Name and

Claim to Fame

Image

Cursor on image enlarges

Type of Vessel

Dates: (Origin .... Demise)

Note

Flying Cloud

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Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 89 days, more than 16,000 miles.

American clipper ship

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(1851 .... Went aground June 19, 1874)

Its navigator was a woman, Eleanor Creesy.

Flying Enterprise

(built as SS Cape Kumukaki)

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Subject of intense deep-sea diving and salvage.

American World War II liberty ship, then a tramp steamer

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(March 18, 1944 .... Sank January 10, 1952)

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.

Fram

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Used in expeditions in the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers

Norwegian schooner

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(1892 .... Currently on display at the Fram Museum, Oslo)

Most likely the strongest ship ever built; sailed farthest north and south than any other wooden ship.

Gaspée

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Subject of the "Gaspée Affair," the torching of the ship by a group of American colonialists, leading up to the American Revolution.

English single-masted sloop-of-war, used as a fast revenue cutter

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(January, 1764 .... Looted and burned June 9, 1772)

The city of Warwick, RI commemorates the Gaspée Affair with a festival and parade, including burning the Gaspée in effigy.

Gaul

(originally named Roger Castor)

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Mysteriously sank in the Barents Sea, north of Norway

English fishing trawler

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(1972 .... Sank February, 1974)

Thirty-six crew were lost in the worst peacetime disaster to befall the UK fishing fleet.

General Slocum

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Caught fire and burned to the water line in New York’s East River on June 15, 1904 killing 1,021 people

American river steamboat; side-wheeler

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(April 18, 1891 .... The remains were recovered and converted into a barge, which sank in a storm in 1911)

Named after Major General Henry Warner Slocum (1827-94).

Glomar Explorer

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Built for a secret operation by the CIA to recover a sunken Soviet submarine, K-129, which was lost in April 1968

American deep sea exploration ship

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(July 1, 1971 .... currently operates as the GSF Explorer)

Converted into a deep sea oil drilling ship in 1997.

Gloriana

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Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee yacht

British yacht

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(July 1, 1971 .... currently operates as the GSF Explorer)

Converted into a deep sea oil drilling ship in 1997.

Golden Hind

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Circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake

English galleon

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(Probably 1576 .... In dry dock for decades where it rotted away)

Originally known as the Pelican, but was renamed by Drake mid-voyage.

Graf Spee, Admiral

—

Though size was limited by the Treaty of Versailles, she was as heavily armed as a battleship. Sank nine Allied merchant ships

German pocket battleship

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(January 6, 1936 .... Scuttled December 17, 1939)

Afterwards, ships of this size were called heavy cruisers.

Great Eastern, SS

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The world’s largest steamship; successfully laid cable across the Atlantic ocean cable

British iron sailing steamship

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(January 31, 1858 .... Broken up 1889)

Completed 45 crossings in eight years; then used for carrying mail, then troops.

Great Republic, SS

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The largest wooden clipper ship ever constructed, requiring 1,500,000 feet of pine, 336½ tons of iron, and 56 tons of copper

American four-masted clipper

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(October 4, 1853 .... abandoned during a hurricane off Bermuda, March 5, 1872)

In 1853, fire sank her; but she was salvaged and rebuilt as a three deck vessel and went on to set trans-Atlantic speed records.

Great Western, SS

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The first steamship built for crossing the Atlantic; completed the crossing in April, 1838

British two-paddle steamship

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(July 19, 1837 .... Taken out of service December, 1846)

In later years, used as a showboat, a floating palace/concert hall and gymnasium.

Half Moon

(in Dutch, De Halve Maen)

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Henry Hudson’s ship looking for Northwest Passage

Dutch square-rigged, three-masted wooden sailing vessel

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(March 25, 1609 .... In 1618 the ship was destroyed during an English attack on Jakarta)

Englishman Henry Hudson was in the service of the Dutch East India Company.

Honey Fitz

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Presidential yacht originally named Lenore

American yacht

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(1931 .... Still in service as a pleasure boat)

President Kennedy renamed it after his grandfather.

Hood, HMS

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Last battle cruiser built by Britain

British battle cruiser

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(May 15, 1920 .... Sunk by the German battleship Bismarck at the Battle of the Denmark Straits, May, 1941)

Of the 1,418 aboard, only three men survived.

Hunley, H.L.

—

During the American Civil War, the first submarine to sink a ship

Confederate submarine

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(July 1863 .... Sank after attacking and sinking USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor February 17, 1864)

Attacked by embedding a barbed spar torpedo into the foe’s hull and detonating it as she backed away.

Independence, USS

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A versatile multi-hulled U.S. Navy ship designed for high speed

American small assault transport ship

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(October 4, 2008 .... Currently in service)

The ship is a trimaran design that can make more than 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph).

—

One of more than a half dozen American ships with that name.

Intrepid, USS

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In World War II, served extensively in the Pacific; later recovered capsules in space program

American Essex-class aircraft carrier

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(August 16, 1943 .... Currently a museum ship docked at New York City)

Upgraded several times; first American carrier to launch aircraft with steam catapults.

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One of more than a dozen English and American ships and boats named Intrepid.

Invincible, HMS

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First battle cruiser to be built by any country in the world

British battle cruiser

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(April 13, 1907 .... Sunk by the German battleship SMS Lützow at the Battle of Jutland, May 31, 1916)

One of seven ships named Invincible in the British navy from 1747 to the present.

Kalakala

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The first streamlined ferry with art-deco styling and luxurious amenities served in Puget Sound from 1935 to 1967

American ferry

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(1926 .... Moored at Tacoma, Washington)

From 1926 to 1933, sailed as the ferry Peralta; after a fire, the superstructure was rebuilt in modern style.

Keying, Junk

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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

Chinese three-masted trading junk

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(unknown .... Neglected and rotted in England in 1855)

Manned by 30 Chinese and 12 Englishmen, and commanded by the British Captain Charles Alfred Kellett during her travel.

Kon Tiki

—

Used by Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl to cross the Pacific

Norwegian built raft

—

(1947 .... On display in the Kon-Tiki Museum in Oslo)

Heyerdahl used the craft in his 1947 expedition from South America to the Polynesian islands toshow that people from South America could have settled Polynesia in pre-Columbian times.

L'Hydroptère

—

Curently the world's fastest sailboat

French speed sailboat

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(2008 .... Still sailing)

In 2008, it reached a sailing speed of 56.3 knots, the first sailboat to ever pass 100 km/h.

La Amistad

(meaning Friendship)

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In 1839, Africans being transported as slaves revolted against their captors aboard

Spanish two-masted schooner, built in U.S.

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(Before 1838 .... No record after 1844)

Primary cargo was sugar-industry products.

La Belle

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Explorer Robert De La Salle’s ship

French barque  (2) 

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(Probably 1683 .... Wrecked in Matagorda Bay in 1686)

The wreckage was discovered by a team of archaeologists in 1995.

La Gloire

(meaning Glory)

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The first ocean-going ironclad battleship in history

French steam battleship

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(November, 1859 .... Scrapped in 1883)

The ship initiated the obsolescence of traditional unarmored wooden ships-of-the-line.

Lancastria, RMS

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Worst single loss of life in British maritime history and the bloodiest single engagement for UK forces in World War II

British ocean liner

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(June, 1922 .... Sunk on June 17, 1940)

Over 4000 people lost while evacuating British nationals and troops from France.

Le Napolean

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The first true steam battleship, and the first screw battleship ever

French steam battleship

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(May, 1850 .... Sunk November 6, 1876)

She was the lead ship of a class of 9 battleships, all considered as very successful and built over a period of 10 years.

Lusitania, RMS

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Torpedoed by the German submarine killing 1,198 people

British luxury ocean liner

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(June 7, 1906 .... Sank on May 7, 1915)

Sinking turned public opinion against Germany in WW I.

Maine, USS

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Its sinking precipitated the Spanish-American War

American battleship

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(November 18, 1889 .... Sank on February 15, 1898)

Explosion on board in the Havana Harbor sank her.

Maltese Falcon

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The largest yacht in the world

American yacht (now owned by a Englishman)

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(2006 .... Still in service)

Some claim the Eos is larger.

Majestic

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The last of the original traveling showboats

American river steamboat

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(1920 .... Currently docked at the Cincinnati Public Landing)

Now the riverboat is a venue for comedies and musicals.

Mary Celeste

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The “ghost ship” was discovered heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar unmanned and under full sail in 1872; the fate of the crew and passengers remains a mystery

American brigantine  (3) 

originally named Amazon

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(1860 .... Intentionally scuttled on January, 1885)

The popular mystery of the ship began when Arthur Conan Doyle published a story, J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement, in 1884 about a derelict ship which he called Marie Celeste.

Mary Rose

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One of the earliest ships built for war sporting the innovation of gunports

English carrack-type warship

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(1512 .... Sank in the straits north of the Isle of Wight, 1545)

The wreck of the Mary Rose was rediscovered in 1971 and salvaged in 1982.

Mayflower

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Transported the English Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620

British galleon

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(About 1608 .... About 1624)

Ocean crossing took 66 days.

Merchant Royal

(known as Eldorado of the Seas)

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Lost at sea off Land's End, Cornwall, England, the ship is one of the richest sunken treasures

English merchant ship

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(1627 .... Sank in bad weather September 23, 1641)

Lost were more than half million Spanish silver pesos, 500 bars of gold and ingots of silver, and hundreds of pieces of jewelry.

Meredith Victory, SS

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The "Ship of Miracles" saved the lives of more than 14,000 refugees in a single mission during the Korean War, the largest humanitarian rescue operation by a single ship

American cargo freighter

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(June 23, 1945 .... Broken up for scrap in China, 1993)

The ship was built to transport supplies and equipment overseas during World War II.

Missouri, USS

("Mighty Mo" or "Big Mo")

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The site of the surrender of Japan which ended World War II

American battleship

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(January 29, 1944 .... On exhibit near the Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor)

Missouri was the last battleship built by the United States.

Monitor, USS

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With CSS Virginia, first-ever naval battle between two ironclad warships

American ironclad warship

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(January 30, 1862 .... Sank on December 31, 1862)

Had a rotating gun turret.

Moshulu

(Originally named Kurt)

—

Famous through the books of Eric Newby such as The Last Grain Race (1956)

Scottish 4-masted barque

—

(April 18, 1904 .... Currently a floating restaurant docked in Penn's Landing, Philadelphia.)

Between 1904 and 1914, under German ownership, Kurt shipped coal, nitrate, coal, and coke around the world.

Nautilus, USS

(SSN-571)

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World’s first nuclear-powered submarine

American submarine

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(January 21, 1954 .... In a museum, Groton, Connecticut)

The first vessel to cross under the North Pole.  Namesake of another U.S. submarine that served in World War II.

New Jersey, USS

(SSN-571)

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Earned more battle stars for combat actions than the other American battleship

American battleship

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(December, 1942 .... In a museum, Camden, New Jersey)

The only U.S. battleship to provide gunfire support during the Vietnam War.

Nina

(The Girl; officially Santa Clara)

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One of Columbus’ ships of discovery

Spanish caravel with four masts

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(1492 .... 1501)

Columbus’ flag ship after loss of Santa Maria.

Ning Po

(originally Kin Tai Foong)

—

Spent 159 years in the Yellow Seas engaging in crimes such as smuggling, slave trading, mutiny, and piracy

Chinese 3-masted, 291 ton junk

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(1753 .... Burned in Catalina Harbor in 1938)

During the 1920s and 1930s she sat in Catalina Harbor and was used as a backdrop for movies filmed there.

Normac, MS

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Used as Captain John's Harbour Boat Restaurant, a floating restaurant in Toronto Harbour, from 1969-1981

American fire tug, later a passenger ferry

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(1902 .... Currently a floating restaurant in Ontario)

Sank after being severely damaged when the ferry Trillium struck her in 1981. She was raised in 1986 and again refurbished as a restaurant.

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NOTES:

    (2)     (La Belle) a sailing vessel with three or more masts.

    (3)     (Mary Celeste) a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.

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