Famous Ships and Boats, Complete List

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 The ship was withdrawn from the reserve fleet on 19 August 1964 and converted for use as the fish cannery ship Star of Kodiak.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 Elgin, PS — American paddle steamer
The wooden-hulled sidewheel steamship sank in Lake Michigan near Port Clinton, Illinois with the loss of 300 lives. During her time afloat, she was one of the most elegantly appointed passenger ships sailing the Great Lakes.   LAUNCHED: 1851 → FATE: Sunk in collision with schooner Augusta of Oswego September 8, 1860

Lady Lovibond — English schooner
A legendary ship said to reappear every fifty years as a ghost ship, yet no records of the ship or its sinking exist. The ship may have been a fabrication from a newspaper article in 1924, or based on phantom sightings between 1914 and 1924.  LAUNCHED: 1798, February 12, first supposed sighting → FATE: Allegedly wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, off the coast of south-east England, on February 13, 1748, killing everyone aboard.

Lancastria, RMS — British ocean liner
Worst single loss of life in British maritime history and the bloodiest single engagement for UK forces in World War II. Over 4000 people were lost while evacuating British nationals and troops from France.  LAUNCHED: 1922, June → FATE: Sunk off the French port of St. Nazaireon June 17, 1940.

LCT7074, HM — British landing craft, tank (LCT)
The last amphibious assault ship in the United Kingdom for landing tanks, other vehicles and troops on beachheads. De-commissioned in 1947 she was renamed Landfall and became the club ship for the Master Mariners’ Club of Liverpool. The craft was later converted into a riverfront nightclub.  LAUNCHED: 1944, April 4 → FATE: Salvaged and restored by 2020, then moved to a permanent display at Portsmouth's The D-Day Story museum.

Lexington — American steamboat, paddlewheel
Fastest steamer on Long Island Sound that sunk after an on-board fire sweep through the cargo. The ship's overcrowded lifeboats sank almost immediately with all but 4 people drowning in the freezing water.  LAUNCHED: 1834 → FATE: Sunk January 13, 1840.

Liemba, MV — German ferry, passenger and car
The last vessel of the German Imperial Navy still sailing. She was the inspiration for the German gunboat in the novel and movie The African Queen.  LAUNCHED: 1915, February → FATE: Scuttled July 26, 1916; raised in 1927, still in service on Lake Tanganyika.

Lusitania, RMS — British ocean liner
Torpedoed by German submarine U-20, killing 1,198 people. Her sinking during transatlantic passage turned public opinion against Germany in World War I.  LAUNCHED: 1906, June 18 → FATE: Sank 70 kms from the Old Head of Kinsale May 7, 1915.

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

Maine, USS — American battleship
Its sinking precipitated the Spanish-American War. Sent to protect U.S. interests during the Cuban revolt against Spain, she exploded without warning and sank, killing 274 men.  LAUNCHED: 1889, November 18 → FATE: Sank in the Havana Harbor February 15, 1898.

Maltese Falcon — American full-rigged luxury yacht; now owned by a Englishman
The largest full-rigged luxury yacht in the world. She has 5 square sails on each of 3 masts that can be fully unfurled in 6 minutes. Some claim the Eos is larger.  LAUNCHED: 2006 → FATE: Still in service.

Mars — Swedish three masted warship
One of the largest warships at the time and the first ship to sink another ship with gunfire. The shipwreck was found by a team of divers north of the island Oland August 19, 2011.  LAUNCHED: 1564 → FATE: Caught fire and exploded during the First Battle of Oland, May 31, 1564.

Mary Deare — American steamship; actually a 28 foot model.
A fictional ship in the movie The Wreck of the Mary Deare. The movie was based upon the novel of the same name written by Hammond Innes.  LAUNCHED: 1959, November 6, film release → FATE: Inconclusive.

Maryland Dove — American merchant vessel
Replica of the Dove, one of two early 17th-century English ship that, in 1634, brought the first settlers to what is now Maryland. The original Dove was the smaller of the two ship, used in shallow waterways along the coast. The accompanied ship with 140 passengers was the Ark.  LAUNCHED: 1978, August 18 → FATE: On exhibit at Historic St. Mary's City and occasionally other ports.

Matthew — English caravel
Sailed by John Cabot, first European to reach North America. Apparently, she was a small ship of fifty tons carrying twenty men and food for seven or eight months.  LAUNCHED: 1496, or earlier; replica launched 1996 → FATE: Original ship, unknown; replica on display at M Shed Museum, Bristol, England.

Maxim Gorky — Russian cruise ship
Portrayed the fictional SS Britannic in the filming of Juggernaut in 1974. She was sold to a Russian company in 1974. The hard luck ship hit an ice floe while on a cruise and nearly sank in 1989.  LAUNCHED: 1968, February 18 → FATE: Beached and scrapped in India February of 2009.

Mayflower, USS (PY-1) — American yacht
She served as a private yacht, merchant ship, presidential yacht, and warship in 3 wars. She had many owners, as well serving as a presidential yacht 1905-1929. She was finally purchased by Israel in 1950 and renamed INS Ma'oz.  LAUNCHED: 1896 → FATE: Broken up in 1955.

Medusa, HMS — British Harbour defence motor launch
She served at D-Day as a Navigation Leader, marking German minefields to be cleared by minesweepers, and then staying at the entrance of the cleared channel to direct parts of the invasion force. For more, see Museum Ships.   LAUNCHED: 1943 → FATE: On exhibit at Gosport in England.

Meredith Victory, SS — American cargo ship, freighter
The "Ship of Miracles" saved more than 14,000 refugees during the Korean War, the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship. The ship was built to transport supplies and equipment overseas during World War II.  LAUNCHED: 1945, June 18 → FATE: Broken up for scrap in China in 1993.

Mikasa — Japanese pre-dreadnought battleship (British built)
The last remaining example of a pre-dreadnought battleship anywhere in the world. After the Russo-Japanese War, her magazine accidentally exploded and sank the ship. She was salvaged and repaired and then served in World War I.  LAUNCHED: 1900, November 18 → FATE: She was preserved as a museum ship and later refurbished and is on exhibit in Mikasa Park, Yokosuka.

Mirny — Russian sloop-of-war
First to discover the continent of Antarctica and circumnavigated it twice. A medal was issued by the Russian Admiralty to commemorate the expedition as seen in "Another IMAGE".  LAUNCHED: 1819 → FATE: Unknown.

Monitor, USS — American ironclad warship
With CSS Virginia, first naval battle between two ironclad warships at the Battle of Hampton Roads. She had a rotating gun turret.  LAUNCHED: 1862, January 18 → FATE: Sank on December 31, 1862.

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

Morro Castle, SS — American cruise ship
A devastating fire aboard ship that killed 137 resulted in greater fire safety on newer ships. The burnt ship ended up at Asbury Park, NJ, where it became a tourist attraction. The tragedy resulted in the establishment of the United States Merchant Marine Academy.  LAUNCHED: 1930, August 18 → FATE: Beached on September 8, 1934, scrapped March 29, 1935.

Moskva — Russian guided missile cruiser
Flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and helped lead the naval assault during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence said she sank after a fire caused a munitions explosion.  LAUNCHED: 1979 → FATE: Sunk by Ukraine forces on April 14, 2022.

MTB 102 — British motor torpedo boat
The the fastest wartime British naval vessel in service at 48 knots and the smallest vessel to ever serve as a flagship for the Royal Navy. In 1944 she carried Winston Churchill and General Eisenhower to review the fleet for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy, World War II. She appeared as herself in the 2017 war film Dunkirk.  LAUNCHED: 1937 → FATE: On exhibit at Lowestlft, on the North Sea.

Myron, SS — American wooden steamship, built as a lumber hooker
The wreck is protected as part of an underwater museum in the Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve. She defied the adage "Lake Superior seldom gives up her dead" when all 17 crew drifted ashore found frozen to death. The captain survived.  LAUNCHED: 1888 → FATE: Sank to the end of Lake Superior during a storm on November 23, 1919.

Nathan James, USS — American guided missile destroyer
Fictional ship in the movie The Last Ship. She was portrayed by USS Halsey.  LAUNCHED: 2014, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

Nemesis — British steam and sail powered warship
The first British ocean-going iron warship; also the first iron ship to sail around the Cape of Good Hope. She was greatly effective in the First Opium War. The Chinese referred to her as the "devil ship".  LAUNCHED: 1839 → FATE: Ended up in Calcutta, 1855.

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

Nina, (La) — Spanish four masted caravel
The smallest of Columbus' ships of discovery. She became Columbus' flag ship back to Spain after the loss of Santa Maria.  LAUNCHED: 1492 → FATE: Last heard of in 1501; fate unknown.

Noah's Ark — Ancient cargo ship andferry
Legendary vessel that carried Noah's family and animal pairs during a torrential rain storm. Information about the ship is found in the Bible as well as the Koran.  LAUNCHED: 2400, about → FATE: Unknown.

Normac, MS — American fire tug, later a ferry
Used as Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant, a floating restaurant in Toronto Harbour, from 1969-1981. She sank after being severely damaged when the ferry Trillium struck her in 1981. She was raised in 1986 and again refurbished as a restaurant as seen in "Another IMAGE".  LAUNCHED: 1902 → FATE: Currently a floating restaurant in Toronto, Ontario.

Normandie, SS — French ocean liner
Largest, fastest and most powerful passenger ship ever built. Considered one of the greatest ocean liners in history, her Art Deco motif was so splendid she was known as the "Ship of Light" just as Paris was the "City of Light".  LAUNCHED: 1935, October 29 → FATE: Caught fire and capsized in February 1942; scrapped October, 1946.

Numancia — Spanish broadside ironclad
First ironclad to circumnavigate the Earth. She was built as an armored frigate in France and sold to the Spanish in 1865.  LAUNCHED: 1863, November 18 → FATE: Sank while under tow December 17, 1916.

Oceanos, MTS — Greek cruise ship
Realizing the ship was doomed, the crew fled in panic, neglecting their duties and the passengers. All 571 people on board were saved following one of the most dramatic and successful rescue operations of its kind.  LAUNCHED: 1952, July → FATE: Sank off South Africa's eastern coast on August 4, 1991.

Olympia, USS — American protected cruiser
Famous as the flagship of Commodore George Dewey at the Battle of Manila. She is the sole floating survivor of the US Navy's Spanish American War fleet.  LAUNCHED: 1892, November 18 → FATE: Restored as a museum ship at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia.

Oneida — American yacht
W.R. Hearst's boat and site of the mysterious death of an American film producer that became a scandal and part of early Hollywood lore. The 2001 movie The Cat's Meow dramatized the fateful events on the yacht.  LAUNCHED: 1897 → FATE: Sold as scrap August 21, 1940.

Orient — French ship of the line
Famous for her role as flagship of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile, 1798. During the battle, she caught fire and exploded, with an estimated loss of over 1,130 men; 760 are said to have survived.  LAUNCHED: 1791, July 20 → FATE: She was destroyed by an explosion, August 1798.

Oriskany, USS — American aircraft carrier, Essex class
The world's largest, and the U.S.'s first, artificial reef. She had multiple reconfigurations and updates. In 1966, a flare accidentally ignited on the hangar bay causing a catastrophic fire killing 44 crewmen.  LAUNCHED: 1945, October 18 → FATE: Sunk as an artifical reef May 17, 2006.

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

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

Patrick Henry, SS — American liberty ship; cargo ship
First of 2751 liberty ships built during World War II. Liberty ships were built in a mass production method, each typically in 70 days or less. SS Patrick Henry made 12 voyages across the Atlantic Ocean.  LAUNCHED: 1941, September 18 → FATE: Went aground off the coast of Florida July of 1946, scrapped in 1960.

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

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

Pilot — Russian icebreaker
World's first steam-powered and metal-ship icebreaker. Originally been built as a steam-powered propeller tug.  LAUNCHED: 1864 → FATE: Unknown.

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

Portland, PS — American sidewheel steamer
Known as the "Titanic of New England" and considered New England's worst maritime disaster, she went down with an estimated 192-245 passengers and crew. The storm that sank her, killed more than 400 persons and sank more than 150 other boats and ships.  LAUNCHED: 1889 → FATE: Sank in the Portland Gale off of Cape Ann November 27, 1898.

Potemkin — Russian battleship
A rebellion of the crew against their cruel officers in 1905 signaled the coming of the Russian Revolution of 1917. Following the mutiny, now called Panteleimon, she accidentally sank a Russian submarine in 1909 and was badly damaged when she ran aground in 1911.  LAUNCHED: 1904 → FATE: Scuttled by interventionists at Sevastopol April of 1919.

President, SS — British paddle steamship, with sails; ocean-going
First steamship lost at sea on a transatlantic run, taking with her all 136 on board. Constructed with a third deck on top of the hull and designed with luxurious staterooms, she was top heavy and rolled excessively.  LAUNCHED: 1840, August → FATE: Lost during a gale off Nantucket Shoals March of 1841.

Prince of Wales, HMS — British battleship
She and Repulse were the first capital ships to be sunk solely by naval air power on the open sea. She was involved in several key actions of the World War II, including the Battle of the Denmark Strait against the German battleship Bismarck.  LAUNCHED: 1939, May 18 → FATE: Sunk on December 10, 1941 by Japanese air attack off Kuantan, South China Sea.

Princess Mafalda, SS — Italian ocean liner
Her sinking and the loss of 314 people was the greatest loss of life in Italian shipping and the largest ever in the in the Southern Hemisphere in peacetime. At the time, she was the largest Italian passenger ship afloat and known for her luxury.  LAUNCHED: 1908, October 18 → FATE: Sank of the coast of Brazil October 9, 1927.

Principessa Jolanda, SS — Italian ocean liner
She was to be among the first transatlantic vessels with Marconi telegraphy, electric lighting and telephones. She never sailed, but capsized during initial launch and sank.  LAUNCHED: 1907, September 18 → FATE: Sank September 22, 1907.

Prins Willem replica — Dutch brig; replica of a full-rigged ship
This replica of a ship built in 1649 and sunk in 1662 was lost in fire on the morning of 30 July 2009(See alternate image). In 2004, the replica became part of the theme park Cape Holland in Den Helder, the Netherlands.  LAUNCHED: 1985 → FATE: Burned and sank at Den Helder, Netherlands July 30, 2009.

Prinzessin Victoria Luise — German passenger ship
First purpose-built cruise ship. Not only did she look more like a private yacht, she had 120 first class cabins, a library, gymnasium, and darkroom.  LAUNCHED: 1900, June 18 → FATE: Declared a loss December 19, 1906 after running onto rocks at Kingston.

PT 109 — American motor torpedo boat
Commanded by Lieutenant John F. Kennedy. The movie of the incident PT 109 was made with President Kennedy's approval provided the events be historically accurate, and the profits go to the survivors of PT 109 and their families.  LAUNCHED: 1942, June 18 → FATE: Rammed and sunk in the Solomon Islands by the Japanese destroyer Amagiri on a moonless night, August 2, 1943 during World War II.

Quaker City, USS — American paddle steamship, side-wheeler
During a trip to Europe in 1867, she was the scene of some of the tales related by Mark Twain in his book The Innocents Abroad. During the American Civil War, she one of the most active and effective ships in the Union Navy's blockade of Chesapeake Bay.  LAUNCHED: 1854 → FATE: Sold to the Haitian Navy in February of 1871, renamed République, lost at sea off Bermuda in March of 1871.

Queen Elizabeth, HMS — British aircraft carrier
Largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft. With no catapults and catch wires she carries only V/STOL aircraft, F-35B Lightning II fighters and Merlin helicopters.  LAUNCHED: 2014, July 18 → FATE: In service 2017.

Queen Mary, RMS — British ocean liner
Once dominated transatlantic passenger service with sister ship Queen Elizabeth. She was used in World War II as troop transport carrying up to 15,000 passengers at a time. Featured in the 1972 movie The Poseidon Adventure and the 1981 movie Goliath Awaits.  LAUNCHED: 1934, Septmber 26 → FATE: After sailing nearly 4 million miles, she was retired in 1967 and berthed in Long Beach, California as a museum ship and hotel from 1974 to present.

Red Rover, USS — American Confederate paddle steamboat, side-wheeler
First ship fitted and staffed as a hospital ship. During the American Civil War, she was a Confederate barracks ship until the Union captured and refit her in March of 1862.  LAUNCHED: 1859 → FATE: Decommissioned and sold at public auction November 29, 1865.

Reuben James, USS — American destroyer
First US ship to be sunk in World War II. She was torpedoed while escorting an Atlantic convoy of supply ships to Britain; 159 crew were lost, 44 survived.  LAUNCHED: 1919, October → FATE: Sunk October 31, 1941.

Riptide — American yacht
Boat in the TV series by the same name about two detectives. She was first shown at the 1938-39 New York Boat Show.  LAUNCHED: 1939 → FATE: Restored and still in use as Southwind.

Robert E. Lee — American paddle steamboat, side-wheeler
Won a steamboat race against the Natchez VI, going from St. Louis, Missouri to New Orleans, in 3 days, 18 hours and 14 minutes. The speed record still stands. A replica of the ship was built but it also burned in 2010.  LAUNCHED: 1866 → FATE: Caught fire and lost north of New Orleans September 30, 1882.

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

Royal Charles, HMS — British first-rate three-decker ship of the line
During the English Restoration, she brought Charles II and his entourage from the Dutch Republic to England to reclaim his crown. At 1,229 tons, she was larger than Sovereign of the Seas, the first three-deck ship of the line.  LAUNCHED: 1655, April 18 → FATE: Sold for scrap in 1673 by Dutch navy.

Royal George, HMS — English first-rate ship of the line
One of the most serious maritime losses to occur in British water, sinking while undergoing routine maintenance taking more than 800 lives. She was the largest warship in the world at the time of launching.  LAUNCHED: 1756, February 18 → FATE: Sank while anchored off Portsmouth August 29, 1782.

São Gabriel — Portugese caravel
Flagship of Vasco da Gama's armada which carried the first Europeans to the coast of India. She, along with ships São Rafael, Bérrio, and São Miguel, made the round trip in two years.  LAUNCHED: 1497 → FATE: Unknown.

Sailrocket 2 — Australian speed sailboat
Built to capture the class D sailing speed record, piloted by the project leader Paul Larsen at 65.45 knots in Walvis Bay, Namibia. In 2008, before crashing, the first Sailrocket reached a reported unofficial speed of 52.22 knots.  LAUNCHED: 2011, March → FATE: Still racing.

Salem Express, MV — French roll-on/roll/off car ferry
She sank after colliding with reefs while carrying hundreds of Egyptian pilgrims. More than 500 passengers and crew were lost. The sunken wreck is in good condition although coral covers much of the ship. The wreck still contains cars and luggage.  LAUNCHED: 1966 → FATE: Sank after collision on the Egyptian coast December 17, 1991.

San Capador, SS — American cruise ship
Backdrop for the movie Captain Hates the Sea, a 1934 comedy film showing a series of intertwining stories involving the passengers on a cruise ship. The exterior footage of the ship would be seen again in the Three Stooges short Dunked in the Deep.  LAUNCHED: 1934, movie release → FATE: Inconclusive.

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

Santísima Trinidad — Spanish ship of the line, first-rate
After refitting in 1804, the largest and heaviest-armed ship in the world with 140 guns on four decks. A full-size representation in on display in the harbour of Alicante, Spain as shown in "Another IMAGE".  LAUNCHED: 1768 → FATE: Sank at the Battle of Trafalgar in October of 1805.

Santana — American commuter yacht
The boat in the 1948 movie Key Largo, starring Humphrey Bogart. The boat used in the movie, with Bogart's character at the helm, was the name of Bogart's personal sailing yacht.  LAUNCHED: 1926, probably → FATE: Unknown.

Scandinavian Star, MS — Scandinavian ferry for cars and passengers
The ship was set on fire by an arsonist in 1990, killing 159 people. She had at various times the names of MS Massalia, Stena Baltica, Island Fiesta, Scandinavian Star, MS Candi, MS Regal Voyager, and finally MS Regal V.  LAUNCHED: 1971, January 18 → FATE: As MS Regal V, she was broken up and scrapped May, 2004.

Sea Queen — American sport-fishing boat
Boat at the center of the movie The Breaking Point. This movie was based on Ernest Hemingway's novel To Have and Have Not which was made into an earlier movie with the same title, but in which the boat is called Queen Conch  LAUNCHED: 1950 → FATE: Inconclusive.

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

Sea Wing — American paddle steamer
One of the worst maritime disasters that has occurred on the upper Mississippi River with 98 passengers drowned. Shortly after leaving Lake City on the excursion return trip, a violent storm broke and capsizing the steamer.  LAUNCHED: 1888 → FATE: Sunk in July 13, 1890. Later recovered and rebuilt.

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

Sequoia, USS — American yacht, 104-foot wooden
Served as the U.S. presidential yacht from 1933 until it was sold in 1977. She was purchased in 1931 by the U.S. Department of Commerce for Prohibition patrol and decoy duties.  LAUNCHED: 1926 → FATE: Refurbished many time; now privately owned.

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

Shenandoah, CSS — American Confederate full-rigged ship, iron-clad
During the US Civil War, she captured and/or sank 38 Union merchant vessels. She fired the last shot of the Civil War off the Aleutian Islands, then was surrendered to the British. She was sold to Majid bin Said, the first Sultan of Zanzibar who renamed her El Majidi after himself.  LAUNCHED: 1863, August 18 → FATE: As El Majidi, beached during hurricane near Zanzibar in 1872.

Slo-mo-shun IV — American racing hydroplane
Winner of the 1950, 1952, and 1953 APBA Gold Cup Races; also set two straightaway speed records. Her hull was designed to lift the top of the propellers out of water at high speed, a technique called “prop riding,” which reduced drag.  LAUNCHED: 1949, October → FATE: Wrecked in a pre-race test run in 1956; rebuilt and on exhibit at Seattle's Museum of History and Industry.

Solar Bark — Egyptian barge, or bark; Ancient funeral
The world's oldest intact ship; built for Khufu, King Cheops. She was discovered in 1954 sealed into a pit at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza.  LAUNCHED: 2500, BC, circa → FATE: On display in a museum at the Giza pyramid complex since 1982.

Somers, USS — American brig
The only U.S. Navy ship upon which a conspiracy of mutiny took place.  Known as the "Somers Affair", it was the basis for several books and dramatizations. December 1, 1842, three of the mutineers who intended to take over the ship and use it for piracy were found guilty of "intention to commit a mutiny," hanged and buried at sea.  LAUNCHED: 1842, May 18 → FATE: Capsized and foundered in a sudden squall off Vera Cruz December of 1846.

Sovereign of the Seas, HMS — English full-rigged warship
The most extravagantly decorated warship in the early Royal Navy. She was armed with 102 bronze guns at the insistence of the king, Charles I of England.  LAUNCHED: 1637, October 18 → FATE: Burnt to the water line January 27, 1697.

St. Louis, SS — German ocean liner
In 1939, her captain, Gustav Schröder, tried to find homes for 937 German Jewish refugees after denied entry to Cuba. She was the subject of a 1974 book, Voyage of the Damned, and adapted for a 1976 movie of the same name.  LAUNCHED: 1928, August 18 → FATE: Scrapped in Hamburg, Germany, 1952.

Star Princess — Italian cruise ship; American-British owned
Fire amidship produced smoke, killing one passenger and injuring 13 others. With the fire initiated, highly combustible polycarbonate partitions, polyurethane deck tiles, and the plastic furniture produced large amounts of thick black smoke.  LAUNCHED: 2001, May 18 → FATE: Damage repaired and still in service.

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

Sultana, SS — American paddle steamboat, stern-wheeler
Tragically collided with the SS Narragansett. An estimated 1,800 of 2,400 passengers were killed when the ship's boilers exploded, earning her the appellation "Titanic of the Mississippi."  LAUNCHED: 1863 → FATE: Sank April 27, 1865.

Surprise, HMS — Canadian tall ship based on the 1757 HMS Rose, a sixth-rate frigate
As HMS Rose, she appeared in the 2003 movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and was officially re-registered as HMS Surprise in honor of her role in the film. In 2010, she portrayed HMS Providence in the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.  LAUNCHED: 1970 → FATE: Since 2007, based in Maritime Museum of San Diego.

Sussex, HMS — English ship of the line, third-rate
One of the most valuable wrecks ever with possibly 10 tons of gold coins and other valuables on board. Besides Sussex, 12 other ships of her flotilla sank with about 1,200 casualties making the disaster one of the worst in Royal Navy history.  LAUNCHED: 1693, April 18 → FATE: Sank in a violent storm near the Strait of Gibraltar February 27, 1694.

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

Taiping — Chinese steamship
Tragically collided with another vessel killing over 1,500 people. A memorial to the ship and those who died aboard her was established at Port Keeling naval base on Taiwan. The 2014 movie The Crossing is based on the sinking.  LAUNCHED: 1920, probably → FATE: Sank January 27, 1949.

Tek Sin — Chinese ocean-going junk
Called the "Titanic of the East" when it sank taking with it over 1,600 people. Only about 200 people survived, being rescued by another ship the next day.  LAUNCHED: 1820, circa → FATE: Grounded on a reef, then sank on February 6, 1822.

Texas, USS — American New York class battleship
The only remaining World War I era dreadnought battleship. She is noteworthy for being one of only seven remaining ships and the only remaining capital ship to have served in both World Wars.  LAUNCHED: 1912, May 18 → FATE: Museum ship at San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site.

Theodore Too — Canadian tug boat
Full size imitation tugboat based on the fictional tugboat Theodore from the television show Theodore Tugboat. She is the ambassador of the U.S. National Safe Boating Council and mascot to the U.S. Coast Guard participating in several tall ship events.  LAUNCHED: 2000, April 18 → FATE: Still in service.

Thomas W. Lawson — American seven-masted schooner
The largest schooner and largest sailing vessel without an auxiliary engine ever built. She proved problematic in the ports she was intended to operate in due to the amount of water she displaced.  LAUNCHED: 1902, July, 10 → FATE: Sank in a storm while at anchor off Cornwall, England, in 1907 taking 16 of her crew with her.

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

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