Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

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

with Images and Information

Sort by

German Ships; Largest and Fastest

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.

(Another )

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.

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.

(Another )

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.

Preußen — German windjammer, five-masted
The largest sailed ship ever built and the only five-masted, full-rigged, ship built until the 21st century. She was built entirely of steel. She was used in the saltpeter trade with Chile, setting speed records in the process. LAUNCHED: 1902, May 18 → FATE: Swept onto rocks and sank near the White Cliffs of Dover November 6, 1910.

Royal Clipper — German tall ship; steel-hulled five masted fully rigged design
The largest and only five-masted full-rigged sailing ship in service. Her design was based on the German ship Preussen, but was configured for passenger comfort rather than cargo carrying. LAUNCHED: 2001 → FATE: Still in service.

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.

The number of German Ships; Largest and Fastest listed is 7

The contents of this page are available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL).

For a full list of all ships, select HERE

First Ship on each page
Page	Ship Name (Country and Type)
1.	Bismarck (German battleship)

German Ships; Largest and Fastest
1.	Bismarck German battleship
2.	Eclipse Russian luxury yacht
3.	Estonia, MS German cruise ferry
4.	Preußen German windjammer
5.	Royal Clipper German tall ship
6.	U-234 German submarine