Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

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

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All Countries All Ships and Boats

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.

Tang, USS — American Balao class submarine
Credited with sinking 31 enemy ships totaling 227,800 tons, unequaled among American submarines during World War II. When she was sunk by a circular run of her final torpedo, several crew escaped the sinking boat with a Momsen lung, the only known occasion of its use. 78 men were lost and the nine survived. LAUNCHED: 1943, August 18 → FATE: Sunk by her own torpedo in the Taiwan Strait October 24, 1944.

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.

Terra Nova — British wooden-hulled barque
Serving in the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, best remembered for the death of Captain Scott and four companions. She was built for the Dundee whaling and sealing fleet, working 10 years in the annual seal fishery in the Labrador Sea. LAUNCHED: 1884 → FATE: Sank off the southwestern tip of Greenland September 13, 1943.

(Another )

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.

The World, MS — Swedish cruise ship
A ship serving as a residential community owned by its residents. She became the largest passenger ship to transit the Northwest Passage by sailing from Nome, Alaska to Nuuk, Greenland in 25 days, August-September, 2012. LAUNCHED: 2002, March → FATE: Still in service.

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.

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Thermopylae — English extreme clipper
Raced the clipper Cutty Sark from Shanghai back to London and won by seven days. In 1897, she was sold to Portugal and renamed Pedro Nunes for used as a naval training ship. LAUNCHED: 1868, August → FATE: Sunk as target practice by the Portuguese Navy, October 13, 1907.

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.

Thresher, USS — American nuclear submarine
Lost at sea during deep-diving tests in 1963 with 129 crew. She was the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines and one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Scorpion, SSN-589. LAUNCHED: 1960, July 18 → FATE: Sunk April 10, 1963.

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.

(Another )

Titanic, RMS — British luxury ocean liner
The most famous ship sinking in history, she sank after hitting iceberg in the Atlantic, claiming over 1500 lives. Believed by many to be unsinkable, her disintegrating remains lie at a depth of 3,784 meters. Many movie have been made about her sinking including the 1997 film. LAUNCHED: 1911, May 18 → FATE: Sank in the North Atlantic April 15, 1912.

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.

Toya Maru — Japanese train ferry
Her sinking was one of the major factors behind the construction of the Seikan Tunnel between Hokkaido and Honshu. Perhaps 1,153 people were lost but the exact number is unknown because some people boarded without tickets and others cancelled just before sailing. LAUNCHED: 1947, November → FATE: Sank during a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait September 26, 1954.

Trent, RMS — British paddle steamer serving as a packet boat
Principle ship in the Trent affair in 1861 during the American Civil War. Her interception by USS San Jacinto and unlawfully capture of two Confederate diplomats almost led to war between the Britian and the United States. LAUNCHED: 1841 → FATE: Sold and broken up after 1865.

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Trieste — Italian deep-diving research bathyscaphe; Swiss designed
Dove to a record ocean depth of about 10,911 metres, or about 6.8 miles. She reached the ocean floor in the Mariana Trench on January 23, 1960. She found the missing submarine USS Thresher off the coast of New England in August of 1963. LAUNCHED: 1953, August 18 → FATE: On display at the U.S. Naval National Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington.

Trincomalee, HMS — British Leda-class frigate
One of two surviving British frigates of her era. Holds the distinction of being the oldest British warship still afloat. LAUNCHED: 1817, October 12 → FATE: Restored made the centerpiece museum ship in Hartlepool, England.

Turbinia — British steamship
First steam turbine-powered steamship and the fastest ship in the world at that time at over 34 knots. She showed up unannounced at the Fleet Review for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee at Spithead in 1897, racing up and down the ranks of other ships. LAUNCHED: 1894, August 18 → FATE: On display at the Discovery Museum at Newcastle upon Tyne, England.

U-234 — German submarine
Hitler's last submarine; ironically, there is an isotope of uranium designated U-234. While attempting to deliver uranium to Japan near the end of World War II, she surrendered to the United States on May 14, 1945. LAUNCHED: 1943, December → FATE: Sunk by torpedo November 20, 1947.

U-480 — German experimental Kriegsmarine Type VIIC submarine
The first stealth submarine; she was covered with a special rubber coating making it difficult to detect with SONAR. She sank two warships and two merchantmen ships and was never detected by the British until it was discovered by divers in 1998 south of Isle of Wight. LAUNCHED: 1943, August 14 → FATE: Sunk in February 1945 in an English Channel minefield with the loss of its crew.

U-505 — German submarine
Codebooks, an Enigma machine, and other secret materials that were found on board assisted Allied code breakers during World War II. All but one of crew were rescued from U-505. For U-110, there were casualties among the crew caused by two attacking destroyers. LAUNCHED: 1941, August → FATE: Captured in June 4, 1944. Now at Chicago museum.

U-96 — German German Type VIIC submarine
She was made famous in the 1981 movie Das Boot, a fictional account of its adventures in the Battle of Atlantic of World War II.. During 1941, war a correspondent joined U-96 and, based on his experiences, published a novel that was made into the 1981 movie LAUNCHED: 1940, August 1 → FATE: Sunk in the Hipper Basin at Wilhelmshaven, March 30, 1945.

U-995 — German submarine
The last existing submarine of its type, which was the workhorse for the German navy during World War II. From 1943 till 1945 the U-995 fulfilled several missions against allied convoys heading for Murmansk, Russia. LAUNCHED: 1942, November 25 → FATE: At the end of WW-II, she was surrendered to the British in December 1945 and then transferred to Norwegian ownership in October 1948. Eventually, in October 1971, she became a museum ship at Laboe Naval Memorial, in Germany.

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Umbria, RMS — British ocean liner
With her sister ship, Etruria, the last two transatlantic ocean liners fitted with auxiliary sails. In May of 1903, the Mafia tried to blow her up but failed. LAUNCHED: 1884, June 18 → FATE: Scrapped in 1910.

(Another )

Unicorn — British three-masted sailing ship
Royal Navy vessel appearing in the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé The Adventures of Tintin, and the movie. She is the setting of a battle between pirates and sailors, then scuttled, and discovered years later by the boy Tintin and his friends. LAUNCHED: 1943, first appeared in print; movie release in 2011 → FATE: Inconclusive.

United States, SS — American ocean liner (steamship)
The fastest liner ever built; virtually no wood used in her construction. On her maiden voyage she captured the Blue Riband with the fastest transatlantic crossing on record in 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35.59 knots. LAUNCHED: 1951, June 18 → FATE: As of February 7, 2012, work has begun on the restoration project to prepare the ship for her eventual rebuild.

Upholder, HMS — British U-class submarine
The most successful British submarine of the World War II sinking a gross tonnage of 93,031. She was one of four U-class submarines with 2 external torpedo tubes at the bows in addition to the 4 internal ones. LAUNCHED: 1940, July 8 → FATE: Lost northeast of Tripoli with all hands, probably sunk by enemy depth charges April 14, 1942.

The number of All Countries All Ships and Boats listed is 27

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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.	Tang, USS (American Balao class submarine)
2.	Thermopylae (English extreme clipper)
3.	Trieste (Italian deep-diving research bathyscaphe)
4.	Umbria, RMS (British ocean liner)

All Countries All Ships and Boats
1.	Tang, USS American Balao class submarine
2.	Tek Sin Chinese ocean-going junk
3.	Terra Nova British wooden-hulled barque
4.	Texas, USS American New York class battleship
5.	The World, MS Swedish cruise ship
6.	Theodore Too Canadian tug boat
7.	Thermopylae English extreme clipper
8.	Thomas W. Lawson American seven-masted schooner
9.	Thresher, USS American nuclear submarine
10.	Tigerfish, USS American attack submarine
11.	Titanic, RMS British luxury ocean liner
12.	Tonquin American merchant ship
13.	Toya Maru Japanese train ferry
14.	Trent, RMS British paddle steamer
15.	Trieste Italian deep-diving research bathyscaphe
16.	Trincomalee, HMS British Leda-class frigate
17.	Turbinia British steamship
18.	U-234 German submarine
19.	U-480 German experimental Kriegsmarine Type VIIC submarine
20.	U-505 German submarine
21.	U-96 German German Type VIIC submarine
22.	U-995 German submarine
23.	Umbria, RMS British ocean liner
24.	Unicorn British three-masted sailing ship
25.	United States, SS American ocean liner
26.	Upholder, HMS British U-class submarine