Boats in History

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All Countries Submarines

AE1, HMAS — Australia E-class submarine, British built
The first Royal Australian Navy submarine and the first allied vessel lost in World War I with a crew of 35. She was assigned to the capture of the German Pacific colony of New Guinea at the outbreak of the World War I. LAUNCHED: 1913, May 18 → FATE: Lost at sea September 14, 1914; her wreckage located at a depth of 300 meters off the Duke of York Islands.

Albacore, USS — American submarine
Research submarine that pioneered the teardrop hull of modern submarines. For more than two decades she provided the US Navy information and experience in making submarines faster, quieter, safer and more agile. LAUNCHED: 1953, August 18 → FATE: Decommissioned December 9, 1972. When being towed to a permanent display site in April 1984, she became stuck in the mud of Portsmouth Harbor. In 1985, she was dedicated there as a memorial.

Alligator — American submarine
First U.S. Navy submarine. The first American submarine, called Turtle (1776), never served in the U.S. Navy. The first commissioned U.S. submarine was the USS Holland in 1862. LAUNCHED: 1862, May 18 → FATE: Sank in bad weather off Cape Hatteras April 2, 1863.

B-39 — Russian foxtrot-class submarine
The Soviet Navy's largest non-nuclear submarines.. In 2012, she was used as a prop in the movie Phantom. Another B-39 is rusting in England (see Black Widow). LAUNCHED: 1967, April 18 → FATE: Decommissioned April 1994; now a museum ship at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, California.

Balao, USS — American submarine
Featured as the "pink submarine" in the 1959 movie Operation Petticoat, co-starring with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. She served ten patrols in World War II, then in training exercises afterwards. Her conning tower and periscope are on display at the U.S.Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. LAUNCHED: 1942, October 18 → FATE: Sunk as a target off Florida on September 6, 1963.

Becuna, USS — American submarine
Designated a National Historic Landmark for her service in World War II, for which she earned four battle stars. She is credited with having sunk two Japanese tankers totaling 3,888 tons. LAUNCHED: 1944, January 30 → FATE: She serves as a museum ship at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Black Widow — Russian foxtrot-class submarine
The rusting boat had been a museum ship for several years in the early 2000s at Folkestone in England. Submarine U-475 Black Widow was a Soviet Navy submarine of the late 20th century. She was sold by the Soviet Navy in 1998 and became a museum ship. Another Foxtrot B-39 is moored at San Diego as a museum ship (see B-39). LAUNCHED: 1966, December 18 → FATE: Decommissioned in 1994 and sold; she is in a state of disrepair awaiting restoration at River Medway.

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Cusk, USS — American submarine
The first submarine to launch a guided missile from her deck. She appeared in the 1950 movie The Flying Missile as the USS Bluefin. LAUNCHED: 1945, July 18 → FATE: Sold for scrap June 26, 1972.

Deutschland, submarine — German submarine
First submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was a blockade-breaking German merchant submarine used during World War I. LAUNCHED: 1916, March 28; converted 1917 June → FATE: Broken up at Morecambe, England in 1922.

Dolpin, USS — American V-class submarine
The penultimate design in the V-boat series and star in the movie Submarine D-1. The movie hi-lights the use of the Momsen lung for emergency submarine rescues as well as the training tank structures of New London, Connecticut submarine base. LAUNCHED: 1931, March 18 → FATE: Broken up in August 1946.

Drum, USS — American Gato-class submarine
She is the oldest of Gato-class submarine still in existence, having received a total of 12 battle stars for her World War II service. She sank 15 ships for a total of 80,580 tons of Japanese shipping, eighth highest of all US submarines. LAUNCHED: 1941, May 18 → FATE: Currently a museum ship in Mobile, Alabama, at Battleship Memorial Park.

Fenian Ram — American submarine
The second experimental submarine built by Irish-born inventor and educator John P. Holland. In 1916, she was exhibited in Madison Square Garden to raise funds for victims of the Easter Rising. LAUNCHED: 1881 → FATE: On exhibit at the Paterson Museum in Paterson, New Jersey.

HA. 19 — Japanese midget submarine
First shot fired by the U.S. in the World War II was at this minisub as it tried to enter Pearl Harbor. Grounded and abandoned after failing to fired any torpedos, she was pulled out of the sea and was sent to the US mainland in January 1942 where she went on war bond tours. LAUNCHED: 1938 → FATE: On exhibit at the National Museum of the Pacific War in Texas to where she was moved in 1991.

Halibut, USS — American attack submarine
Unique nuclear-powered guided missile submarine, adapted for spying operations. In the 1970s, she was used on secret underwater espionage missions by the US against the Soviet Union including the underwater tapping of a Soviet communication line (see Operation Ivy Bells). LAUNCHED: 1959, January 9 → FATE: Moth-balled 1976, dismantled in 1994.

Holland, USS (SS-1) — American submarine
First modern commissioned submarine for the US Navy. She proved valuable for experimental purposes in collecting data for submarines under construction or contemplation and for training officers and enlisted men. LAUNCHED: 1897, May 17 → FATE: On display in a park in Paterson, New Jersey until sold for scrap, 1932.

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Hunley, H.L. — American Confederate submarine
During the American Civil War, the first submarine to sink a ship. She a ttacked by embedding a barbed spar torpedo into the foe's hull and detonating it as she backed away. LAUNCHED: 1863, July → FATE: Sank after attacking and sinking USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor, February 17, 1864.

I-400 — Japanese submarine
The largest non-nuclear submarines ever built. These submarine aircraft carriers were able to carry three aircraft underwater to their destinations, surface, launch their planes, then quickly dive again. LAUNCHED: 1943, January 1945 July → FATE: Scuttled near Kalaeloa, Hawaii on June 4, 1946.

K-13 — British K-class submarine
The first in the class of the steam-powered submarines. She sank in an accident during sea trials in early 1917 and was salvaged and recommissioned as HMS K22. 32 people died in the accident and 48 were rescued. LAUNCHED: 1916, November 11 → FATE: Sold for scrapping December 16, 1926 in Sunderland.

Kursk, K-141 — Russian nuclear submarine
Sank with all 118 crew; Russia declined rescue offers even though rescue of some was possible. With the use of a giant barge, the she was eventually raised and the dead recovered and buried in Russia. LAUNCHED: 1994 → FATE: Sank in the Barents Sea on August 12, 2000.

Kursura, INS — Indian Kalvari-class submarine (Russian built)
A famous tourist attraction and one of the few submarine museums to be exhibited as it was in service. She was laid off for several years and cannibalized for spare parts for other submarines; then between 1980 to 1982 underwent a refit in the Soviet Union and made operational again in 1985. LAUNCHED: 1969, December 18 → FATE: Decommissioned on February 2001 and made into a museum ship August 2002 at Ramakrishna Mission Beach in Visakhapatnam, India.

Nautilus, USS — American nuclear submarine
World's first nuclear-powered submarine. She was the first vessel to cross under the North Pole. Also the namesake of another U.S. submarine that served in World War II. LAUNCHED: 1954, January 18 → FATE: On exhibit at the Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut.

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Peral — Spanish submarine
The first fully capable military submarine and the first electric battery-powered submarine. She was also the fastest at the time. Since she lacked a means of charging batteries while underway, such as an internal combustion engine, she had very limited endurance and range. LAUNCHED: 1889 → FATE: Withdrawn from service in 1890 and is now preserved at the Cartagena Naval Museum.

Scorpion, USS — American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine
Went missing at sea with 99 crewmen, one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Thresher (SSN-593). She carried two nuclear-tipped torpedoes. In November 2012, the submarine veterans asked the US Navy to reopen the investigation on the sinking. LAUNCHED: 1959, December 18 → FATE: Sank on May 22, 1968 in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of the Azores.

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Sea Tiger, USS — American submarine
A fictional U.S. Navy submarine in the 1959 movie Operation Petticoat during the opening days of World War II. Stand-in boats were USS Balao painted pink for exterior shots and USS Archerfish with the standard colors of gray and black for interior and some exterior shots. LAUNCHED: 1959 → FATE: Inconclusive.

Seraph, HMS — British submarine
Known as "the ship with two captains," briefly became the USS Seraph. During World War II, she released a corpse ("The Man Who Never Was") onto the shores off Gibraltar carrying decoy papers to fool the Nazis as part of "Operation Mincemeat." LAUNCHED: 1941, October 18 → FATE: Scrapped in December of 1962.

Silversides, USS — American Gato-class submarine
One of the most successful submarines in the Pacific Theater of World War II, with 23 sinkings totalling more than 90,000 tons. She was used to depict the fictional submarine USS Tiger Shark in the 2002 film Below LAUNCHED: 1941, August 18 → FATE: Currently serves as a museum ship at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum in Muskegon, Michigan, and is a National Historic Landmark.

Tang, USS — American Balao class submarine
Credited with sinking 31 enemy ships totaling 227,800 tons, unequaled among American submarines during World War II. When she was sunk by a circular run of her final torpedo, several crew escaped the sinking boat with a Momsen lung, the only known occasion of its use. 78 men were lost and the nine survived. LAUNCHED: 1943, August 18 → FATE: Sunk by her own torpedo in the Taiwan Strait October 24, 1944.

Thresher, USS — American nuclear submarine
Lost at sea during deep-diving tests in 1963 with 129 crew. She was the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines and one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Scorpion, SSN-589. LAUNCHED: 1960, July 18 → FATE: Sunk April 10, 1963.

Tigerfish, USS — American attack submarine
Fictional submarine in the movie Ice Station Zebra. She was portrayed in the movie by the diesel-electric submarine USS Ronquil when seen on the surface. LAUNCHED: 1968, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

U-234 — German submarine
Hitler's last submarine; ironically, there is an isotope of uranium designated U-234. While attempting to deliver uranium to Japan near the end of World War II, she surrendered to the United States on May 14, 1945. LAUNCHED: 1943, December → FATE: Sunk by torpedo November 20, 1947.

U-480 — German experimental Kriegsmarine Type VIIC submarine
The first stealth submarine; she was covered with a special rubber coating making it difficult to detect with SONAR. She sank two warships and two merchantmen ships and was never detected by the British until it was discovered by divers in 1998 south of Isle of Wight. LAUNCHED: 1943, August 14 → FATE: Sunk in February 1945 in an English Channel minefield with the loss of its crew.

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U-505 — German submarine
Codebooks, an Enigma machine, and other secret materials that were found on board assisted Allied code breakers during World War II. All but one of crew were rescued from U-505. For U-110, there were casualties among the crew caused by two attacking destroyers. LAUNCHED: 1941, August → FATE: Captured in June 4, 1944. Now at Chicago museum.

U-96 — German German Type VIIC submarine
She was made famous in the 1981 movie Das Boot, a fictional account of its adventures in the Battle of Atlantic of World War II.. During 1941, war a correspondent joined U-96 and, based on his experiences, published a novel that was made into the 1981 movie LAUNCHED: 1940, August 1 → FATE: Sunk in the Hipper Basin at Wilhelmshaven, March 30, 1945.

Upholder, HMS — British U-class submarine
The most successful British submarine of the World War II sinking a gross tonnage of 93,031. She was one of four U-class submarines with 2 external torpedo tubes at the bows in addition to the 4 internal ones. LAUNCHED: 1940, July 8 → FATE: Lost northeast of Tripoli with all hands, probably sunk by enemy depth charges April 14, 1942.

Venturer, HMS — British V-class submarine
First time in naval warfare that one submarine stalked and sank another while both were submerged. Based on Enigma decrypts, she sought out and destroyed the German submarine U-864 in the Fedje area, February 9, 1945. LAUNCHED: 1943, May 4 → FATE: She was sold to Norway and renamed HNoMS Utstein. She was scrapped and broken up in 1964.

Wilhelm Bauer — German submarine, Type XXI
One of several captured World War II Type XXI U-boats designed to operate primarily submerged. She is the only floating example of a this type of U-boat. LAUNCHED: 1945, January → FATE: Scuttled May 4, 1945; raised, June 1957; museum ship as of April 1984 at Bremerhaven, Germany.

X-craft submarine — American miniature submarine
Deployed September, 1943 against German warships based in Norway. These midget subs would be towed to their target area by a full-size submarine. Of the 20 built, seven were lost, 12 scuttled or scrapped. LAUNCHED: 1943 → FATE: Only one has survive and is on display at the Royal Navy Submarine Museum.

The number of All Countries Submarines listed is 37

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First Ship on each page
Page	Ship Name (Country and Type)
1.	Albacore, USS (American submarine)
2.	Cusk, USS (American submarine)
3.	Hunley, H.L. (American Confederate submarine)
4.	Sea Tiger, USS (American submarine)
5.	U-505 (German submarine)

All Countries Submarines
1.	Albacore, USS American submarine
2.	Alligator American submarine
3.	B-39 Russian foxtrot-class submarine
4.	Balao, USS American submarine
5.	Becuna, USS American submarine
6.	Black Widow Russian foxtrot-class submarine
7.	Cusk, USS American submarine
8.	Deutschland, submarine German submarine
9.	Dolpin, USS American V-class submarine
10.	Drum, USS American Gato-class submarine
11.	Fenian Ram American submarine
12.	HA. 19 Japanese midget submarine
13.	Halibut, USS American attack submarine
14.	Holland, USS (SS-1) American submarine
15.	Hunley, H.L. American Confederate submarine
16.	I-400 Japanese submarine
17.	K-13 British K-class submarine
18.	Kursk, K-141 Russian nuclear submarine
19.	Kursura, INS Indian Kalvari-class
20.	Nautilus, USS American nuclear submarine
21.	Peral Spanish submarine
22.	Scorpion, USS American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine
23.	Sea Tiger, USS American submarine
24.	Seraph, HMS British submarine
25.	Silversides, USS American Gato-class submarine
26.	Tang, USS American Balao class submarine
27.	Thresher, USS American nuclear submarine
28.	Tigerfish, USS American attack submarine
29.	U-234 German submarine
30.	U-480 German experimental Kriegsmarine Type VIIC submarine
31.	U-505 German submarine
32.	U-96 German German Type VIIC submarine
33.	Upholder, HMS British U-class submarine
34.	Venturer, HMS British V-class submarine
35.	Wilhelm Bauer German submarine
36.	X-craft submarine American miniature submarine

Famous Ships and Boats

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All Countries Submarines