Famous Ships and Boats

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.

Admiral, SS — American river steamboat (cruise ship; converted to diesel in 1974)
Was the largest river cruise ship in the world, sailing the Mississippi River from St. Louis. In 1979 she was converted to a land-based casino. She started out as the side-wheeled steel hulled steamboat, the Albatross, then became the Admiral in the 1940s.  LAUNCHED: 1907 → FATE: Dismantled and sold for scrap in 2011.

Adventure Galley — English galley
Captain Kidd's flag ship. Because she had become worm-eaten and leaky, Kidd ordered her to be burnt.  LAUNCHED: 1695 → FATE: Burnt and sunk at Saint Mary's Island in 1698.

Aeolus — British cruise ship; movie set creation
A mysterious ship in the British movie Triangle. The movie scenes include the exterior of the cruise liner which the director insisted on constructing to avoid shooting everything with green screens  LAUNCHED: 2009, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

Alabama, CSS — American Confederate screw sloop-of-war
A successful commerce raider that attacked Union merchant and naval ships during the American Civil War. She boarded nearly 450 vessels and captured or burned 65 Union merchant ships.  LAUNCHED: 1862, July 18 → FATE: Sunk in June 1864 by USS Kearsarge at the Battle of Cherbourg.

Albert M. Boe — American liberty ship
Last Liberty ship built. Though currently landlocked, she is still in use as the home of Trident Seafoods. The ship was withdrawn from the reserve fleet on 19 August 1964 and converted for use as the fish cannery ship Star of Kodiak.  LAUNCHED: 1945, September 18 → FATE: Converted to a fish cannery ship in 1964.

Alvin, DSV — American research vessel; submersible
First Deep Submergence Vehicle (DSV) able to dive to 4,500 meters or 14,800 feet. She was lost October of 1968 when she accidentally sank in 1500 meters of water, but was recovered in August of 1969 and refurbished.  LAUNCHED: 1964, June 18 → FATE: Still in service.

American Queen — American river paddle steamboat; stern-wheeler
Largest steamboat ever built, as of 2012. In 2012 she participated for the first time in the Great Steamboat Race and came in second.  LAUNCHED: 1995 → FATE: Still in operation on the Mississippi River.

Ancon, SS — American steamship
First ship to officially transit the Panama Canal on August, 15 1914. (Sister ship Cristobal made the first unofficial transit on August 3, 1914). She was acquired by the US Navy from the US Army for troop transport just after the end of World War I.  LAUNCHED: 1902 → FATE: As the USS Ancon (ID-1467), she was decommissioned on July 25, 1919.

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.

Archimedes, SS — British steamship
First ship propelled by a screw drive. The advantages over side paddlewheel propulsion persuaded the Royal Navy to build the steam sloop-of-war HMS Rattler, the first British warship to adopt a screw propeller.  LAUNCHED: 1839, October 18 → FATE: Sank in the Meuse River during a storm on March 1, 1864.

Argonaut — American cabin cruiser
The vessel used in the American TV series Sea Hunt, starring Lloyd Bridges about a free-lance scuba diver, airing 1958-1961. Several cabin cruisers were utilized in filming. One notable model was the Trojan Express custom built by Trojan Yachts in 1960.  LAUNCHED: 1958 → FATE: Inconclusive.

Ariel — English clipper ship
Famous for almost winning The Great Tea Race of 1866, an unofficial race between Fuzhou, China and London. On September 6, 1866, the Taeping docked twenty minutes ahead of Ariel.  LAUNCHED: 1865 → FATE: Went missing in early 1872.

Ark Royal, HMS — English galleon
English flagship that fought against the Spanish Armada. During the reign of James VI and I, she was renamed Anne Royal. Several British aircraft carriers have been named Ark Royal.  LAUNCHED: 1587 → FATE: Accidentally sunk in April of 1636; raised and broken up in 1638.

Arthur Foss — American tugboat
One of the oldest wooden-hulled tugboats afloat in the United States. She was cast by MGM to play in the 1933 movie Tugboat Annie.  LAUNCHED: 1887 → FATE: Renovated and on display at Seattle's South Lake Union Park.

Association, HMS — British second-rate ship of the line
After serving with distinction at the capture of Gibraltar, she ended up lost in a storm and wrecked with 3 other ships with the loss of nearly 2,000 lives. The rediscovery of the Association and so many historical artefacts led to legislation such as the Protection of Wrecks Act to preserve British historic wreck sites.  LAUNCHED: 1697 → FATE: Wrecked of the Isles of Scilly October 22, 1707.

Atlantis — German auxillary cruiser or commerce raider
She had the longest raiding career of any German commerce raider in either world war and was second only to Pinguin in tonnage destroyed. She began her career as the cargo ship Goldenfels. In late 1939 she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and converted into a warship.  LAUNCHED: 1937, Converted in 1939 → FATE: Sunk by a British ship November 22, 1941.

Azzam — Emirati luxury yacht, 180 meters (590 ft) in length; German built
As of 2019, the world's largest private yacht with extravagant features and accommodations. At an estimated cost of US $605,000,000, she has a top speed of over 32 knots and carries a submarine and a missile defense system.  LAUNCHED: 2013, April 18 → FATE: At sea, but not for charter.

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.

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.

Beagle, HMS — English sloop, or brig-sloop, two-masted
She carried Charles Darwin on his historic expedition beginning in 1831. Robert FitzRoy was captain during the historic round-the-world trip. In 1845 the Beagle was refitted as a static coast guard watch vessel.  LAUNCHED: 1820, May 18 → FATE: Sold for scrap in 1870.

Belfast, HMS — British town-class cruiser
One of only three surviving bombardment ships which supported the D-Day Normandy Landings in 1944 of World War II, firing probably the first or second salvo. She spent 33 days in support of the D-Day landings and fired over 4,000 6-inch and 1,000 4-inch shells.  LAUNCHED: 1938, March 18 → FATE: After much preservation work, she is on exhibit, located on the River Thames next to Tower Bridge at the Port of London.

Belle of Louisville — American steamboat, paddle, stern-wheeler
Oldest continually operating river steamboat in the United States. She competes every year in the Kentucky Derby Festival event The Great Steamboat Race.  LAUNCHED: 1914 → FATE: Restored in 1964, still in use at Louisville, Kentucky.

Birmingham, USS — American scout cruiser, Chester-class
The first airplane takeoff from a ship in history in 1910. During World War I, she patrolled along the northeast U.S. coast until 14 June 1917 when she sailed from New York as part of the escort for the first US troop convoy to France.  LAUNCHED: 1907, May 29 → FATE: Sold for scrap, 13 May 1930.

Bismarck — German battleship
At the Battle of Denmark Straits, May, 1941, she sunk the British battlecruiser HMS Hood. Relentlessly pursued and sunk by the Royal Navy following Winston Churchill's order "Sink the Bismarck". She and her sister ship Tirpitz were the largest battleships ever built by any European country.  LAUNCHED: 1939, February 18 → FATE: Sunk by British forces on May 27, 1941 in the North Atlantic.

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.

Bluenose — Canadian schooner, fishing and racing
Featured on the Canadian dime and once on a Canadian 50 cent postage stamp (see "Another IMAGE") and appears on some Nova Scotia licence plates. During its racing career Bluenose was never beaten and held the International Fisherman's Trophy for 18 consecutive years.  LAUNCHED: 1921, March 18 → FATE: Struck a coral reef and abandoned off Haiti on January 28, 1946.

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

Boudeuse — French frigate
First woman to circumnavigate the globe on board, Jeanne Baret, disguised as man. She is also famous as the exploration ship of Louis Antoine de Bougainville, 1766-1769. ("Another IMAGE" is the commemorative stamp issued.)  LAUNCHED: 1766, March 18 → FATE: Broken up for firewood at Malta in early 1800.

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.

Bras d'Or, HMCS — Canadian hydrofoil
The fastest unarmed warship in the world exceeding 63 knots (72 mph). As a project for the testing of anti-submarine warfare technology on an ocean-going hydrofoil, she was never fitted with equipment for warfare.  LAUNCHED: 1968, July 12 → FATE: On display at the Musée Maritime du Québec.

Britannic, HMHS — British ocean liner
Largest ship lost during the World War I with the loss of 30 lives. Launched just before the start of the World War I, she was put to use as a hospital ship in 1915. With her loss, SS Bismarck was given to the White Star Line as part of post-war reparations.  LAUNCHED: 1914, February 18 → FATE: Struck a mine and sank off the Greek island of Kea November 21, 1916.

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.

Cairo, USS — American ironclad gunboat
First ship sunk by a naval mine and first vessel of the City class ironclads. Served with the Army's Western Gunboat Fleet during the American Civil War. Remnants of the gunboat are in a museum in the Vicksburg National Military Park.  LAUNCHED: 1861 → FATE: Sunk by a naval mine in the Yazoo Riveron December 12, 1862.

Campbeltown, HMS — American Wickes-class destroyer
A most famous ship in the St. Nazaire Raid in 1942 when, packed with explosives, she was rammed into a German port and detonated. The ship and the raid were depicted in the movie Gift Horse. (See Ballantrae, HMS)  LAUNCHED: 1919, January 2 as USS Buchanan; given to Britain and renamed in 1940 → FATE: Destroyed March 28, 1942 in the Saint Nazaire Raid, World War II.

Carpathia — British ocean liner; (Cunard Line passenger steamship)
Became famous for rescuing survivors of RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912. After sailing through dangerous ice fields, she arrived at the sinking Titanic at 4:00 am and took on 705 survivors from lifeboats.  LAUNCHED: 1902, August 18 → FATE: Sunk in the Atlantic on July 17, 1918 during World War I by a German submarine, the fifth Cunard ship sunk in as many weeks.

Cassin Young, USS — American destroyer in World War II
One of only four surviving Fletcher-class destroyers still afloat. Named for Captain Cassin Young (1894-1942), who was killed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.  LAUNCHED: 1943, September 18 → FATE: Docked at the Boston Navy Yard as a museum ship as a museum ship.

Central America, SS — American paddle steamboat, stern-wheeler; three-masted
Sank in a hurricane in 1857, along with 400 passengers and crew and 30,000 pounds of gold. She operated between Central America and the eastern coast of the United States during the 1850s.  LAUNCHED: 1852, October 18 → FATE: Sank on September 12, 1857 about 160 miles east of Cape Hattera.

Challenger, HMS — British corvette; steam-assisted
Undertook the first global marine research expedition. She was the flagship of the Australia Station between 1866 and 1870.  LAUNCHED: 1858, February 18 → FATE: Broken up for her copper end in England in January, 1921.

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.

Christina O — Greek luxury yacht
Famous yacht of Ari Onassis and his wife, former first lady, Jackie Kennedy. Originally a Canadian built anti-submarine River-class frigate, after WWII, she was purchased by Onassis, refitted as one the largest yachts in the world, and hosted many famous personalities.  LAUNCHED: 1943, July 18 → FATE: Available for charter cruises from many ports.

City of Benares, SS — British steam passenger ship
The ship taking English evacuated children to Canada torpedoed during World War II by a German submarine. 260 of the 407 people on board were lost including 77 children. The sinking reportedly inspired actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr to develop and patent a system of spread spectrum radio as a means to guide anti-ship torpedoes.  LAUNCHED: 1935, August 5 → FATE: Sunk September 18, 1940.

Clermont — American river steamboat
First enduring and financially successful steamboat, running on the Hudson River. She was never known as Clermont at the time, but North River Steamboat. After it was lengthened and refitted in 1808 at Clermont, NY, it was named the North River.  LAUNCHED: 1807, August 18 → FATE: Retired in 1814, then scrapped.

Cole, USS — American aegis-equipped guided missile destroyer
In the news because of a suicide attack against it on October 12, 2000. Seventeen American sailors were killed in the incident while harbored in the Yemeni port of Aden.  LAUNCHED: 1995, February 18 → FATE: Still in service.

Colossus, HMS — British third-rate ship of the line
After many battles and much glory, she lost her way and ran aground and sunk with one fatality. In 1974, fragments from the Colossus were discovered and reconstructed and are now displayed at the British Museum in London.  LAUNCHED: 1787, April → FATE: Wrecked of the Isles of Scilly December 10, 1798.

Comet, PS — British paddle steamer
First commercially successful steamboat service in Europe on the River Clyde between Glasgow and Greenock in Scotland. The success of this passenger service quickly inspired competition and the Comet was soon outclassed by newer steamers.  LAUNCHED: 1812, August 18 → FATE: Wrecked in strong currents at Craignish Point near Oban on December 13, 1820.

Conception, MV — American dive boat
One of the worst maritime disaster in California with the loss of 34 passengers. The boat had been refurbished at a cost of more than $1 million following an incident in 2005 when it had been stolen and run aground.  LAUNCHED: 1981 → FATE: Caught fire and eventually sank off the coast of Santa Cruz Island, California, September 2, 2019.

Constitution, SS — American ocean liner
Because of her post-war modernity, the ship was featured in the 1957 movie An Affair to Remember and in several TV series, such as the situation comedy I Love Lucy. She and her sister-ship, SS Independence, were innovative ocean liners with an informal, yet luxurious, atmosphere uncommon in passenger ships prior to World War II.  LAUNCHED: 1950, September 18 → FATE: Sank November 17, 1997 while under tow to be scrapped north of the Hawaiian Islands. Sister-ship, SS Indepedence, suffered a worst demise.

Costa Concordia — Italian cruise ship
Largest cruise ship disaster; ran aground on a reef off Isola del Giglio and capsized; 32 people dead. In 2008, she suffered damage to her bow when high winds pushed the ship alongside its dock.  LAUNCHED: 2005, September 18 → FATE: Capsized January 13, 2012.

Curacoa, HMS — British light-cruiser
Accidentally sliced in half and sunk by the ocean liner RMS Queen Mary, with the loss of 337 men. Her demise came while escorting convoy ships during World War II. Those who witnessed the collision were sworn to secrecy due to national security concerns.  LAUNCHED: 1917, May 5 → FATE: Sunk in collision with HMS Queen Mary, 1942, October 2.

Cutty Sark — English clipper ship
Lost China-to-London race to ship called Thermopylae. She is one of three remaining original composite construction (wooden hull on an iron frame) clipper ships from the nineteenth century.  LAUNCHED: 1869, November 18 → FATE: Now preserved in dry dock in Greenwich, England.

Daimlier — German motorboat
The first commercial motor boat. Based upon a boat powered by a petrol engine tested on the Neckar river in Germany in 1886 by Daimler and Maybach.  LAUNCHED: 1886 → FATE: Unknown.

David, CSS — American Confederate torpedo boat
A cigar-shaped boat with explosives on the end of a spar projecting forward from her bow. Surface vessel designed to operate very low in the water, resembling a submarine.  LAUNCHED: 1863 → FATE: Unknown.

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.

Deutschland, SMS — German battleship
First of five Deutschland class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the Kaiserliche Marine between 1903 and 1906. With the launching of the big-gun English HMS Dreadnought battleship, the SMS Deutschland became obsolete.  LAUNCHED: 1904, November 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1920.

Devastastion, HMS — British Devastation-class ironclad
The first ocean-going capital ship not carry sails, and the first with the entire main armament mounted on top of the hull rather than inside it. Originally conceived as a ocean-going breastwork monitor, she was redesignated as 2nd Class Turret ships in 1886 and finally as 2nd Class Battleships by the 1900.  LAUNCHED: 1874 → FATE: Was scrapped in 1908.

Doña Paz, MV — Japanese built, Philippine owned ferry
A collision with MT Vector in 1987 resulted in the deadliest ferry disaster in history in peace time; possibly 4375 lives lost. As Don Sulpicio, on June 5, 1979, she was gutted by fire (with no casualties), beached and declared a total loss. The wreck was sold, refurbished and returned to service in 1981.  LAUNCHED: 1963, April 18 → FATE: Collided with the oil tanker, caught fire and sank on December 20, 1987.

Dreadnought, HMS — British dreadnought battleship
First "all-big-gun" armament and steam turbine propulsion. She revolutionized naval power and started a naval arms race.  LAUNCHED: 1906, February 18 → FATE: Sold for scrap in 1923.

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.

Earnslaw, TSS — New Zealand ferry, coal-fired steamship
One of the oldest tourist attractions in New Zealand carrying passengers across Lake Wakatipu. She made a cameo appearance in the 2008 movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as an Amazon River boat.  LAUNCHED: 1912, February 18 → FATE: Still in use.

Eclipse — Russian luxury yacht, (German built)
One of the largest private motor yacht at 162.5 meters (533 feet), costing over a billion dollars. She has two helicopter pads, 24 guest cabins, two swimming pools, and several hot tubs, and is also equipped with three launch boats and a mini-submarine.  LAUNCHED: 2009, June 18 → FATE: Still in use.

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.

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.

Endeavour, HMS — British collier, three-masted; refitted in 1768 for the expedition
James Cook's ship during his voyage to explore the Pacific Ocean and Terra Australis Incognita. She became the first ship to reach the east coast of Australia at Botany Bay in April 1770, and went on to circumnavigate the world.  LAUNCHED: 1764, June → FATE: Later renamed Lord Sandwich. Scuttled in a blockade of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, in 1778.

Enterprise, USS — American aircraft carrier
World's first nuclear powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. As one of the oldest carriers in the fleet, she was deactivated in 2012 at which time a Gerald R. Ford class carrier, CVN-80, will inherit the name Enterprise.  LAUNCHED: 1960, September 18 → FATE: Put in storage in 2017.

Esmeralda — Chilean wooden hull steam corvette
Engaged the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar in the Battle of Iquique despite the material superiority of the Peruvian ship. A replica of Esmeralda is a museum ship in Iquique, Chile.  LAUNCHED: 1855, June 26 → FATE: Rammed and sunk on 21 May 1879 at the Battle of Iquique during the War of the Pacific.

Estonia, MS — German cruise ferry with bow opening car ramp
Worst maritime ship disaster in the European waters in peacetime after the Titanic, costing 852 lives. As the largest Estonian-owned ship of the time, she symbolized the independence Estonia regained after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  LAUNCHED: 1980, April 18 → FATE: Capsized and sunk in the Baltic Sea on September 28, 1994.

Eureka — American paddle steamboat, stern-wheeler, ferry
The largest wooden passenger ferry ever built, certified to carry 3,500 people. She was the last example of the fleet of ferry boats carrying passengers and vehicles across the San Francisco Bay.  LAUNCHED: 1890 → FATE: Preserved at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.

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.

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.

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.

Flying Cloud — American clipper ship
The most famous clipper ship, she set a world record (until 1989) for the fastest passage from New York to San Francisco in 89 days, more than 16,000 miles. The ship's navigator was a woman, Eleanor Creesy wife of Josiah Perkins Creesy who skippered Flying Cloud.  LAUNCHED: 1851 → FATE: Went aground at Saint John, New Brunswick June 19, 1874.

Flying Enterprise — American cargo ship in World War II, then a tramp steamer
Subject of intense deep-sea diving and salvage. In 1960, a portion of the cargo was salvaged by an Italian company. In 2001, a team of Danish and British divers re-discovered the lost shipwreck almost 50 years after she had sunk.  LAUNCHED: 1944, March → FATE: Sank south of Cornwall, England January 10, 1952.

Francisco, HSC — Argentine high-speed catamaran
The world's faster ferry sailing at a speed of 58 knots (67 mph). Named after Pope Francis, she is powered by liquefied natural gas. (More info)  LAUNCHED: 2012, November 17 → FATE: Still operating.

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.

Galeb — Croatian yacht, built as an Italian auxillary cruiser called Ramb III
Official yacht of former Yugoslavian president Tito and used for entertaining world leaders and celebrities. The Germans seized the boat in World War II and named it Kiebitz; after the war, the Yugoslavian navy converted it to a training ship; then in 1952, it became Tito's yacht.  LAUNCHED: 1938,, then seized by Germany September 1943 → FATE: Being restored and is occasionally opened to the public.

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.

Georgios Averof — Greek Armored cruiser
The only anored cruiser still in existence. The ship served as the Greek flagship during most of the first half of the 20th century.  LAUNCHED: 1910, March 12 → FATE: She has been reinstated on active duty as a museum ship in the Naval Tradition Park in Faliro, Athens.

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.

Gjøa — Norwegian sloop, square sterned
The first vessel to transit the Northwest Passage. She reached San Francisco in 1906 where she was put on display, but slowly deteriorated until 1949 when she was refurbished. Then in 1972 she was returned to Norway.  LAUNCHED: 1872 → FATE: On display at the Fram Museum in Bygdøy, Norway.

Gloire — French ocean-going ironclad
First ocean-going ironclad, developed in response to navel gun technology, including the Paixhans gun, thus rendering obsolete traditional unarmoured wooden ships-of-the-line. She was constructed with light barquentine sails as well as a steam-powered screw.  LAUNCHED: 1859, November 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1883.

Gloriana — English royal barge, or rowbarge
The lead vessel of the flotilla celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, June 3, 2012. She is powered by 18 oarsmen, and can carry an additional 34 passengers and crew.  LAUNCHED: 2012, April 18 → FATE: Still afloat.

Gokstad — Viking clinker-built ship
Viking ship found in a burial mound at Gokstad farm in Sandefjord, Norway in 1880. Later she was used for the burial of an important chieftain who died about 900 A.D. (A replica is on display at the Hjemkomst Center museum in Moorhead, MN.)   LAUNCHED: 890, circa → FATE: On display at the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, Norway.

Golden Hinde — English galleon
A full-size replica of the 1577 Golden Hind and appeared in several movies. She has travelled a distance equal to more than five times around the globe. Like Francis Drake's ship, she has circumnavigated the globe.  LAUNCHED: 1973 → FATE: Since 1996 she has been berthed at St Mary Overie Dock, Southwark, London.

Graf Spee, Admiral — German pocket battleship
Though size was limited by the Treaty of Versailles, she was as heavily armed as a battleship. Sank nine Allied merchant ships. Afterwards, ships of this size were called heavy cruisers.  LAUNCHED: 1934, June 18 → FATE: Scuttled off Montevideo December 17, 1939.

Great Britain, SS — British steamship, passenger ship
First steamer to cross the Atlantic. Also first built of iron and with a screw propeller. She ran aground in 1846 and was sold for salvage, repaired and revised. In 1881 she was converted to sail. In 1937 she was retired and scuttled. In 1970 she was recovered and eventually restored as a museum ship.  LAUNCHED: 1845, July 18 → FATE: Now a museum ship in Bristol Harbour.

Great Republic — American clipper, four-masted
The largest wooden clipper ship ever constructed, requiring 1,500,000 feet of pine, 336½ tons of iron, and 56 tons of copper. In 1853, fire sank her; but she was salvaged and rebuilt as a three deck vessel and went on to set transatlantic speed records.  LAUNCHED: 1853, October 18 → FATE: Abandoned during a hurricane off Bermuda March 5, 1872.

Gribshunden — Danish warship, one of the first carvel-built vessels and among the earliest armed with guns.
She was the flagship of the King of Denmark, Hans, on her way to a political summit with the Swedish leader when she sank, killing a number of those aboard and the summit. In 2015, the wreckage attracted international attention when a near perfectly-preserved wooden figurehead of a mythical beast was brought to the surface.  LAUNCHED: 1485 → FATE: In 1495, she sank after an accidental fire while in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Ronneby in southeastern Sweden.

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.

Hannah, USS — American schooner
The first armed American naval vessel of the American Revolution and is claimed to be the founding vessel of the US Navy. The city of Beverly, Massachusetts and the town of Marblehead, Massachusetts each claim to have been the home port of the schooner.  LAUNCHED: 1775, September 2 → FATE: Unknown.

HD-4 — American hydrofoil
An early research hydrofoil watercraft developed by the Alexander Graham Bell. She set a world marine speed record of 70.86 miles per hour (114.04 km/h), that stood for almost a year.  LAUNCHED: 1919 → FATE: Dismantled in 1921, laying for decades on the shore at Beinn Bhreagh, Nova Scotia.

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.

Hermione, HMS — British frigate, fifth-rate
Notorious for having the bloodiest mutiny in British naval history. Mutineers gave her to the Spaniards in 1797 who put her in service as Santa Cecilia. She was retaken by the British in 1799 and renamed the Retaliation.  LAUNCHED: 1782, September → FATE: Broken up at Deptford in June 1805.

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.

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.

Honey Fitz — American yacht
Presidential yacht was renamed after John Francis "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, maternal grandfather of President John F. Kennedy. The yacht saw service during World War II as a picket ship off Fire Island, New York. She also served as a training ship for submarine crews.  LAUNCHED: 1931 → FATE: Still in service as a pleasure boat.

Hotspur, HMS — British sloop-of-war
Ship of Horatio Hornblower in the book series and British TV series Hornblower and the Hotspur by C. S. Forester. In the TV series, she is captured by the French. After Hornblower and the crew later discover the ship, they succeed in retaking it.  LAUNCHED: 1962, for the book; 1988 2003 for the TV series → FATE: Unknown.

Huáscar — Peruvian iron-clad turret ship
The flagship of the Peruvian Navy and participated in the Battle of Pacocha and the War of the Pacific of 1879–1883. She is the second oldest armored warship afloat and the oldest monitor afloat  LAUNCHED: 1865, October 6 → FATE: She was restored and is a memorial ship anchored in Talcahuano, Chile.

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.

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.

Independence, USS — American trimaran, small assault transport ship
A versatile multi-hulled U.S. Navy ship designed for high speed. The ship is a trimaran design that can make more than 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph).  LAUNCHED: 2008, April 18 → FATE: Currently in service.

Indianapolis, USS — American Portland-class cruiser
Last U.S. ship sunk by enemy in World War II; greatest loss of life at sea in the U.S. Navy's history. Four days after delivering the 1st atomic bomb to Tinian, she was torpedoed and sank with 300 crew.  The 900 survivors faced exposure, dehydration, and shark attacks until 4 days later only 317 were rescued.  LAUNCHED: 1931, November 18 → FATE: Sunk by a Japanese submarine July 30, 1945.

Investigator, HMS — British collier, then in 1801 converted to a survey ship.
The first ship to circumnavigate Australia. The Royal Navy sold her in 1810 and she returned to mercantile service under the name Xenophon.  LAUNCHED: 1795 → FATE: Broken up about 1872.

Iowa, USS — American fast battleship
First of her class, the last battleship in active service in the world. During a gunnery exercise, on April 19, 1989, an explosion ripped through a gun turret, killing 47 crewmen.  LAUNCHED: 1942, August 18 → FATE: Anchored at San Pedro as a museum ship.

John Adams, USS — American frigate
She participated in the raid on Combahee Ferry that Harriet Tubman, the former slave and Union operative, organized with Union colonel Montgomery. She fought in the Quasi-War, the First and Second Barbary Wars, the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War.  LAUNCHED: 1799, October → FATE: Sold October 1867 to the British to use as the Hong Kong Water Police Headquarters. In February 1884, she caught fire and was lost.

Joyita — American luxury yacht, outfitted as a yard patrol boat
Found adrift in the South Pacific, her passengers and crew mysteriously missing in 1955. She is sometimes referred to as the "Mary Celeste of the South Pacific." She has been the subject of several narrations offering explanations ranging from rational to supernatural.  LAUNCHED: 1931 → FATE: Broken up near Ovalau, Fiji in the 1970s.

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.

Kalmar Nyckel — Swedish full-rigged pinnace
The ship is famed for carrying Swedish settlers to North America in 1638 to establish the colony of New Sweden. A replica (as seen in "Another IMAGE) was launched in 1997. The Kalmar Nyckel made four successful round trips from Sweden to North America, a record unchallenged by any other colonial vessel.  LAUNCHED: 1625 → FATE: The original ship was sunk in the North Sea by the Dutch in a war against the English in July of 1652. Replica is in service as a tourist attraction at Wilmington, Delware.

Kaz II — Australian catamaran yacht
Three men sailing aboard their yacht mysteriously vanish without a trace off the north-eastern coast of Australia. The fate of her crew is still unknown and the circumstances in which they disappeared can be compared to that of Marie Celeste.  LAUNCHED: 1989 → FATE: Unknown.

Kiangya, SS — Chinese steamship, passenger
Blew up, probably after hitting a World War II Japanese mine, resulting in over 3000 killed. She was packed with refugees from the Chinese Civil War fleeing the advancing Communist army when she sank.  LAUNCHED: 1939 → FATE: Sank December 4, 1948 in the mouth of the Huangpu River 50 miles south of Shanghai.

Kingston II — American tugboat
She assisted the launch of several U.S. Navy submarines including Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine. Her ceremonial duties at the museum have included leading river parades of antique boats and welcoming visiting vessels from other nations.  LAUNCHED: 1937 → FATE: On exhibit at Mystic Seaport Museum at Mystic, Connecticut.

Kon Tiki — Norwegian raft
Used by Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl to cross the Pacific. Heyerdahl used the craft in his 1947 expedition from South America to the Polynesian islands to show that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.  LAUNCHED: 1947 → FATE: On display in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo, Norway.

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.

L'Hydroptère — French speed sailboat; experimental
Currently the world's fastest sailboat. In 2008, it reached a sailing speed of 56.3 knots, the first sailboat to ever pass 100 km/h.  LAUNCHED: 2008 → FATE: Still sailing.

La Belle — French barque
Explorer Robert De La Salle's flagship in the 1680s; its wreckage recovered in the late 1990s was an important maritime archaeological achievement. Discovered in 1995, the hull of the ship was recovered with over a million artifacts, many on display at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin, Texas.  LAUNCHED: 1684, probably → FATE: Washed aground and wrecked in Matagorda Bay in the Gulf of Mexico in 1686.

Labrador, CCGS — Canadian Wind-class icebreaker
The first ship to circumnavigate North America in a single voyage and first warship to transit the Northwest Passage. Her career marked the beginning of the CCG's icebreaker operations which continue to this day.  LAUNCHED: 1951, December 14 → FATE: Sold for scrap and broken up 1989.

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.

Laffey, USS — American Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer
During the battle of Okinawa, she withstood the greatest kamikaze air attack in history, losing 32 killed and 71 wounded. Laffey was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1986, the only remaining US-owned Sumner-class destroyer  LAUNCHED: 1943, November 21 → FATE: After WWII, she was repaired and continued to serve until decommissioned March 9, 1975. Laffey is currently a museum ship at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Langley, USS — American aircraft carrier
First American aircraft carrier and U.S. Navy's first turbo-electric-powered ship. Following a conversion in 1936 to a seaplane tender, she fought in World War II.  LAUNCHED: 1911, built as a collier converted in 1920 → FATE: Attacked and badly damaged by Japanese planes, she was scuttled, February 27, 1942.

Leitha, SMS (later named Lajta) — Austro-Hungarian River monitor
The first river monitor in Europe. The oldest and the only restored warship of the Austro-Hungarian Navy. In October 1914, her turret took a direct hit, all the crew inside being killed.  LAUNCHED: 1872, October 13 → FATE: Restored in 2009, Lajta is currently moored on the Danube in Budapest as a museum ship

Liberté, SS — German ocean liner; then American war prize; then French owned
Featured prominently in the movie The French Line, starring Jane Russell. She was taken as a US war prize at the end of World War II, then used to transport US servicemen back to the states, and finally turned over to the French as war reparations.  LAUNCHED: 1928, August 18 → FATE: Retired in 1961 and scrapped in 1962.

Lightning, HMS — British torpedo boat
The first ship to launch self-propelled torpedos. She was used exclusively with HMS Vernon, a torpedo school ship at the Royal Navy's Torpedo Branch at Portsmouth, England.  LAUNCHED: 1876 → FATE: Scrapped in 1896.

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.

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.

Majestic — American paddle steamboat, stern-wheeler showboat
The last of the original traveling showboats. Now the riverboat is a venue for comedies and musicals.  LAUNCHED: 1920 → FATE: Currently docked at the Cincinnati Public Landing in Ohio.

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.

Mary Celeste — American brigantine
The "ghost ship" found near the Strait of Gibraltar abandoned by its seven crew members in 1872. The popular mystery of the ship began with Arthur Conan Doyle's story in 1884, about a derelict ship which he called Marie Celeste.  LAUNCHED: 1860 → FATE: Intentionally scuttled in January of 1885.

Mary Rose — English carrack-type warship
One of the earliest ships built for war sporting the innovation of gun ports. The wreck of the Mary Rose was rediscovered in 1971 and salvaged in 1982.  LAUNCHED: 1512 → FATE: Sank in the straits north of the Isle of Wight, 1545.

Massachusetts, USS — American South Dakota class battleship
Has the distinction of having fired the US Navy's first and last 16-in shells of the World War II. Despite being used as a parts cache to get the Iowa-class battleships back in service, Massachusetts was designated a National Historical Landmark a 14 January 1986.  LAUNCHED: 1941, June 18 → FATE: Became a in museum ship at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts June, 1965.

Mauretania, RMS — British ocean liner
At the time, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world. She made an eastbound transatlantic crossing with a long-standing record average speed of 23.7 knots. She served as a hospital ship and troop ship in World War I.  LAUNCHED: 1906, September 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1934.

Mayflower — English galleon
Transported the English Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. The ocean crossing took 66 days.  A second ship called the Mayflower made a voyage from London to Plymouth Colony in 1629.  LAUNCHED: 1607, about → FATE: Sold and taken apart in May of 1624.

Medusa — French frigate
Most famous sea disaster of the nineteenth century. After hitting a shoal, most of the 400 passengers were evacuated while 151 men took refuge on an improvised raft. After 13 days at sea, the raft was discovered with only 15 men still alive. The raft carrying people was the subject of a famous painting, The Raft of the Medusa by French artist Théodore Géricault.  LAUNCHED: 1810 → FATE: Beached on Bank of Arguin in 1817.

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.

Minnow, S.S. — American express cruiser
A fictional charter boat on the hit 1960s television sitcom Gilligan's Island. There were actually four different boats used on the show. (See Original S.S. Minnow Found for more.)  LAUNCHED: 1964, for the TV series → FATE: Series ended in 1967.

Missouri, USS — American battleship
The site of the surrender of Japan which ended World War II. She was the last battleship built by the United States.  LAUNCHED: 1944, January 18 → FATE: On exhibit near the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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.

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.

Moshulu — Scottish barque, four-masted
Famous through the books of Eric Newby such as The Last Grain Race, 1956. Between 1904 and 1914, under German ownership, Kurt shipped coal, nitrate, coal, and coke around the world. She appeared in several movies.  LAUNCHED: 1904, April 18 → FATE: Currently a floating restaurant docked in Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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.

My AdyGil — New Zealand wave-piercing trimaran
Broke the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a motorized boat in 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes. Participated in anti-whaling operations under the lead of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in the Southern Ocean.  LAUNCHED: 2006, February 18 → FATE: Collided with a Japanese ship and sank on January 7, 2010.

Napoléon, (Le) — French battleship, ship of the line
First true steam and screw battleship in the world. She was the lead ship of a class of 9 battleships, all considered as very successful and built over a period of 10 years.  LAUNCHED: 1850, May 18 → FATE: Sunk November 6, 1876.

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.

New Jersey, USS — American battleship
Earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other American battleship. She was the only U.S. battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.  LAUNCHED: 1942, December → FATE: In a museum at the Camden Waterfront, Camden, New Jersey.

Nimitz, USS — American aircraft carrier; supercarrier
Setting for the 1980 science fiction movie The Final Countdown. In May of 1981, one of her planes crashed on the flight deck, killing 14 crewmen.  LAUNCHED: 1972, May → FATE: Still in service.

Ning Po — Chinese 3-masted, 291 ton junk
Spent 159 years in the Yellow Sea engaging in crimes such as smuggling, slave trading, mutiny, and piracy. During the 1920s and 1930s she sat in Catalina Harbor, Santa Catalina Island, California and was used as a backdrop for movies filmed there.  LAUNCHED: 1753 → FATE: Burned in Catalina Harbor in 1938.

Norge, SS — Norwegian, then Danish ocean liner
The biggest civilian maritime disaster in the Atlantic in the until the sinking of the Titanic. More than 635 people died during the sinking, among them 225 Norwegians. The disaster remains the worst in Danish maritime history.  LAUNCHED: 1881, June 18 → FATE: Ran aground and sank June 28, 1904.

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.

Nuestra Señora de las Mer — Spanish frigate
Thought to be the wreck discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration. Returning to Spain from South America with tons of gold, silver and jewels, she was blown up by the British off Cabo de Santa Maria, Portugal.  LAUNCHED: 1786 → FATE: Sunk by the British on October 5, 1804.

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.

Octavius — English schooner, three-masted
An legendary 18th century ghost ship said to have been found west of Greenland by the whaler Herald in 1775. The derelict was found and boarded. The entire crew of 28 were found below deck frozen.  LAUNCHED: 1761 → FATE: Apparently lost in 1762.

Olympias — Greek trireme
The only commissioned replica trireme in the world. She achieved a speed of 9 knots (17 km/h) and was able to turn 180 degree within one minute.  LAUNCHED: 1987, August → FATE: On exhibit in a dry dock at the Naval Tradition Park in Palaio Faliro, Athens, Greece.

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.

Orion, RMS — British ocean liner
First to offer modern passenger comforts in ocean travel including air conditioning.. She was launched at England from Brisbane, Australia by wireless remote by the Duke of Gloucester. She served as a troop ship in World War II, then converted to a passenger liner in 1946.  LAUNCHED: 1934, December 18 → FATE: Broken for scrap at Antwerp, Belgium in 1963.

Ostfriesland, SMS — German battleship, ceded to America after World War II
Sunk by bombs dropped from aircraft by General Billy Mitchell to demonstrate air power. After having seen action in World War I, the ship was ceded to the United States as war reparations.  LAUNCHED: 1909, Septmber 30 → FATE: Sunk by bombs off Cape Hatteras July 21, 1921.

Pacific Princess — American cruise ship
The ship featured in the TV series Love Boat from 1977 to 1986. In 1998 the Pacific Princess was impounded by police in Piraeus, Greece after 25 kg of heroin was found on board.  LAUNCHED: 1970, May 18 → FATE: Sold to be scrapped in March of 2012.

Panay, USS — American river gunboat
The USS Panay incident; on December 12, 1937, a Japanese bombing attack on this U.S. Navy river gunboat and three Standard Oil Company tankers on the Yangtze River. Two newsreel cameramen were present on Panay and filmed much of the attack and afterward from shore as Panay sank. See Newsreel.  LAUNCHED: 1927, November 10 → FATE: Sunk in December 12, 1937.

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.

Perserverance — American steam boat
First steam boat that operated using a series of vertical paddles. Invented by John Fitch, an improved model carried passengers on round-trips between Philadelphia and Burlington, New Jersey, summer of 1790.  LAUNCHED: 1787 → FATE: Unknown.

Pilar — American fishing boat
Ernest Hemingway's fishing boat. Pilar was a nickname for the American novelist's second wife, Pauline, and the heroine in For Whom the Bell Tolls.  LAUNCHED: 1934, April → FATE: On display at Hemingway's former home, Finca Vigía, near Havana, Cuba.

Pinta, (La) — Spanish three masted caravel
One of Columbus' ships of discovery. The fastest of Columbus' three ships to America in 1492, and Columbus' flag ship on the return trip to Spain in 1943. She was among the fleet of 17 ships for Columbus' second voyage.  LAUNCHED: 1441, circa → FATE: Around 1501.

Ponce, USS — American amphibious assault ship
First "Afloat Forward Staging Base" (AFSB) ship. She was refitted in 2012 to serve as floating port for helicopters and patrol craft.  LAUNCHED: 1970, May 18 → FATE: Still in service.

Poseidon, SS — American cruise ship; British ocean liner
Subject of a ship sinking in the 1969 novel The Poseidon Adventure and four movie adaptations, 1972, 1979, 2005, and 2006. In each version of the story, the ship is capsized and several survivors try to make their way to the top of the overturned ship.  LAUNCHED: 1969, original story → FATE: Inconclusive.

President — American steamboat
The last original "Western Rivers" style side-wheel river excursion steamboat in the United States and the second riverboat casino in modern times. In the 1950s and 1960s, she berthed in New Orleans for many years as a popular music venue featuring concerts by national acts; in 1990 she was converted into a floating casino.  LAUNCHED: 1924 → FATE: In 2007 she was disassembled and moved in pieces to St. Elmo, Illinois where she may be re-assembled as a non-floating tourist attraction and hotel.

Preußen — German windjammer, five-masted
The largest sailed ship ever built and the only five-masted, full-rigged, ship built until the 21st century. She was built entirely of steel. She was used in the saltpeter trade with Chile, setting speed records in the process.  LAUNCHED: 1902, May 18 → FATE: Swept onto rocks and sank near the White Cliffs of Dover November 6, 1910.

Princess Alice — British paddle steamer
The greatest loss of life, 600-700, of any British inland waterway shipping accident after being struck by the Bywell Castle. Because of the river pollution from the sewage and local industrial output, the recovered bodies were covered with slime and toxins.  LAUNCHED: 1865, July → FATE: Sank on September 3, 1878 after the collision on the River Thames.

Princess Sophia, SS — Canadian passenger ship
The worst maritime accident in the history of British Columbia and Alaska. The wreck and the loss of 343 people was controversial since some thought that all aboard could have been saved.  LAUNCHED: 1911, November 18 → FATE: Grounded on October 24,1918 and sank following day during a storm near Juneau Alaska.

Prineton, USS — American screw steam warship
First ship with screw propellers powered by an engine mounted entirely below the waterline. In 1844, during a pleasure cruise for dignitaries, a gun exploded killing 6 high-ranking federal officials and wounding 20 more, the worst such tragedy in American history.  LAUNCHED: 1843, September 5 → FATE: Broken up at the Boston Navy Yard, October 1849.

Prinz Eugen — German Admiral Hipper-class heavy cruiser
After World war II ended, the US Navy assigned her to the Operation Crossroads nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll. During the Battle of Denmark Strait (May 24, 1941), she and Bismarck engaged and sank the British ships HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales.  LAUNCHED: 1938, August 22 → FATE: Having survived the atomic blasts, she was towed to Kwajalein Atoll, where she ultimately capsized and sank in December 1946.

Proteus — American catamaran
First vessel of the wave adaptive modular vessel-type. Developed by Marine Advanced Research, she has been nicknamed "The Spider Ship" because four legs connect the superstructure to the outriggers.  LAUNCHED: 2007 → FATE: In active service.

PT-73 — American PT boat
Patrol boat in the TV sitcom McHale's Navy. The real-life PT-73 was built on August 12, 1942, and was destroyed by the crew in January, 1945.  LAUNCHED: 1962, 1966 for the TV series → FATE: Inconlusive.

Queen Anne's Revenge — English sloop
Flagship of pirate Blackbeard (Edward Thatch). As Conccord was captured by the French in 1711, and then as La Concord she was taken by pirates in 1717.  LAUNCHED: 1710 → FATE: Run aground near Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina in May, 1718.

Queen Elizabeth, RMS — British ocean liner
With sister ship Queen Mary, dominated the transatlantic passenger service. She was used in World War II as troop transport. After being converted to a university and renamed Seawise University, she was destroyed by fire. The charred wreck was featured in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun.  LAUNCHED: 1938, September 18 → FATE: After a fire, capsized in Hong Kong Harbor, January 9, 1972.

Rattler, HMS — British sloop made of wood with metal frame
First warship to adopt a screw propellor. In March 1845, she beat HMS Alecto in a series of races, followed by a contest in which she towed Alecto backwards at a speed of 2 knots (3.7 km/h).  LAUNCHED: 1843 → FATE: Broken up 1856.

Resolution, HMS — British Collier
The first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle reaching beyond latitude 71 degrees south. She was the ship on which Captain James Cook made his second and third voyages of exploration in the Pacific.   LAUNCHED: 1770 → FATE: Taken by the French June 10, 1782, renamed La Liberté and ended up rotting in Narragansett Bay not far from Cook's other ship, Endeavour.

Rhone, RMS — British packet ship
Sunk during a hurricane with the loss of approximately 123 lives. The wreckage is now a popular diving site and was used in the 1977 film The Deep that featured Jacqueline Bisset in a wet T‑shirt.  LAUNCHED: 1865 → FATE: Wrecked in the British Virgin Islands on October 29, 1867.

River Queen — American sidewheel steamer
Closely associated with President Abraham Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant while operating on the Potomac River during the American Civil War. In March 1865, Abraham Lincoln met with his generals aboard the River Queen to discuss strategy for the end of the Civil War.  LAUNCHED: 1864 → FATE: Burn to the water line in 1911, July

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.

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.

Royal Clipper — German tall ship; steel-hulled five masted fully rigged design
The largest and only five-masted full-rigged sailing ship in service. Her design was based on the German ship Preussen, but was configured for passenger comfort rather than cargo carrying.  LAUNCHED: 2001 → FATE: Still in service.

Royal Oak, HMS — British Battleship, Revenge-class
The first of five Royal Navy battleships and battlecruisers sunk in the World War II. When she was torpedoed, 835 of her 1,234 crew were killed. The brass letters of her name were removed from the sunken ship and are now displayed in the Scapa Flow visitor center.  LAUNCHED: 1914, November 17 → FATE: Was sunk in Scapa Flow in October 1939 by a German U-boat,

São Martinho — Portuguese galleon
Flagship of Duke of Medina Sedonia, commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armada. In September 1588, she was among the few Armada ships to make it back to the port city of Santander, Spain, after suffering heavy damage by English ships.  LAUNCHED: 1580 → FATE: 1589 perhaps.

Saint John Paul II, MV — Maltese catamaran ferry
The largest high-speed catamaran in the Mediterranean Sea and the second largest in the world as of 2020. Her service speed is approximately 37 knots, or 69 km/h (43 mph). She is operated by Virtu Ferries.  LAUNCHED: 2018, December 22 → FATE: Still in operation.

Saluda — American river paddle steamboat, side-wheeler
Worst river steamboat accident in US; a tragedy for the Mormon Church. Over 100 passengers out of 175 were killed, including 28 Mormons. There were several dozen survivors.  LAUNCHED: 1846, (sunk in 1847, raised and repaired) → FATE: Boilers exploded and destroyed the boat on the Missouri River near Lexington, Missouri, she sank April 9, 1852.

San José — Spanish galleon,60-gun
Sunken treasure ship with 7 to 10 million Spanish pesos on board. She was discovered in 2015 with treasure estimated to be worth between 4-17 billion US dollars.  LAUNCHED: 1696 → FATE: Sunk in battle off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia in 1708.

San Pablo — American gunboat
Featured in the movie Sand Pebbles starring Steve McQueen. After filming was completed, she was sold and renamed the Nola D, received significant modifications, and eventually used as a base camp for a seismic exploration company.  LAUNCHED: 1966, movie release; actual ship September, 1895 → FATE: As the Nola D, she was taken to Singapore and scrapped in 1975.

Santa Maria — Spanish carrack
The largest of Columbus' ships of discovery. The anchor of the Santa María now resides in the Musée du Panthéon National Haitien, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  LAUNCHED: 1460, circa → FATE: Ran aground and lost near Cap-Haitien, Haiti, December 25, 1492.

Savannah, SS — American paddle steamship, side-wheeler with sails
First steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. After ocean crossing, her steam plant was removed and she continued sailing up and down the east coast.  LAUNCHED: 1819, March → FATE: Ran aground off Long Island, NY in 1823.

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.

Sea Shadow — American stealth warship
U.S. Navy experimental stealth ship, never intended to be mission capable and never commissioned. The ship was the inspiration for the stealth ship in the James Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies.  LAUNCHED: 1985, March → FATE: As of June, 2011 the ship is still being stored at Suisun Bay in northern California awaiting its fate.

Sea Venture — English merchant ship; purpose-built
First dedicated emigration ship as part of the Third Supply mission to the Jamestown Colony. During the storm, massive leaks developed because of faulty construction. All 150 people aboard and one dog made it to shore safely.  LAUNCHED: 1609 → FATE: Damaged in a hurricane and scuttled at Discovery Bay, June 1609.

Seaborn Legend — American cruise ship
The ship in the movie Speed 2: Cruise Control; starring Sandra Bullock. The plot has a couple on vacation to the Caribbean aboard a luxury cruise ship which is hijacked by a villain.  LAUNCHED: 1997, for movie relase; ship launched in 1991. → FATE: Ship is still in service as Star Legend.

Seeadler, SMS — Scottish windjammer, three-masted; American owned
One of the last sailing ships used in a war; as a German merchant raider disguised as a Norwegian wood carrier. she was originally named Pass of Balmaha before capture by a German submarine.  LAUNCHED: 1888 → FATE: Wrecked on a reef at the island of Pacific, August 2, 1917.

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.

Sewol, MS — Korean ferry brought from Japan
Worst Korean loss of life at sea. The provisional conclusion is that a sudden turn and the consequential shift of cargo caused the accident.  LAUNCHED: 1994 → FATE: Capsized and sank April 16, 2014.

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.

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.

Solar Sailor — Australian passenger ferry
First vessel to be efficiently powered by both wind and sun. She was a unique hybrid ferry propelled by solar or wind energy, battery, or diesel.  LAUNCHED: 2000 → FATE: Currently operating in Sydney Harbour.

South Carolina, USS — American dreadnought, battleship
The first American dreadnought and the first of any nation to have its main guns in a superfire arrangement. She was part of America's Great White Fleet that circumnavigated, December of 1907 to February of 1909.  LAUNCHED: 1908, July 18 → FATE: Sold for scrap on April of 1924.

Spirit of Chartwell, MV — English hotel barge
The Royal Barge used for Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, June 3, 2012. She originally sailed the Rhine River as the Van Gogh, designed to sail the waterways of Europe and venture into coastal waters. She was refitted in for the 2011 jubilee.  LAUNCHED: 2009 → FATE: Still afloat.

St. Roch — Canadian schooner
The first ship to completely circumnavigate North America, and first to complete passage through the Northwest Passage west to east. She was also the first vessel to pass through the more northerly route of the Northwest Passage, and was also the first to navigate the passage in a single season.  LAUNCHED: 1928, May 18 → FATE: On exhibit at the Vancouver Maritime Museum.

Staten Island Ferry — American passenger ferry boats
A fleet of eight ferry boats sailing free of charge between Manhattan and Staten Island in New York. On October 15, 2003, the Andrew J. Barberi collided with a pier killing eleven people and injuring many others; NYC's deadliest mass-transit incident in 50 years.  LAUNCHED: 1819 → FATE: Still in service.

Stockholm, MS — Swedish luxury cruise ship (ocean liner)
Collided with the SS Andrea Doria in heavy fog off the coast of Nantucket. She sailed under dozens of other names and is currently MS Athena.  LAUNCHED: 1948 → FATE: Still in use.

Sundowner — British motor yacht
She participated in the Dunkirk evacuation as one of the "little ships" as well as a number of commemorations of the event. She was formerly owned by Charles Lightoller who was Second Officer aboard the ill-fated RMS Titanic and survived.  LAUNCHED: 1912 → FATE: A museum ship at the Ramsgate Maritime Museum in Southern England.

Susan Constant — British fully-rigged ship
The largest of three ships of the English Virginia Company sailing to establish the new Colony of Virginia, Jamestown. Replicas of Susan Constant, shown in image, and her sister-ships are docked in the James River at Jamestown Settlement.  LAUNCHED: 1607 → FATE: After 1615, fate unknown.

Sydney, HMAS — Australia Leander-class light cruiser
The most devastating loss of life for the Royal Australian Navy when 645 personnel went down with the ship during the battle with the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran. The wrecks of Sydney and the Kormoran were discovered off the coast of Shark Bay in 2008. The Australians who died are commemorated at the Australian War Memorial.  LAUNCHED: 1934, September 22 → FATE: Sunk by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran, November 19, 1941 off the coast of Western Australia.

Szent István, SMS — Hungarian dreadnought
The only battleship whose sinking was filmed during World War I. Having spent most of the war at anchor or out on gunnery training, she was sunk in her first and only mission; 89 sailors died.  LAUNCHED: 1914, January 18 → FATE: Torpedoed off Premuda Island June 10, 1918.

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.

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.

The World, MS — Swedish cruise ship
A ship serving as a residential community owned by its residents. She became the largest passenger ship to transit the Northwest Passage by sailing from Nome, Alaska to Nuuk, Greenland in 25 days, August-September, 2012.  LAUNCHED: 2002, March → FATE: Still in service.

Thermopylae — English extreme clipper
Raced the clipper Cutty Sark from Shanghai back to London and won by seven days. In 1897, she was sold to Portugal and renamed Pedro Nunes for used as a naval training ship.  LAUNCHED: 1868, August → FATE: Sunk as target practice by the Portuguese Navy, October 13, 1907.

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.