Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

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

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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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

San 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.

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

San 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

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

(Another )

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.

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

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.

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

(Another )

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.

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Scorpion, USS — American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine
Went missing at sea with 99 crewmen, one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Thresher (SSN-593). She carried two nuclear-tipped torpedoes. In November 2012, the submarine veterans asked the US Navy to reopen the investigation on the sinking. LAUNCHED: 1959, December 18 → FATE: Sank on May 22, 1968 in the Atlantic Ocean southwest of the Azores.

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

(Another )

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Seraph, HMS — British submarine
Known as "the ship with two captains," briefly became the USS Seraph. During World War II, she released a corpse ("The Man Who Never Was") onto the shores off Gibraltar carrying decoy papers to fool the Nazis as part of "Operation Mincemeat." LAUNCHED: 1941, October 18 → FATE: Scrapped in December of 1962.

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.

(Another )

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

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.

Silversides, USS — American Gato-class submarine
One of the most successful submarines in the Pacific Theater of World War II, with 23 sinkings totalling more than 90,000 tons. She was used to depict the fictional submarine USS Tiger Shark in the 2002 film Below LAUNCHED: 1941, August 18 → FATE: Currently serves as a museum ship at the USS Silversides Submarine Museum in Muskegon, Michigan, and is a National Historic Landmark.

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.

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SN.R4 — British Mountbatten class hovercraft
Was the largest civil hovercraft ever built, carrying 254 passengers and up to 30 cars. She is the only surviving hovercraft that served English Channel traffic from 1968 to 2000. The others, Sir Christopher, Sure, Swift, Princess Margaret, and The Prince of Wales, were all scrapped. LAUNCHED: 1968 → FATE: Preserved and on static display at the Hovercraft Museum at Lee-on-Solent, England.

Solar 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.

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

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.

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

Sovereign of the Seas, HMS, famous ships

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.

(Another )

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

St. 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.

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

(Another )

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.

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

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.

(Another )

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

(Another )

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

The number of All Countries All Ships and Boats listed is 52

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For a full list of all ships, select HERE

First Ship on each page
Page	Ship Name (Country and Type)
1.	São Martinho (Portuguese galleon)
2.	San José (Spanish galleon)
3.	Scorpion, USS (American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine)
4.	Seeadler, SMS (Scottish windjammer)
5.	SN.R4 (British Mountbatten class hovercraft)
6.	St. Roch (Canadian schooner)
7.	Susan Constant (British fully-rigged ship)

All Countries All Ships and Boats
1.	São Martinho Portuguese galleon
2.	Sailrocket 2 Australian speed sailboat
3.	Saint John Paul II, MV Maltese catamaran
4.	Salem Express, MV French roll-on/roll/off car ferry
5.	Saluda American river paddle steamboat
6.	San Capador, SS American cruise ship
7.	San José Spanish galleon
8.	San Juan Bautista Japanese galleon
9.	San Pablo American gunboat
10.	Santísima Trinidad Spanish ship of the line
11.	Santa Maria Spanish carrack
12.	Santana American commuter yacht
13.	Savannah, SS American paddle steamship
14.	Scandinavian Star, MS Scandinavian ferry
15.	Scorpion, USS American Skipjack-class nuclear submarine
16.	Sea Queen American sport-fishing boat
17.	Sea Shadow American stealth warship
18.	Sea Tiger, USS American submarine
19.	Sea Venture English merchant ship
20.	Sea Wing American paddle steamer
21.	Seaborn Legend American cruise ship
22.	Seawise Giant Japanese supertanker
23.	Seeadler, SMS Scottish windjammer
24.	Sequoia, USS American yacht
25.	Seraph, HMS British submarine
26.	Serpens, USS American Crater-class cargo ship
27.	Sewol, MS Korean ferry
28.	Shenandoah, CSS American Confederate full-rigged ship
29.	Silversides, USS American Gato-class submarine
30.	Slo-mo-shun IV American racing hydroplane
31.	SN.R4 British Mountbatten class hovercraft
32.	Solar Bark Egyptian barge
33.	Solar Sailor Australian passenger ferry
34.	Somers, USS American brig
35.	South Carolina, USS American dreadnought
36.	Sovereign of the Seas, HMS English full-rigged
37.	Spirit of Chartwell, MV English hotel barge
38.	St. Louis, SS German ocean liner
39.	St. Roch Canadian schooner
40.	Star Princess Italian cruise ship
41.	Staten Island Ferry American passenger ferry
42.	Stellar Daisy South Korean very large oil carrier
43.	Stockholm, MS Swedish luxury cruise ship
44.	Sultana, SS American paddle steamboat
45.	Sundowner British motor yacht
46.	Surprise, HMS Canadian tall ship
47.	Susan Constant British fully-rigged ship
48.	Sussex, HMS English ship of the line
49.	Sydney, HMAS Australia Leander-class light cruiser
50.	Syracusia Greek cargo ship
51.	Szent István, SMS Hungarian dreadnought