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Famous Ships and Boats

In history, movies, books, on exhibit

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

with Images and Information

 

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All Countries Ships in Movies, TV, and Books

 

Achille Lauro, famous ships (Another Achille Lauro)    
Achille Lauro — Dutch cruise ship
Hijacked in 1985 by 4 men representing the PLF; one passenger killed and thrown overboard. The affair was portray in a movie. On January 6, 1953, she collided in the Red Sea with MS Oranje, heading in the opposite direction.  LAUNCHED: 1947, July 18 FATE: Sank in the Indian Ocean on December 2, 1994 due to fire.
Aeolus, famous ships 
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.
African Queen, famous ships (Another African Queen)    
African Queen — American steamboat
Boat used in the 1951 movie The African Queen, an adventure set during World War I, starring Humprey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn. From 1912 to 1968, she shuttled cargo and passengers across Lake Albert in Africa. The steam engine in the movie was a prop and its original diesel engine was hidden under crates of gin and other cargo.  LAUNCHED: 1912 FATE: Refurbished to service as a tourist boat in Key Largo, Florida.
Amethyst, HMS, famous ships 
Amethyst, HMS — British modified Black Swan class sloop
Subject of the 1957 movie Yangtse Incident, an actual event in April of 1949 during the Chinese Civil War. In the movie, she played herself. During World War II, she was deployed mostly on anti-submarine patrols and escort duties.  LAUNCHED: 1943, May 18 FATE: Scrapped January 19, 1957.
Andrea Gail, famous ships 
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 StormLAUNCHED: 1978 FATE: Lost at sea October 28, 1991.
Antonia Graza, famous ships 
Antonia Graza — Italian ocean liner
A fictional ship in the movie Ghost Ship. The plot follows a salvage crew that discovers a long-lost passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea... and horrors abound.  LAUNCHED: 1962, first scene takes place in May FATE: Last scene takes place in 1966.
Argonaut, famous ships 
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.

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Artemis, famous ships 
Artemis — American sloop
The ship on which Claire and Jamie Fraser travel across the Atlantic in pursuit of the Bruja as seen in season 3 of the TV series Outlander. The ship was never in the water. Green screen was used to fill in ocean background.  LAUNCHED: 2017, for the TV series FATE: inconclusive.
Arthur Foss, famous ships (Another Arthur Foss)    
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 AnnieLAUNCHED: 1887 FATE: Renovated and on display at Seattle's South Lake Union Park.
B-39, famous ships 
B-39 — Russian foxtrot-class submarine
The Soviet Navy's largest non-nuclear submarines.. In 2012, she was used as a prop in the movie Phantom. Another B-39 is rusting in England (see Black Widow).  LAUNCHED: 1967, April 18 FATE: Decommissioned April 1994; now a museum ship at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, California.
Balao, USS, famous ships 
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.
Ballantrae, USS, famous ships 
Ballantrae, USS — American Town-class destroyer
A fictional ship in the movie Gift Horse on a one-way mission in World War II to destroy a German-held dry dock in France; based on HMS Campbeltown and the St Nazaire Raid. The USS Twiggs was turned over to the Royal Navy in 1940 to become HMS Leamington. From 1944-1949, she served under the Russian flag, then was returned to Great Britain in 1950 where she appeared in the movie.  LAUNCHED: 1951, movie release; USS Twiggs launched September 1918 FATE: After appearing in the movie, she was scrapped at Newport, Wales in 1951.
Belinda, USS, famous ships 
Belinda, USS — American attack transport
The World War II ship in the 1956 movie Away All Boats.. She was portrayed by the USS Randall, an attack transport in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1956.  LAUNCHED: 1956 FATE: The actual ship, Randall, was scrapped in 1972.
Birthday Present, famous ships 
Birthday Present — American super-yacht
Super-yacht used int the movie Overboard. The custom motor yacht was actually the Aspen Alternative built in 2010 by Trinity Yachts  LAUNCHED: 2018, movie release; 2010 yacht built FATE: Inconclusive.
Bounty (replica), famous ships (Another Bounty (replica))    
Bounty (replica) — Canadian collier, three-mast (American owned)
A reconstruction of the original 1787 Royal Navy ship built for the 1962 movie Mutiny on the Bounty. She also appeared in the 1989 movie Treasure Island and the 2006 and 2007 movies Pirates of the Caribbean. Over the years, she was also used for promotion, entertainment, and education.  LAUNCHED: 1960, August 18 FATE: Sank near North Carolina during Hurricane Sandy on October 29, 2012.

 

 

 

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Bounty, HMS, famous ships 
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 moviesLAUNCHED: 1784 FATE: Was burned by the mutineers on January 23, 1790.
Buford, USAT, famous ships 
Buford, USAT — American cargo/passenger ship
Used to deport 249 non-citizens of the U.S. to Russia because of their alleged anarchist political beliefs; nicknamed the Soviet Ark.. In 1906, rescued over 600 passengers and crew from the SS Mongolia. In 1921, rescued 65 passengers and crew from the inferno of the Japanese steam freighter Tokuyo Maru. Used by Buster Keaton for his film The NavigatorLAUNCHED: 1890, August 29 FATE: Scrapped in late 1929.
Caine, USS, famous ships 
Caine, USS — American destroyer minesweeper
The vessel captained by Queeg in the 1951 book The Cain Mutiny and the 1954 movie. In the movie, the USS Thompson (DD-627) was used as the USS CaineLAUNCHED: 1951, novel, 1954 movie FATE: Inconclusive.
Claremore Queen, famous ships (Another Claremore Queen)    
Claremore Queen — American steamboat
A movie about a con man enters his steamboat in race in the 1890s. Other boat seen in "Another IMAGE". . The movie was Will Roger's last and was released after he was killed in an airplane crash 1935.  LAUNCHED: 1933, movie release FATE: Inconclusive.
Compass Rose, famous ships 
Compass Rose — British Flower-class corvette
The ship portrayed in the movie The Cruel Sea, about the conditions in which the Battle of the Atlantic was fought between the Royal Navy and Germany's U-boats. The movie ship was portrayed by the Flower-class corvette HMS CoreopsisLAUNCHED: 1953 FATE: Inconclusive.
Constitution, SS, famous ships 
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.
Cotopaxi, SS, famous ships 
Cotopaxi, SS — American bulk carrier
She disappeared on a voyage from Charleston, S.C., to Havana, Cuba; none of the 32 people on board were ever seen again. She became part of the legend of the Bermuda Triangle even though she was found outside that area. In the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind, aliens are responsible for the ship's disappearance.  LAUNCHED: 1918, November 15 FATE: Lost 35 miles off St. Augustine in Florida, December, 1925.
Cusk, USS, famous ships 
Cusk, USS — American submarine
The first submarine to launch a guided missile from her deck. She appeared in the 1950 movie The Flying Missile as the USS BluefinLAUNCHED: 1945, July 18 FATE: Sold for scrap June 26, 1972.

 

 

 

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Dolpin, USS, famous ships 
Dolpin, USS — American V-class submarine
The penultimate design in the V-boat series and star in the movie Submarine D-1. The movie hi-lights the use of the Momsen lung for emergency submarine rescues as well as the training tank structures of New London, Connecticut submarine base.  LAUNCHED: 1931, March 18 FATE: Broken up in August 1946.
Earnslaw, TSS, famous ships 
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.
Eldridge, USS, famous ships 
Eldridge, USS — American destroyer escort
Famed as part of an alleged military experiment of cloaking ships invisible and carried out by the U.S. Navy at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.. A 1984 movie of the incident, The Philadelphia Experiment, presented a fictionalized version of the incident.  LAUNCHED: 1943, July 25 FATE: Decommisioned and scrapped November 11, 1999.
Essex, famous ships 
Essex — American barque; whale ship, a three-masted
Basis of Nathaniel Philbrick's book In the Heart of the Sea and the movie as well as the inspiration for Herman Melville's 1851 classic novel Moby-Dick. She left Nantucket in 1819 on a whaling voyage in the South Pacific with 21 aboard. It was attacked and sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific Ocean. Only two men survived.  LAUNCHED: 1800, approx. FATE: Sunk in the southern Pacific November 20, 1820.
Etoile du Roy, famous ships 
Etoile du Roy — British frigate, sixth-rate
Stand-in for several different ships for the British TV series Horatio Hornblower, 1998-2003. The three-masted frigate was built specifically to represent a generic Nelson-age warship, with her design inspired by HMS Blandford built in 1741.  LAUNCHED: 1997, September FATE: Sold to a French company and now on exhibit at Saint-Malo, Brittany.
Exodus 1947, famous ships (Another Exodus 1947)    
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, MarylandLAUNCHED: 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.
Flying Dutchman, famous ships 
Flying Dutchman — Dutch sailing ship of unknown sort
A legendary ghost ship that is doomed to sail the seas forever. She is much cited in movies, TV, books and other amusements.  LAUNCHED: 1790, first reference FATE: Casting about forever.
Gerda III, famous ships 
Gerda III — Danish lighthouse tender
During WWII, in 1943, she was used to smuggle about 300 Jews from Nazi occupied Denmark to Sweden. The rescue story is the subject of the 1991 film A Day in OctoberLAUNCHED: 1928 FATE: On exhibit at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.

 

 

 

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Ghost, famous ships 
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 LondonLAUNCHED: 1941 FATE: Inconclusive.
Glencairn, SS, famous ships 
Glencairn, SS — British tramp steamer
In the movie The Long Voyage Home about the men on board on the long voyage home from the West Indies to Baltimore and then to England. Nine prominent American artists, all painters, were hired to construct the dramatic scenes during the film's production.  LAUNCHED: 1940, for the movie FATE: Inconclusive.
Golden Hinde, famous ships 
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.
Goliath, RMS, famous ships 
Goliath, RMS — British ocean liner
Fiction ocean liner in the movie Goliath Awaits. The interiors of Goliath were filmed aboard the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach, California.  LAUNCHED: 1981, movie release FATE: Inconclusive.
Hammersly, HMAS, famous ships 
Hammersly, HMAS — Australian Armidale-class patrol boat
Setting for the Australian television drama Sea Patrol, from 2007-2011. Several ships were used in filming; first portrayed by two real Fremantle-class patrol boats, then for the second season, two Armidale-class patrol boat were used to represent Hammersley   LAUNCHED: 2007 FATE: Inconclusive.
Henrietta, famous ships 
Henrietta — French steamboat
Fiction steam boat in the movie Around the World in 80 Days. In the movie, the boat is stripped clean in order to fuel her across the ocean.  LAUNCHED: 1956, movie release FATE: Inconclusive.
Hero, HMAS, famous ships 
Hero, HMAS — British Leander-class frigate
Setting for the popular British television series Warship, from 1973-1977. Seven different frigates played the role of HMS Hero, all were repainted with the pennant number F42 of HMS Phoebe, the main warship used for filming.  LAUNCHED: 1973 FATE: Inconclusive.
Hewell, USS, famous ships 
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.

 

 

 

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Hotspur, HMS, famous ships 
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.
Ile de France, SS, famous ships 
Ile de France, SS — French ocean liner
Used as a floating prop for 1960 movie The Last Voyage with the name SS Claridon. She was the first major transatlantic ocean liner to be decorated entirely in the Art Deco style.  LAUNCHED: 1926, March 18 FATE: Scrapped at Osaka, Japan in 1959.
Joyita, famous ships 
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.
Kin Lung, SS, famous ships 
Kin Lung, SS — Chinese tramp steamer
The ship setting in the 1935 movie China Seas starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow. (The ship exterior is rarely seen in the movie; image here is from an opening scene). The special effects during the typhoon with huge waves washing over everyone are dramatic and effective.  LAUNCHED: 1935, for the movie; the existence of the actual ship is unknown FATE: Inconclusive.
Laconia, RMS, famous ships 
Laconia, RMS — British ocean liner, then converted to a troop ship
After a torpedo attack, a dramatic rescue of the ship's passengers turned to disaster and became known as the Laconia incident. U.S. planes attacked the several German U-boats trying to rescue its 2,732 passengers and crew most of whom were abandoned by the subs, resulting in a loss of over 1,649 people. The sinking was portrayed in the 2011 British TV movie.   LAUNCHED: 1921, April 18 FATE: Sunk by German submarine U-156 off the coast of West Africa, September 12, 1942.
Liberté, SS, famous ships 
Liberté, SS — German ocean liner; then American war prize; then French owned
Featured prominently in the movie The French Line, starring Jane Russell. She was taken as a US war prize at the end of World War II, then used to transport US servicemen back to the states, and finally turned over to the French as war reparations.  LAUNCHED: 1928, August 18 FATE: Retired in 1961 and scrapped in 1962.
Liemba, MV, famous ships 
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 QueenLAUNCHED: 1915, February FATE: Scuttled July 26, 1916; raised in 1927, still in service on Lake Tanganyika.
München, MS, famous ships 
München, MS — German LASH carrier (cargo ship)
Sank with with 28 crew in a severe storm, probably due to rogue waves and featured in several television documentaries. A court case regarding the loss of cargo in this tragedy set a legal precedent used in many legal textbooks illustrating the administration of the Uniform Commercial CodeLAUNCHED: 1972, May 18 FATE: Sank in the North Atlantic December 1978.

 

 

 

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Maersk Alabama, MV, famous ships 
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 HanksLAUNCHED: 1998, launched as Alva Maersk FATE: Still in service.
Maggie, famous ships 
Maggie — British Clyde puffer cargo ship
Appeared in the movie The Maggie which was released in the U.S. titled High and Dry. The story is about a clash of cultures between a hard-driving American businessman and a wily Scottish captain.  LAUNCHED: 1954, movie release; boat origin unknown FATE: Inconclusive.
Mary Deare, famous ships 
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 InnesLAUNCHED: 1959, November 6, film release FATE: Inconclusive.
Maxim Gorky, famous ships 
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.
Minnow, S.S., famous ships 
Minnow, S.S. — American express cruiser
A fictional charter boat on the hit 1960s television sitcom Gilligan's Island. There were actually four different boats used on the show. (See Original S.S. Minnow Found for more.)  LAUNCHED: 1964, for the TV series FATE: Series ended in 1967.
Morituri, famous ships (Another Morituri)    
Morituri — German cargo ship
In the movie Morituri a freighter hauling rubber to Nazi Germany during WWII; starring Marlon Brando and Yul Brynner. The actual unnamed old German freighter was used for nearly all the film sequences.  LAUNCHED: 1965, movie release FATE: Inconclusive.
Moshulu, famous ships 
Moshulu — Scottish barque, four-masted
Famous through the books of Eric Newby such as The Last Grain Race, 1956. Between 1904 and 1914, under German ownership, Kurt shipped coal, nitrate, coal, and coke around the world. She appeared in several movies.  LAUNCHED: 1904, April 18 FATE: Currently a floating restaurant docked in Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
MTB 102, famous ships 
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 DunkirkLAUNCHED: 1937 FATE: On exhibit at Lowestlft, on the North Sea.

 

 

 

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Nathan James, USS, famous ships 
Nathan James, USS — American guided missile destroyer
Fictional ship in the movie The Last Ship. She was portrayed by USS HalseyLAUNCHED: 2014, movie release FATE: Inconclusive.
Nimitz, USS, famous ships 
Nimitz, USS — American aircraft carrier; supercarrier
Setting for the 1980 science fiction movie The Final Countdown. In May of 1981, one of her planes crashed on the flight deck, killing 14 crewmen.  LAUNCHED: 1972, May FATE: Still in service.
Ning Po, famous ships 
Ning Po — Chinese 3-masted, 291 ton junk
Spent 159 years in the Yellow Sea engaging in crimes such as smuggling, slave trading, mutiny, and piracy. During the 1920s and 1930s she sat in Catalina Harbor, Santa Catalina Island, California and was used as a backdrop for movies filmed there.  LAUNCHED: 1753 FATE: Burned in Catalina Harbor in 1938.
Octavius, famous ships 
Octavius — English schooner, three-masted
An legendary 18th century ghost ship said to have been found west of Greenland by the whaler Herald in 1775. The derelict was found and boarded. The entire crew of 28 were found below deck frozen.  LAUNCHED: 1761 FATE: Apparently lost in 1762.
Oneida, famous ships 
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.
Pacific Princess, famous ships 
Pacific Princess — American cruise ship
The ship featured in the TV series Love Boat from 1977 to 1986. In 1998 the Pacific Princess was impounded by police in Piraeus, Greece after 25 kg of heroin was found on board.  LAUNCHED: 1970, May 18 FATE: Sold to be scrapped in March of 2012.
Pequod, famous ships 
Pequod — American whaling ship
Fictitious 19th-century Nantucket whaling ship in the 1851 novel Moby-Dick by Herman Melville and in several movies. In the novel, the ship's captain is the one-legged, monomaniacal Ahab.  LAUNCHED: 1840, or earlier FATE: Destroyed by a whale supposedly in 1851.
Poseidon, SS, famous ships 
Poseidon, SS — American cruise ship; British ocean liner
Subject of a ship sinking in the 1969 novel The Poseidon Adventure and four movie adaptations, 1972, 1979, 2005, and 2006. In each version of the story, the ship is capsized and several survivors try to make their way to the top of the overturned ship.  LAUNCHED: 1969, original story FATE: Inconclusive.

 

 

 

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President, famous ships 
President — American steamboat
The last original "Western Rivers" style side-wheel river excursion steamboat in the United States and the second riverboat casino in modern times. In the 1950s and 1960s, she berthed in New Orleans for many years as a popular music venue featuring concerts by national acts; in 1990 she was converted into a floating casino.  LAUNCHED: 1924 FATE: In 2007 she was disassembled and moved in pieces to St. Elmo, Illinois where she may be re-assembled as a non-floating tourist attraction and hotel.
PT 109, famous ships 
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.
PT-73, famous ships 
PT-73 — American PT boat
Patrol boat in the TV sitcom McHale's Navy. The real-life PT-73 was built on August 12, 1942, and was destroyed by the crew in January, 1945.  LAUNCHED: 1962, 1966 for the TV series FATE: Inconlusive.
Quaker City, USS, famous ships 
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 BayLAUNCHED: 1854 FATE: Sold to the Haitian Navy in February of 1871, renamed République, lost at sea off Bermuda in March of 1871.
Queen Elizabeth, RMS, famous ships (Another Queen Elizabeth, RMS)    
Queen Elizabeth, RMS — British ocean liner
With sister ship Queen Mary, dominated the transatlantic passenger service. She was used in World War II as troop transport. After being converted to a university and renamed Seawise University, she was destroyed by fire. The charred wreck was featured in the 1974 James Bond movie The Man with the Golden GunLAUNCHED: 1938, September 18 FATE: After a fire, capsized in Hong Kong Harbor, January 9, 1972.
Queen Mary, RMS, famous ships 
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 AwaitsLAUNCHED: 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.
Rhone, RMS, famous ships (Another Rhone, RMS)    
Rhone, RMS — British packet ship
Sunk during a hurricane with the loss of approximately 123 lives. The wreckage is now a popular diving site and was used in the 1977 film The Deep that featured Jacqueline Bisset in a wet T‑shirt.  LAUNCHED: 1865 FATE: Wrecked in the British Virgin Islands on October 29, 1867.
Riptide, famous ships 
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.

 

 

 

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San Capador, SS, famous ships 
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 DeepLAUNCHED: 1934, movie release FATE: Inconclusive.
San Pablo, famous ships 
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.
Santana, famous ships 
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.
Sea Queen, famous ships 
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, famous ships 
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 DiesLAUNCHED: 1985, March FATE: As of June, 2011 the ship is still being stored at Suisun Bay in northern California awaiting its fate.
Sea Tiger, USS, famous ships (Another Sea Tiger, USS)    
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.
Seaborn Legend, famous ships 
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.
Seraph, HMS, famous ships 
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.

 

 

 

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Silversides, USS, famous ships 
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.
Somers, USS, famous ships 
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.
St. Louis, SS, famous ships 
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.
Surprise, HMS, famous ships 
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 TidesLAUNCHED: 1970 FATE: Since 2007, based in Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Theodore Too, famous ships 
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.
Tigerfish, USS, famous ships 
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.
Titanic, RMS, famous ships (Another Titanic, RMS)    
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 filmLAUNCHED: 1911, May 18 FATE: Sank in the North Atlantic April 15, 1912.
U-96, famous ships 
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.

 

 

 

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Unicorn, famous ships (Another Unicorn)    
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.
Ville de Nancy, famous ships 
Ville de Nancy — American sloop of war
Fictious ship in the movie Passageto Marseille, set during World War II and starring Humphrey Bogart. For the movie, Warner Bros. built a full-scale Merchant Marine ship modeled after the French ship Ville de NancyLAUNCHED: 1940 FATE: Inconclusive.
Vital Spark, famous ships (Another Vital Spark)    
Vital Spark — British Clyde puffer cargo ship
Star of the book series and British TV comedy series, The Vital Spark about the adventures of the boat captain and his crew. The BBC Scotland TV program The Vital Spark (1959-1974 series) was set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the books by Neil Munro  LAUNCHED: 1931, book published; 1959 for the start of TV series; boat built in 1943 FATE: The boat is to be restored as a tourist attraction with the Inveraray Maritime Museum.
Wanderer, famous ships 
Wanderer — American yacht
The boat in the 1992 comedy movie Captain Ron; starring Kurt Russell and Martin Short. The movie received mostly negative reviews.  LAUNCHED: 1992 FATE: Inconclusive.
We're Here, famous ships 
We're Here — American Schooner
The fictional ship in the book and movie Captain Couraeous. Based on the 1897 book by Rudyard Kipling, it's a story of a boy and his adventures aboard a the ship.  LAUNCHED: 1937 FATE: Inconclusive.

The number of All Countries Ships in Movies, TV, and Books listed is 92


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).

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For a full list of all ships, select HERE

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First Ship on each page

 

Page  Ship Name    (Country and Type)
1.  Aeolus (British cruise ship)
2.  Artemis (American sloop)
3.  Bounty, HMS (English collier)
4.  Dolpin, USS (American V-class submarine)
5.  Ghost (American schooner)
6.  Hotspur, HMS (British sloop-of-war)
7.  Maersk Alabama, MV (American container ship)
8.  Nathan James, USS (American guided missile destroyer)
9.  President (American steamboat)
10.  San Capador, SS (American cruise ship)
11.  Silversides, USS (American Gato-class submarine)
12.  Unicorn (British three-masted sailing ship)


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  All Countries
    Ships in Movies, TV, and Books

1.  Aeolus British cruise ship
2.  African Queen American steamboat
3.  Amethyst, HMS British modified Black Swan class sloop
4.  Andrea Gail American fishing vessel
5.  Antonia Graza Italian ocean liner
6.  Argonaut American cabin cruiser
7.  Artemis American sloop
8.  Arthur Foss American tugboat
9.  B-39 Russian foxtrot-class submarine
10.  Balao, USS American submarine
11.  Ballantrae, USS American Town-class destroyer
12.  Belinda, USS American attack transport
13.  Birthday Present American super-yacht
14.  Bounty (replica) Canadian collier
15.  Bounty, HMS English collier
16.  Buford, USAT American cargo
17.  Caine, USS American destroyer minesweeper
18.  Claremore Queen American steamboat
19.  Compass Rose British Flower-class corvette
20.  Constitution, SS American ocean liner
21.  Cotopaxi, SS American bulk carrier
22.  Cusk, USS American submarine
23.  Dolpin, USS American V-class submarine
24.  Earnslaw, TSS New Zealand ferry
25.  Eldridge, USS American destroyer escort
26.  Essex American barque
27.  Etoile du Roy British frigate
28.  Exodus 1947 American packet steamer
29.  Flying Dutchman Dutch sailing ship
30.  Gerda III Danish lighthouse tender
31.  Ghost American schooner
32.  Glencairn, SS British tramp steamer
33.  Golden Hinde English galleon
34.  Goliath, RMS British ocean liner
35.  Hammersly, HMAS Australian Armidale-class patrol boat
36.  Henrietta French steamboat
37.  Hero, HMAS British Leander-class frigate
38.  Hewell, USS American cargo ship
39.  Hotspur, HMS British sloop-of-war
40.  Ile de France, SS French ocean liner
41.  Joyita American luxury yacht
42.  Kin Lung, SS Chinese tramp steamer
43.  Laconia, RMS British ocean liner
44.  Liberté, SS German ocean liner
45.  Liemba, MV German ferry
46.  München, MS German LASH carrier
47.  Maersk Alabama, MV American container ship
48.  Maggie British Clyde puffer
49.  Mary Deare American steamship
50.  Maxim Gorky Russian cruise ship
51.  Minnow, S.S. American express cruiser
52.  Morituri German cargo ship
53.  Moshulu Scottish barque
54.  MTB 102 British motor torpedo boat
55.  Nathan James, USS American guided missile destroyer
56.  Nimitz, USS American aircraft carrier
57.  Ning Po Chinese junk
58.  Octavius English schooner
59.  Oneida American yacht
60.  Pacific Princess American cruise ship
61.  Pequod American whaling ship
62.  Poseidon, SS American cruise ship
63.  President American steamboat
64.  PT 109 American motor torpedo boat
65.  PT-73 American PT boat
66.  Quaker City, USS American paddle steamship
67.  Queen Elizabeth, RMS British ocean liner
68.  Queen Mary, RMS British ocean liner
69.  Rhone, RMS British packet ship
70.  Riptide American yacht
71.  San Capador, SS American cruise ship
72.  San Pablo American gunboat
73.  Santana American commuter yacht
74.  Sea Queen American sport-fishing boat
75.  Sea Shadow American stealth warship
76.  Sea Tiger, USS American submarine
77.  Seaborn Legend American cruise ship
78.  Seraph, HMS British submarine
79.  Silversides, USS American Gato-class submarine
80.  Somers, USS American brig
81.  St. Louis, SS German ocean liner
82.  Surprise, HMS Canadian tall ship
83.  Theodore Too Canadian tug boat
84.  Tigerfish, USS American attack submarine
85.  Titanic, RMS British luxury ocean liner
86.  U-96 German German Type VIIC submarine
87.  Unicorn British three-masted sailing ship
88.  Ville de Nancy American sloop of war
89.  Vital Spark British Clyde puffer
90.  Wanderer American yacht
91.  We're Here American Schooner
  

About the Data

There are more than 400 ships in this database, but the initial list is only for famous ships names that begin with letters "A-B". For other listings, use the  country  and  type  tabs.

Touching (or cursor over) a ship image produces an enlargement. Touch anywhere else (or move the cursor off the image) to close the larger image. Touching (or clicking on) any underlined name will link to a page with more information.

Although submarines are usually called boats, they are grouped with ships here.

Most of the information comes from Wikipedia.

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