Famous Ships and Boats in History

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All Countries Ships and Boats E‑G

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.

(Another )

Eastland, SS — American steamship, passenger
Largest loss of life from a single shipwreck on the Great Lakes. On the morning of July 24, 1915, the ship, being top-heavy, rolled over while docked in the Chicago River, killing 844 passengers and crew. LAUNCHED: 1903, May 18 → FATE: Sunk on July 24, 1915; raised, converted to a gunboat, renamed USS Wilmette February, 1918; sold for scrap in October of 1946.

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.

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.

Eldridge, USS — American destroyer escort
Famed as part of an alleged military experiment of cloaking ships invisible and carried out by the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.. A 1984 movie of the incident, The Philadelphia Experiment, presented a fictionalized version of the incident. LAUNCHED: 1943, July 25 → FATE: Decommisioned and scrapped November 11, 1999.

(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.

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Empire Windrush, MV — German cruise ship captured by England in May of 1945
Carried 493 West Indian immigrants from Jamaica wishing to start a new life in the England on June 22, 1948. Before World War II, she was used for cruises by the Nazi Party to reward party members for services to the Party. Image shown is of sister-ship Empire Doon. LAUNCHED: 1930, December 18 → FATE: Sank in the Mediterranean Sea in March 30, 1954.

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.

(Another )

Empress of Ireland — Canadian ocean liner
Collided with a Norwegian collier in 1914 claiming 1012 lives, the worst Canadian maritime accident in peacetime. The wreck lies in 40 meters (130 ft) of water, making it accessible to divers. Many artifacts from the wreckage are on display at the Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père in Rimouski, Quebec. LAUNCHED: 1906, January 18 → FATE: Sank in the Saint Lawrence River following a collision May 29, 1914.

(Another )

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.

(Another )

Endurance — Norwegian barquentine, three-masted
Used by Sir Ernest Shackleton for the 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Her original purpose was as an luxurious ice-capable steam yacht designed for polar conditions. She was one of the strongest wooden ship ever built. LAUNCHED: 1912, December 18 → FATE: Crushed by pack ice in the Weddell Sea in 1915.

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.

Eos — American three-masted Bermuda rigged schooner, built in Germany
The largest sailing yacht in the world with an overall length of 305 feet or 92.92 meters. With much of its length in the bowsprit, the length at the waterline is less than the Maltese Falcon. LAUNCHED: 2006 → FATE: Still in service.

(Another )

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.

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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.

(Another )

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.

Etoile du Roy — British frigate, sixth-rate
Stand-in for several different ships for the British TV series Horatio Hornblower, 1998-2003. The three-masted frigate was built specifically to represent a generic Nelson-age warship, with her design inspired by HMS Blandford built in 1741. LAUNCHED: 1997, September → FATE: Sold to a French company and now on exhibit at Saint-Malo, Brittany.

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.

(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.

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(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.

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.

(Another )

Floating Theater — American caravel
The first deliberately-planned showboat, created by British-born actor William Chapman, Sr.; replaced by a new steamboat with a stage and named Steamboat Theatre. In 1914, circus actors James Adams and his wife launched the James Adams Floating Theatre, a showboat that would tour the Chesapeake Bay. LAUNCHED: 1831, and 1836 → FATE: Both unknown.

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 Dutchman — Dutch sailing ship of unknown sort
A legendary ghost ship that is doomed to sail the seas forever. She is much cited in movies, TV, books and other amusements. LAUNCHED: 1790, first reference → FATE: Casting about forever.

(Another )

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.

Fram — Norwegian schooner
Used in expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers. Most likely she was the strongest ship ever built, having sailed farthest north and south than any other wooden ship. LAUNCHED: 1892 → FATE: Currently on display at the Fram Museum, Oslo, Norway.

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.

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(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.

Furious, HMS — British battlecruiser (modified while under construction as an aircraft carrier)
First aircraft carrier; her forward turret was removed and a flight deck was added in its place. Spent last of World War I and much of World War II as an aircraft ferry. LAUNCHED: 1916, August 18 → FATE: Sold for scrap in 1948.

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.

(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.

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.

(Another )

General Slocum — American river paddle steamboat, side-wheeler
Caught fire and burned to the water line in New York's East River on June 15, 1904 killing 1,021 people. She was named after Major General Henry Warner Slocum, 1827-94. LAUNCHED: 1891, April 18 → FATE: The remains were recovered and converted into a barge, which sank in a storm in 1911.

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.

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Gerda III — Danish lighthouse tender
During WWII, in 1943, she was used to smuggle about 300 Jews from Nazi occupied Denmark to Sweden. The rescue story is the subject of the 1991 film A Day in October. LAUNCHED: 1928 → FATE: On exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.

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.

Ghost, stealth ship — American super-cavitating stealth ship
A prototype ship for stealth operations designed by a private American company, Juliet Marine Systems. Designed to travel above the water's surface, her main hull is positioned atop by two long and narrow struts. LAUNCHED: 2009, (trials in 2011) → FATE: Its future is uncertain.

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.

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.

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.

Glomar Explorer — American deep sea research vessel
Built for a secret operation by the CIA to recover a sunken Soviet submarine, K-129 which was lost in April, 1968. She was converted into a deep sea oil drilling ship in 1997. LAUNCHED: 1972, November 18 → FATE: Currently operates as the GSF Explorer.

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.

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Goeben, SMS — German battlecruiser
Last surviving ship built by the Imperial German Navy, and the longest-serving battlecruiser or dreadnought-type ship in any navy. During World War I, she and light cruiser Breslau were transferred to the Ottoman Empire, August of 1914, and became the flagship Yavuz Sultan Selim. LAUNCHED: 1911, March 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1973.

(Another )

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 Hind — English galleon
Second ship to circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake. Several replicas were built, the latest the Golden Hinde lauched in 1973. LAUNCHED: 1576, probably → FATE: In dry dock at Deptford, England as a museum piece, rotted away after decades around 1650.

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.

Goliath, RMS — British ocean liner
Fiction ocean liner in the movie Goliath Awaits. The interiors of Goliath were filmed aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. LAUNCHED: 1981, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

(Another )

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.

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.

(Another )

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.

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(Another )

Great Eastern, SS — British iron paddle steamboat, side-wheeler with sails
The world's largest steamship; successfully laid cable across the Atlantic Ocean. She completed 45 crossings in eight years; then she was used for carrying mail, then troops. LAUNCHED: 1858, January 18 → FATE: Broken up for scrap at Rock Ferry on the River Mersey in 1889.

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.

Great Western, SS — British paddle steamboat, side-wheeler
First paddle ship built for crossing the Atlantic; completed the crossing in April of 1838. In later years, she was used as a showboat, a floating palace/concert hall and gymnasium. LAUNCHED: 1837, July 18 → FATE: Taken out of service December of 1846, she was broken up in 1856.

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.

The number of All Countries Ships and Boats E‑G listed is 59

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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.	Eastland, SS (American steamship)
2.	Empire Windrush, MV (German cruise ship)
3.	Essex (American barque)
4.	Felicity Ace (Japanese roll-on/roll-off cargo ship)
5.	Frigorifique (French steamship)
6.	Gerda III (Danish lighthouse tender)
7.	Goeben, SMS (German battlecruiser)
8.	Great Eastern, SS (British iron paddle steamboat)

All Countries Ships and Boats E‑G
1.	Eastland, SS American steamship
2.	Eclipse Russian luxury yacht
3.	Edmund Fitzgerald, SS American lake cargo ship
4.	El Faro, SS American container ship
5.	Eldridge, USS American destroyer escort
6.	Emma Maersk Danish container ship
7.	Empire Windrush, MV German cruise ship
8.	Empress of China American three-masted, square-rigged sailing ship
9.	Empress of Ireland Canadian ocean liner
10.	Endeavour, HMS British collier
11.	Endurance Norwegian barquentine
12.	Enterprise, USS American aircraft carrier
13.	Eos American three-masted Bermuda rigged
14.	Esmeralda Chilean steam corvette
15.	Essex American barque
16.	Estonia, MS German cruise ferry
17.	Etoile du Roy British frigate
18.	Eureka American paddle steamboat
19.	Ever Given Japanese container ship
20.	Exodus 1947 American packet steamer
21.	Exxon Valdez American oil tanker
22.	Faith, SS American Concrete
23.	Felicity Ace Japanese roll-on/roll-off cargo ship
24.	Fenian Ram American submarine
25.	Floating Theater American caravel
26.	Flying Cloud American clipper
27.	Flying Dutchman Dutch sailing ship
28.	Flying Enterprise American cargo ship
29.	Fram Norwegian schooner
30.	Francisco, HSC Argentine high-speed catamaran
31.	Frigorifique French steamship
32.	Fujikawa Maru Japanese cargo ship
33.	Furious, HMS British battlecruiser
34.	Galeb Croatian yacht
35.	Gaspée English single-masted sloop-of-war
36.	Gaul English fishing trawler
37.	General Slocum American river paddle steamboat
38.	Georgios Averof Greek Armored cruiser
39.	Gerda III Danish lighthouse tender
40.	Ghost American schooner
41.	Ghost, stealth ship American super-cavitating
42.	Gjøa Norwegian sloop
43.	Glencairn, SS British tramp steamer
44.	Gloire French ocean-going ironclad
45.	Glomar Explorer American deep sea research vessel
46.	Gloriana English royal barge
47.	Goeben, SMS German battlecruiser
48.	Gokstad Viking clinker-built
49.	Golden Hind English galleon
50.	Golden Hinde English galleon
51.	Goliath, RMS British ocean liner
52.	Graf Spee, Admiral German pocket battleship
53.	Grandcamp, SS American liberty ship
54.	Great Britain, SS British steamship
55.	Great Eastern, SS British iron paddle steamboat
56.	Great Republic American clipper
57.	Great Western, SS British paddle steamboat
58.	Gribshunden Danish warship

Famous Ships and Boats

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All Countries Ships and Boats E‑G