15 INCREDIBLE Old Ships

From antiquity to the late 1800s, ships, they looked absolutely incredible, with billowing sails and large wooden hulls, they were a sight to behold. So join me for today's video, we're going to take a look at 15 of the most incredible looking old ships. 15. Santa Maria Santa Maria is the iconic old ship that brought the equally iconic explorer Christopher Columbus from Spain to the New World. The voyage took place in 1492, but the Santa Maria first launched in 1460. The ship was built by Juan de la Cosa and was actually one of three ships used for the voyage to the New World, the other two being the Nina and the Pinta. Of the three, the Santa Maria was the largest, the ship was requisitioned by Queen Isabella and the ship's type was now or a Carrack. She had a length of 62 feet, a beam of 18 feet and a draft of about 10 feet. She could accommodate a complement of 40 crew members, sadly though she ran aground on Christmas Day in 1492 along the shores of Haiti. However, pieces of her would live on, her salvaged wood was used to build the La Navidad, a settlement that was established by Columbus and his entourage on the northeast coast of Haiti. That is some pretty serious repurposing. 14. The HMS Victory Launched in 1765, HMS Victory is one of the greatest wooden warships ever built. This marvelous ship served both the Spanish and the French fleets during the last decades of the 18th century. She was built by Chatham Dockyard, was ordered in 1758 and was laid down in 1759. She was in service for an astonishing 244 years and as such she's got a lot of battles under her belt, including the First Battle of Ushant in 1778, the Battle of Cape Spartel in 1782 and the Battle of Cape St. Vincent in 1797. She is most famously known for her role in the Battle of Trafalgar, October 21st, 1805. The class and type of HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line. She's got an overall length of 227 feet, a beam of 51 feet and a draft of 28 feet. She had a crew complement of about 850 and because she was a warship, she was outfitted with some pretty serious armament. She was moved to Portsmouth, England to a dry dock in 1922, where she is preserved as a museum ship. Since October 2012 though, HMS Victory has been the flagship of the First Sea Lord, making her the world's oldest naval ship still in commission. 13. Chinese Treasure Ships Chinese Treasure Ships were used during the early 15th century in the fleet of Admiral Zheng He for the Ming Dynasty. They were built by Longjiang Shipyards and entered service in 1405. During their service, these ships saw seven voyages and they're classified as a flat-bottomed ship and it's believed they had a length of around 400 feet, a beam of 170 feet and a displacement of 800 tons, although the actual specifications are a source of debate. What isn't debated though is that their ships were enormous and there were hundreds of them. It's believed that these ships carried crews of as large as 2,800 people. It's also believed that they featured four masts and around 24 cannons per ship. Using the Treasure Ships, many far-reaching coastal areas were explored, including islands around the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. The fleet collected many treasures along the way and also destroyed other fleets they came across. But the most interesting aspect of Treasure Ships is what they were used for. Treasure Ships carried copious amounts of treasure to project power and wealth to the known world, so they were kind of used to brag. In any case, Zheng He devoted the last 28 years of his life to these treasure voyages, but when he returned, there was a new emperor in town and this emperor didn't want to sponsor any more treasure runs. These ships were abandoned and lost. Today, we've got models of Treasure Ships that were built according to historical data, but we don't have any originals. That's a shame. 12. Queen Anne's Revenge At the heyday of piracy, there were plenty of pirate ships sailing the seas, but when it comes to famous and incredible-looking pirate ships, few can hold a sail to Queen Anne's Revenge. Queen Anne's Revenge was the flagship of Edward Teach, more commonly known as the swashbuckling Blackbeard. It's not known where or when the ship was originally constructed, but it was likely built in Bristol, England sometime around 1710, and it was intended for merchant service. Her original name was probably Concorde until she was captured by French privateers and renamed the very French name La Concorde. As La Concorde, she was used by French sailors as a naval frigate and a merchant vessel, as well as a slave-trading ship. But Blackbeard took her over in 1717 and renamed her the iconic Queen Anne's Revenge. During her time with Blackbeard, she helped him collect countless bounties. She was classified as a frigate and had a length of 103 feet, a beam of 24 feet, and had around 300 pirates on board in Blackbeard's service. Queen Anne ran aground in May of 1718 at Topsail Inlet, which is now Buford Inlet in North Carolina. Her treasure and supplies were transferred to smaller ships. Her wreck was discovered on November 21, 1996, by a private research firm called Intersol Incorporated, which is pretty incredible considering that she was only in 28 feet of water and only a mile offshore of Fort Macon State Park, Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Queen Anne's Revenge has become one of the most recognizable pirate ships on the planet, with her billowing sails and numerous masts. She's awesome. 11. USS Constitution Built by Edmund Hart's shipyard in Boston, the USS Constitution was launched in 1797. Nicknamed Old Ironside, the USS Constitution was named by George Washington after the United States Constitution. She was charged with protecting American merchant ships against French fleets, but she also fought against Barbary pirates during her time in service. Her biggest achievement, though, happened in 1812 during the war against Britain when she captured several merchant ships and defeated another five warships, Java, Pictou, Siam, Levant, and HMS Gourriere. Because she was so instrumental in the war, she was saved from the scrapyard and was instead preserved as a museum ship in Boston. The USS Constitution was a 44-gun United States-class frigate with a length of 302 feet, a beam of 43 feet, and a displacement of 2,200 tons. Her foremast was 198 feet high, her mizzenmast was 172 feet, and her mainmast was a towering 220 feet high. She traveled at speeds of about 13 knots and boasts a complement of 450. In 1934, acting as a museum ship, the USS Constitution completed a 90-port, three-year tour, and in 2012, she sailed under her own power to commemorate the 200th anniversary of her victory of the HMS Gourriere. Today, the USS Constitution is actively involved in public events that aim to educate through historical demonstrations. She's opened year-round for free for public tours where she's berthed at Pier 1 at the terminus of Boston's Freedom Trail. Thousands of people have set foot aboard this beauty of the past to learn about and see for themselves what old American ships were really about. 10. Syracusea Often called the largest transport ship of antiquity, the Syracusea was an ancient Greek ship. In fact, she was so big she apparently was too big for any port in Sicily, so she only sailed once from Sicily to Egypt. She was given as a gift to Ptolemy III. It's not known what her exact dimensions were, but it's believed that she had cargo capacity of around 1,800 tons and could carry over 1,900 passengers. After she was given to Egypt, she was renamed Alexandria, and the ship was adorned and crafted with wooden atlases. The ship also had eight towers, a giant catapult, and 20 rows of oars that were visible from the outside. 9. Syracusea Syracusea is often called the Titanic of its time because of the passenger comfort it had, not because it sank. The ship had a number of amenities that ships at that time normally didn't have, like recreational spaces, a garden, a library, and an indoor bathroom complete with hot water. Remember, this is ancient times, and lots of houses didn't even have hot water. Syracusea even had a small temple for Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty, so people could worship while aboard. The upper levels of the ship were for passenger use, while the bottom levels were for soldiers and crew. The ship had lavish decorations of ivory, marble, and mosaics on the floor that depicted the story of the Iliad. Needless to say, Syracusea was not your average ancient ship. Unfortunately, it's not known what happened to this remarkable ship. 9. Flying Cloud The Flying Cloud is a lovely-looking sailing ship that's best known for holding the world record for the fastest passage between New York and San Francisco. She achieved this feat in 1854, and she held the record for more than a hundred years until it was broken in 1989. Oddly enough, the Flying Cloud achieved this record with a female navigator, Eleanor Creasy. Women pretty much never navigated ships at that time, so the fact that a woman not only navigated it but also broke a world record is pretty cool. The trip took 89 days and 8 hours, which is incredible since the trip usually took around 200 days to cover the 16,000 miles. Flying Cloud first launched in 1851 and was built by Donald Mackay in East Boston, Massachusetts. She had a length of about 225 feet, a beam of 41 feet, and a depth of 21. She's the most famous clipper ship built by Mackay, and she's often referred to as an extreme clipper. She met her end, though, in 1874 when she went aground at Beacon Island Bar, St. John, New Brunswick. The ship was burned for copper fastenings and iron, but renderings of what the ship looked like with its billowing sails shows just how incredible this speedy sailing ship truly was. 8. Cuddy Sark The Cuddy Sark was built in 1869, and at the time, she was one of the fastest clipper ships on the planet. She was also one of the last T-Clippers ever built, marking the end of a booming design development area for this type of old ship. Cuddy Sark was built in Dumbarton, Scotland, and she was built for the Jock Willis shipping line. Her name comes from a fictional witch who was created by famed Scottish poet Robert Burns. The Cuddy Sark first launched on November 22, 1869. She was first owned by Joaquin Antunes Ferreira and Company, but she changed hands a number of times over the years, eventually becoming a museum ship acquired by the Cuddy Sark Preservation Society in 1953. She had a length of 212 feet, a beam of 36 feet, and a maximum speed of about 17.5 knots. She had a long time in service, and saw more than her fair share of applications. She started off as a tea trader, but eventually became a wool trader until steamships took over the sailing route to Australia. From there, she was sold to a Portuguese company where she was used as a cargo ship. In 1922, a retired sea captain named Wilfred Downman bought her and used her as a training ship. When he passed away, she was given to the Thames Nautical Training College and used as a cadet training ship until 1954, when she met her final destination at a dry dock at Greenwich, London, where she is still on public display. Cuddy Sark is part of the National Historic Fleet and is one of only three original composite construction clipper ships in the world. 7. The Nemi Ships Roman Emperor Caligula had a reputation for being a little on the crazy side. He reigned during the first century BC, and he did some pretty weird stuff, including ordering the construction of the famous Nemi ships. These two ships, one larger than the other, and to this day, no one really knows sure why these ships were built. The larger of these two ships was virtually a floating palace. It had mosaic floors, heating and plumbing, and several amenities, including baths, which was not common for ships at that time. Some believe that Caligula built these ships because he wanted to replicate the lavish lifestyles of the Hellenistic rulers of Syracuse, so it could be that he just wanted the ability to ship out onto Lake Nemi and live it up in luxury. One of these ships was 230 feet long and 66 feet wide, the other one was 240 feet long and 79 feet wide. They were both deliberately sunk when Caligula was forced from the throne. They lay at the bottom of the lake for almost 2,000 years, until they were finally reclaimed in 1929. Apparently, Mussolini, who knew the boats were at the bottom of the lake, ordered the lake to be drained. The water was pumped out and the Nemi ships were found, however, they were burned during World War II. In any case, regardless of their intended purpose, the Nemi ships when discovered proved that the ancient Romans were capable of building big ships. The general consensus before their discovery was that the Romans only built puny ships, so the Nemi ships forced historians to rethink it. So they have some pretty hefty historical significance. 6. The HMS Beagle The HMS Beagle was launched on May 11, 1820 from the Woolwich Dockyard on the River Thames, and at the time of its launch, there was no way to know that this ship would become one of the most famous old ships in history. The HMS Beagle had a length of 90 feet, a beam of 24 feet, and a draft of about 12 feet. Its armament included 10 guns, which was reduced to 7 guns for her second voyage. But it wasn't war that helped this ship become so famous, it was her passenger. The HMS Beagle took Charles Darwin around the world. It was aboard the Beagle during this five-year adventure that Darwin conducted some of his most legendary research. He studied geology, natural history, and ethnology. He kept a daily journal which he eventually published called The Voyage of the Beagle. The things he discovered during this trip around the world have played a pivotal role in forming many scientific theories on natural selection and evolution. The HMS Beagle was a Cherokee class of 10-gun Briggs sloops designed by Sir Henry Peake. After Darwin's iconic voyage, the Beagle had a third voyage to Australia before it was refitted as a static Coast Guard watch vessel, and was eventually sold to be broken up. Number 5. The Essex The Essex is a famous American whaling ship. But before we get to why this ship is so famous, let's take a look at its specs. The ship was 87 feet long, 24 feet wide, and had a draft of about 12 feet. It was laid down in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and was launched in 1799. For 20 years, she was a very profitable ship and had a reputation of being a lucky ship. And while that may be true, her luck ran out during her final voyage. Captained by George Pollard, one of the youngest men to ever captain a whaling ship, the crew of 21 set out on August 12th of 1819 from Nantucket. They were headed to South America and prepared for a two-year journey. She was plagued with problems right from the start. Only two days in, she was hit by a squall in the Gulf Stream. She almost sank and lost her top-gallant sail, as well as her two whale boats. When they finally reached their destination, there were no more whales left. So they went to a different location in search of some. Long story short, they found some whales. The Essex was destroyed in a sperm whale attack. The Essex was 2,000 nautical miles from the west coast of South America when the attack happened. The attack was widely publicized once the men finally returned home and was the inspiration for Herman Melville's American classic, Moby Dick. 4. THE GREAT REPUBLIC Behold, the Great Republic, the biggest wooden ship in the world. At least it was when it first launched in 1853. Along with her record-breaking size, the Great Republic was also the largest full-rigged ship ever built in the United States. The Great Republic was first owned by Donald McKay, transferred to A. A. Lowen Brothers, then to Captain J. S. Hatfield, and finally by Merchants Trading Company. The ship was in service from 1854 to 1872, and it was sunk in a storm off the Bermuda coast. The Great Republic, she was a four-masted medium clipper barque with a length of 334 feet, a beam of 53 feet, and a height of 247 feet keeled to masthead truck. She was propelled by sails and featured four continuous wooden decks. 6. THE GREAT REPUBLIC She had a 19-year merchant career where she was believed to be one of the fastest merchant ships around. Models and drawings try to capture this massive wooden ship in all its glory, although they likely don't do it justice. It would have been an incredible sight to see this ship in real time, with its far-reaching individual sails and all of its magnificent glory. 3. THE MAYFLOWER Rewind to 1620 as a group of anxious, excited pilgrims step aboard a beautiful ship called the Mayflower to embark on a journey in the New World. The Mayflower is an incredible-looking old ship that first launched in 1607, but its claim to fame is undoubtedly the 102 passengers it transported across the Atlantic Ocean to their new home in America. The ship dropped anchor on November 21st at the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Mayflower had an overall length of 110 feet approximately, more decks, and an unknown capacity. The class and type of the famous ship was a Dutch cargo flute. She was square-rigged with a beak-head bow and high, castle-like structures. These structures protected passengers from the grueling weather often encountered on long voyages across the ocean. However, on her stern was a 30-foot-high aft castle, which made it tougher for her to sail in the wind. Basically, she wasn't well-suited for North Atlantic's westerlies, so the trip that brought those first pilgrims over took more than two months. On the contrary, her trip back to England took half the time because the winds were at her back. She was a pretty heavily armed ship, with a Saker cannon, a Minion cannon, and two base cannons. She also carried seven cannons for long-range purposes and three smaller guns full of musket balls. She had three masts, the mizzen, aft, the main, midship, and the fore, as well as a spirit sail. It's not exactly known what happened to the Mayflower, but it is widely believed that she was taken apart in 1624 by Rotherhithe Shipbreaker. Because of the role she played in bringing pilgrims to the New World, the Mayflower has long since been recognized as a symbol of European colonization. 2. Viking Longships Oh, the Vikings. Known for their exploration and their warfare, the Vikings were famous for sailing incredibly long distances between the years 800 and 1066 from their Scandinavian homes. They are also famous for their longships, which were a type of specialized Scandinavian warship. Longships date back to around the 4th century BC, and although they were invented by the Norsemen, other cultures adopted the longship's characteristics in their shipbuilding endeavors, most notably the Anglo-Saxons. Needless to say, Viking longships have long-reaching influences, and some of the new methods involved in longship building are still used today. Longships were made from wood and had sails made from woven wool. They often featured detailed carvings on the hull, and they were long, narrow, and graceful, but at their heart they were built for speed. Longships had a really shallow draft, which allowed them to navigate in waters only a few feet deep, so the Vikings had the upper hand when it came to beach landings. Plus, because longships were lightweight, they could be carried onto land and used as a shelter in camps. They were double-ended, so they could reverse direction without needing to turn around. Their double-ended features made them especially valuable in waters plagued by icebergs and sea ice. Early versions of longships had oars along the majority of the length of the boat, while later versions had a rectangular sail to help out the rowers. Some of the earliest longships were hoartspring boats, which were paddled and not rowed, and were fastened with a cord. They were likely used for rivers, as they had a low bow and stern and not much carrying capacity. These boats evolved into the Njadam ships, which are considered to be the first true rowed longships. The peak of longship development was the Gokstad ship, sometime around the 800s. Viking shipbuilders, they didn't work with design plans or diagrams when building these longships. The shipbuilders simply pictured the ship based on other existing ships and then built it from the keel up. Longships were likely built from oak, partly because it's very durable, partly because it can be worked easily when it's green, and partly because oak was associated with Thor, a Viking mythological favorite. For this reason, it's likely that the most prestigious ships were made from oak. Viking longships, they truly had it all. Light, fast, stable, and easily transported, the longship was virtually unrivaled for hundreds of years and played an integral role in shipbuilding advances. 1. CHINESE CASTLE SHIPS Castle ships, they were aptly named, as they were pretty much ships with castle-like structures attached. Pictures of these ships bring to mind prince and princesses, or at the very least, a pretty cool ride. The ships started before the Han Dynasty, but it was under the Han Dynasty that these ships were really developed. More than 100 feet high, these ancient ships had three floors. The first floor was called Lu, and it was where various houses were. The second floor was called Feilu, or Flying Lu, while the third floor was called the Qixi, or Sparrow Room. It was from the top floor that people kept a lookout for enemies, and the top floor usually had a lot of archers. Three floors was the norm, but some castle ships boasted more floors, as many as ten. Also known as tower ships, they were sort of like a floating fortress. They were the central vessels in a fleet, and as such, they were heavily equipped with siege weapons. They could hold a thousand soldiers, and although they look like something you might want to take out on the water for a little cruise, they were very serious military vessels, not playthings. As far as incredible-looking old ships go, though, these ships are some of the coolest ones around, so they've earned the top spot on this list of 15 incredible-looking old ships. I'll see you next time.