In maritime history, many ships have made their mark, some which sailed great distances or achieved remarkable accomplishments. Others are well known for what happened to them on their maiden voyages. We found this collection of the Top 10 Historic Ships of All Time on MarineInsight.com and thought we’d find some fresh pictures and share them with you here as well. See if you agree with these choices.
1. British Luxury Liner RMS Titanic: Easily the most famous ship in maritime history, this luxury passenger liner had a fateful inaugural voyage, striking an iceberg and sinking in the North Atlantic on April 15, 1912.
2. Battleship U.S.S. Arizona: Destroyed by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, this ship was left in ruins as World War II followed in its wake. The attack left 1,177 crew members dead out of 1,400.
3. German Battleship Bismarck: The largest and fastest warship afloat in 1941, the Bismarck challenged the British Navy and did a great deal of damage before it was sunk by the British.
4. Battleship U.S.S. Maine: On Feb 15, 1898 the ship exploded, though the cause of the explosion has never actually been determined.
5. HMS Victory: Once a ship in the French and Spanish navies and now serving as a museum in Portsmouth, England, the HMS Victory is one of the oldest ships still afloat.
6. Battleship U.S.S. Missouri: Surrender documents that announced the end of World War II were signed aboard, in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.
7. U.S.S. Constitution: The U.S.S. Constitution is still afloat after 213 years and has been used as a museum since 1907 in Boston, Massachusetts.
8. U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia (aka Merrimack): Made famous by their hours-long battle in Hampton Roads, Virginia in March 1862, the Monitor and Merrimack went to battle for the Union and the Confederacy, respectively.
9. C.S.S. Hunley: On Febuary 17, 1864, the Hunley became the first submarine to sink a ship.
10. The Santa Maria: This Spanish ship crossed the Atlantic under Christopher Columbus on his voyage of discovery in 1492.
Have another ship in mind? We’d love to hear from you. Tell us below!