HMS Victory is a 104-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Launched in 1765, she is the world’s oldest naval vessel still in commission. Victory is best known for her role as Admiral Lord Nelson's flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. That battle cemented Britain’s dominance as a sea power through the early 20th century.
The Sultana was a commercial side-wheel, Mississippi steamboat that sank in 1865 killing 1,169 passengers and crew. Many of those who died were union soldiers who had just been released from a confederate prison camp. This tragedy remains the worst maritime disaster in United States history.
The USS Constitution, affectionately known as ‘Old Ironsides’, served in both the Barbary Wars and the War of 1812. The ship now resides at the USS Constitution Museum in Boston Harbor.
As the largest ship afloat, the Titanic left Southampton, England on her maiden voyage to New York City. Departing on April 10th, 1912, the Titanic sailed for 5 days before hitting an iceberg at 2:20 AM on April 15th. Of the 2,223 souls aboard, only 710 survived the crash and frigid waters off the coast of Nova Scotia.
The USS Midway (CV-41) is a US Naval aircraft carrier named after the World War II Battle of Midway. This carrier was commissioned one week after the end of that war and was the largest ship in the world until 1955. The USS Midway served during the Vietnam War, as well as in other engagements before being decommissioned in 1992. The carrier currently resides at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.
The Battle of the Ironclads, also known as the Battle of Hampton Roads, was fought over a two-day period during the American Civil War. This battle marked the first engagement between armor-plated warships heralding the evolution from wooden to steel military vessels.
There once was a real ship named Black Pearl captained by Henry Morgan, one of the world’s most notorious pirates. The Black Pearl which first sailed in 1669 fought many battles; the most famous of which was an invasion in Panama in 1671. The following year Captain Morgan was put in prison in England. Years later he returned to Jamaica as a judge and governor. Henry Morgan died in England in 1688 after a long illness.
Was built for the Imperial Japanese Navy shortly before World War II. She and her sister ship, Musashi, were the heaviest and most powerfully armed battleships ever constructed, displacing 72,800 tonnes. Her design plans were based upon Japan's belief that a powerful navy was the key to controlling the Pacific Ocean.
Referred to as Big Mo, this United States Navy battleship is best remembered as the site of the surrender of the Empire of Japan which ended World War II.
Big Mo was commissioned in June 1944. In World War II she fought in the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and later saw action in the Korean War.
Big Mo was decommissioned in 1955 but reactivated and modernized in 1984 as part of the 600-ship Navy plan. In January 1991 provided fire support during Operation Desert Storm.
German U-Boat Type XXI: Were a class of German diesel-electric submarines designed during the Second World War. They were the first submarines able to operate primarily submerged rather than spending most of their time as surface ships.
Was a Pennsylvania-class battleship, built in the mid-1910s and modernized in 1931. She was bombed during the attack on Pearl Harbor and sunk on December 7th 1941, killing 1,177 officers and crewmen.
The Golden Hind or Hinde was an English galleon best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake. She was originally known as the Pelican, but was renamed by Drake mid-voyage in 1578, as he prepared to enter the Strait of Magellan, calling it the Golden Hind to compliment his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose armorial crest was a golden 'hind' (a female deer). Hatton was one of the principal sponsors of Drake's world voyage.
The Golden Hind or Hinde was an English galleon best known for its circumnavigation of the globe between 1577 and 1580, captained by Sir Francis Drake. She was originally known as the Pelican, but was renamed by Drake mid-voyage in 1578, as he prepared to enter the Strait of Magellan, calling it the Golden Hind to compliment his patron, Sir Christopher Hatton, whose armorial crest was a golden 'hind' (a female deer). Hatton was one of the principal sponsors of Drake's world voyage.
The largest ship afloat left Southampton, England, April 10, 1912 on her maiden voyage to New York City. Just five days later at 2:20 am on the morning of April 15th she sank after hitting an iceberg 400 miles off the coast of Nova Scotia. Of the 2,223 people on board, only 710 survived.
There once was a real ship named Black Pearl captained by Henry Morgan, one of the world’s most notorious pirates. The Black Pearl which first sailed in 1669 fought many battles; the most famous of which was an invasion in Panama in 1671. The following year Captain Morgan was put in prison in England. Years later he returned to Jamaica as a judge and governor. Henry Morgan died in England in 1688 after a long illness.
Was launched in 1984 and first saw action during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. In 2001 on the evening of October 4th, the carrier launched the initial strike of Operation Enduring Freedom against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan from the North Arabian Sea. The ship is 1,092 feet long and holds up to 90 fixed wing and helicopters.