Famous Ships and Boats in History

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All Countries Ships and Boats H‑K

Hōshō — Japanese aircraft carrier
First ship designed and built as an aircraft carrier. During World War II, she participated in the Battle of Midway in a secondary role. Afterward, she returned to Japan as a training ship for the duration of the war. LAUNCHED: 1922 → FATE: Scrapped in 1948.

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.

Half Moon — Dutch flyboat, square-rigged, three-masted, wooden
Henry Hudson's ship looking for Northwest Passage. Englishman Henry Hudson was in the service of the Dutch East India Company. LAUNCHED: 1609, March → FATE: In 1618 the ship was destroyed during an English attack on Jakarta.

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.

Hammersly, HMAS — Australian Armidale-class patrol boat
Setting for the Australian television drama Sea Patrol, from 2007-2011. Several ships were used in filming; first portrayed by two real Fremantle-class patrol boats, then for the second season, two Armidale-class patrol boat were used to represent Hammersley LAUNCHED: 2007 → FATE: Inconclusive.

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.

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

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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.

Henrietta — French steamboat
Fiction steam boat in the movie Around the World in 80 Days. In the movie, the boat is stripped clean in order to fuel her across the ocean. LAUNCHED: 1956, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

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

Herald of Free Enterprise, MS, famous ships

(Another )

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

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.

Hero, HMAS — British Leander-class frigate
Setting for the popular British television series Warship, from 1973-1977. Seven different frigates played the role of HMS Hero, all were repainted with the pennant number F42 of HMS Phoebe, the main warship used for filming. LAUNCHED: 1973 → FATE: Inconclusive.

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.

Higgins boat — American troop landing craft (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel or LCVP)
Troop landing craft crucial to the Allied victories in World War II. Designed by Andrew Higgins, nearly 20,000 were build. LAUNCHED: 1935 → FATE: Only a few survive and are being restored.

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

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

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.

Hood, HMS — British battle cruiser
Last battle cruiser built by Britain. Of the 1,418 aboard, only three men survived. LAUNCHED: 1918, August 18 → FATE: Sunk by the German battleship Bismarck at the Battle of the Denmark Strait May of 1941.

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.

Houston, USS (CA-30) — American cruiser, Northampton-class
During the Battle of Sundra Strait, she put up a valiant effort an against overwhelming Japanese offense. In the 1930s, she made several special cruises, several with President Franklin Roosevelt aboard. LAUNCHED: 1929, September 7 → FATE: Sunk by a torpedo, 1 March 1942.

(Another )

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.

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

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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.

Icon of the Seas — American cruise ship
Largest passenger ship ever constructed, accommodating 7600 guests and a gross tonnage of 250,800, surpassing Wonder of the Seas at 235,600.. At 1,198 feet (365 meters) in length, she is longer than the largest military ship ever built, the U.S. Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier at 1,106 feet (337 meters). LAUNCHED: 2022, December 9 → FATE: Still in service.

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.

Ile de France, SS — French ocean liner
Used as a floating prop for 1960 movie The Last Voyage with the name SS Claridon. She was the first major transatlantic ocean liner to be decorated entirely in the Art Deco style. LAUNCHED: 1926, March 18 → FATE: Scrapped at Osaka, Japan in 1959.

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.

Indiana, USS (BB-1) — American battleship
First battleship in the United States Navy comparable to foreign battleships of the time. Decommissioned in 1919, her name was changed to Coast Battleship # 1. She was subsequently used as a target in ordnance tests and sank as a result. LAUNCHED: 1893, February 28 → FATE: Sunk as target on November 1, 1920

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.

Intrepid, USS — American aircraft carrier; Essex-class
In World War II, served extensively in the Pacific; later recovered capsules in space program. Upgraded several times; first American carrier to launch aircraft with steam catapults. One of more than a dozen English and American ships and boats named Intrepid. LAUNCHED: 1943, April 18 → FATE: Currently a museum ship docked at Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.

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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.

Invincible, HMS — British battlecruiser
First battle cruiser to be built by any country in the world. She is one of seven ships named Invincible in the British navy from 1747 to the present. LAUNCHED: 1907, April 18 → FATE: Sunk by the German battleship SMS Lützow at the Battle of Jutland, May 31, 1916.

(Another )

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.

Jiaolong — Chinese research vessel, submersible
World's first manned research submersible designed to reach a depth of 7,000 meters below sea level. Named after a mythical river dragon, spiritually akin to the crocodile. LAUNCHED: 2010, July → FATE: Still in operation.

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.

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

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.

Jylland, HDMS — Danish screw-propelled steam frigate
The world's largest wooden warship still in existence. She took part in the Battle of Heligoland May 9, 1864 LAUNCHED: 1860, November 20 → FATE: She is preserved as a museum ship in the small town of Eblet, Denmark.

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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.

(Another )

Kalakala — American ferry
The first streamlined ferry with Art Deco styling and luxurious amenities served in Puget Sound from 1935 to 1967. From 1926 to 1933, she sailed as the ferry Peralta; after a fire, the superstructure was rebuilt in modern style. LAUNCHED: 1926, April as Peralta; relaunch 1934 → FATE: Moored at Tacoma, Washington.

(Another )

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.

Kathleen and May — British three masted schooner
Last remaining British built wooden hull three-masted top sail schooner. Originally equipped with the first known fitting of Appledore roller reefing. After years of service, during restoration in 2000, 70% of the original planking was stripped from the frames, enabling most of her internal timbers to later be refitted. LAUNCHED: 1900, April → FATE: Restored and based in Bideford on the River Torridge.

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.

Keying, Junk — Chinese junk, three-masted (trading ship)
The first ship from China to visit New York where it was visited by 4,000 tourists a day paying 25 cents to board the ship and meet its crew. She was manned by 30 Chinese and 12 Englishmen, and commanded by the British Captain Charles Alfred Kellett during her travel. LAUNCHED: 1846, circa → FATE: Neglected and rotted in England in 1855.

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.

Kin Lung, SS — Chinese tramp steamer
The ship setting in the 1935 movie China Seas starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. (The ship exterior is rarely seen in the movie; image here is from an opening scene). The special effects during the typhoon with huge waves washing over everyone are dramatic and effective. LAUNCHED: 1935, for the movie; the existence of the actual ship is unknown → FATE: Inconclusive.

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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.

(Another )

Kirk, USS — American destroyer escort, Knox-class
She was sent to help evacuate Americans and fleeing refugees from South Vietnam, caring out one of the most significant humanitarian missions in U.S. military history.. During the evacuation, she was a makeshift landing pad for helicopters flown by South Vietnamese pilots fleeing with families and friends on board. LAUNCHED: 1971, September 25 → FATE: On 29 September 1999, the ship was purchased by Taiwan and renamed Fen Yang.

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.

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

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

Kuru, SS — Finnish steamship
On September 7, 1929, she capsized and sank on lake Näsijärvi, in Tampere making it the worst maritime disaster in Finnish waters with the loss of 136 lives. The capsizing was mainly due to a high center of gravity when a third deck level was added in 1927. LAUNCHED: 1915 → FATE: The wreck was raised and repaired shortly afterwards and served until 1936.

The number of All Countries Ships and Boats H‑K listed is 53

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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.	HA. 19 (Japanese midget submarine)
2.	HD-4 (American hydrofoil)
3.	Holland I, HMS (British submarine)
4.	I-400 (Japanese submarine)
5.	Investigator, HMS (British collier)
6.	K-13 (British K-class submarine)
7.	Kingston II (American tugboat)

All Countries Ships and Boats H‑K
1.	HA. 19 Japanese midget submarine
2.	Half Moon Dutch flyboat
3.	Halibut, USS American attack submarine
4.	Hammersly, HMAS Australian Armidale-class patrol boat
5.	Hannah, USS American schooner
6.	Hannibal, USS American collier
7.	HD-4 American hydrofoil
8.	Henrietta French steamboat
9.	Henry B. Smith, SS American lake cargo ship
10.	Herald of Free Enterprise, MS British roll-on/rolll-off ferry
11.	Hermione, HMS British frigate
12.	Hero, HMAS British Leander-class frigate
13.	Hewell, USS American cargo ship
14.	Higgins boat American troop landing craft
15.	Holland I, HMS British submarine
16.	Holland, USS (SS-1) American submarine
17.	Honey Fitz American yacht
18.	Hood, HMS British battle cruiser
19.	Hotspur, HMS British sloop-of-war
20.	Houston, USS (CA-30) American cruiser
21.	Huáscar Peruvian iron-clad
22.	Hunley, H.L. American Confederate submarine
23.	I-400 Japanese submarine
24.	Icon of the Seas American cruise ship
25.	Ideal X, SS American cargo ship
26.	Ile de France, SS French ocean liner
27.	Independence, USS American trimaran
28.	Indiana, USS (BB-1) American battleship
29.	Indianapolis, USS American Portland-class
30.	Intrepid, USS American aircraft carrier
31.	Investigator, HMS British collier
32.	Invincible, HMS British battlecruiser
33.	Iowa, USS American fast battleship
34.	Jiaolong Chinese research vessel
35.	John Adams, USS American frigate
36.	John W. Brown, SS American liberty ship
37.	Joyita American luxury yacht
38.	Jylland, HDMS Danish screw-propelled steam frigate
39.	K-13 British K-class submarine
40.	Kalakala American ferry
41.	Kalmar Nyckel Swedish full-rigged pinnace
42.	Kathleen and May British three masted schooner
43.	Kaz II Australian catamaran
44.	Keying, Junk Chinese junk
45.	Kiangya, SS Chinese steamship
46.	Kin Lung, SS Chinese tramp steamer
47.	Kingston II American tugboat
48.	Kirk, USS American destroyer escort, Knox-class
49.	Kon Tiki Norwegian raft
50.	Kursk, K-141 Russian nuclear submarine
51.	Kursura, INS Indian Kalvari-class
52.	Kuru, SS Finnish steamship

Famous Ships and Boats

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

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All Countries Ships and Boats H‑K