A list of the world's largest wooden ships is compiled below. The vessels are sorted by ship length including bowsprit, if known.
Finding the world's largest wooden ship is not straightforward since there are several contenders, depending on which definitions are used. For example, some of these ships benefited from substantial iron or even steel components since the flexing of wood members can lead to significant leaking as the wood members become longer. Some of these ships were not very seaworthy, and a few sank either immediately after launch or soon thereafter. Some of the more recent large ships were never able or intended to leave their berths, and function as floating museums. Finally, not all of the claims to the title of the world's largest wooden ship are credible or verifiable. A further problem is that especially wooden ships have more than one "length". The most used measure in length for registering a ship is the "length of the topmost deck" - the "length on deck" (LOD) - 'measured from leading edge of stem post to trailing edge of stern post on deck level' or the "length between perpendiculars" (LPP, LBP) - 'measured from leading edge of stem post to trailing edge of stern post in the construction waterline (CWL)'. In this method of measuring bowsprit including jibboom and out-board part of spanker boom if any have both no effect on the ship's length. The largest length for comparing ships, the total "over all" length (LOA) based on sparred length, should be given if known. The longest wooden ship ever built, the six-masted New England gaff schooner Wyoming, had a "total length" of 137 metres (449 ft) (measured from tip of jib boom (30 metres) to tip of spanker boom (27 metres)) and a "length on deck" of 107 m (351 ft). The 30 m (98 ft)-difference is due to her extremely long jib boom of 30 m (98 ft) its out-board length being 27 m (89 ft).
Contents |
| Length | Beam | Name | Service | Current Status | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.5 m (155.8 ft) |
11.7 m | Vasa | 1628-1628 | museum ship |
This Swedish warship sunk on its maiden voyage when a gale forced water onto the ship, it fell over on its port side and sank.[1] Her sparred length is estimated at 69 meters, but her measured deck length (between perpendiculars) is 47.5 meters (155.8 ft).[2] |
| 48 m (162 ft) |
13.5 metres (45.5 ft) | Mars | 1564 | sunk after battle | A Swedish warship with 107 guns, that sunk after the battle known as Action of 30 May 1564 of the Northern Seven Years' War. Wreck possibly relocated in 2011.[3] A possible sparred length has been estimated by divers as 80 meters. |
| 51 m (167.3 ft) |
12 m | Peter von Danzig | Before 1462- late 1470s | wrecked | A Hanseatic League caravel, built in the French Atlantic port town La Rochelle, and the first large vessel in the Baltic Sea with carvel planking.[4] |
| 58.5 m (191.9 ft) |
11 m | Götheborg | 2003- | operational | This Swedish ship is 40.9 m (134.2 ft) long without the bowsprit, and a replica of the original that sank off Göteborg in 1745. |
| 61.3 m (201.1 ft) |
16.2 m | Santísima Trinidad | 1769–1805 | sunk after battle | One of the few four-deckers ever built. 136 guns.[5] |
| 62 m (203.4 ft) |
17 m | Mahmudiye | 1829–1874 | disassembled to sell components | Mahmudiye (1829), ordered by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II and built by the Ottoman Imperial Naval Arsenal on the Golden Horn in Constantinople, was for many years the largest warship in the world. The 62x17x7m ship-of-the-line was armed with 128 cannons on 3 decks with complement of 1280. She participated in many important naval battles, including the Siege of Sevastopol (1854–1855) during the Crimean War (1854–1856). She was decommissioned in 1875. |
| 62.2 m (204.0 ft) |
13.3 m | USS Constitution | 1797- | museum ship | The second oldest commissioned warship (after the Royal Navy's HMS Victory) in any of Earth's navies, and the oldest wooden ship still afloat in the 21st century. |
| 65 m (213.2 ft) |
10.6 m | SV Tenacious | 2000- | operational | A recently made British ship designed for the disabled. |
| 65.2 m (213.8 ft) |
16.2 m | Orient | 1791–1798 | blew up | Of the French 118 gun Océan class ship of the line 16 ships were built. Orient was the flagship of the French Nile fleet. She was destroyed when fire reached her magazine during the Battle of the Nile. |
| 66.4 m (218 ft) |
15.2 m | Grace Dieu | 1420–1439 | sunken wreck | An English carrack used as King Henry V's flagship. It burned after being hit by lightning. |
| 69 m (226 ft) |
15.7 m | HMS Victory | 1765–1865 | museum ship | HMS Victory is a 104-gun ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She is the oldest naval ship still in commission and the only remaining ship of the line. She sits in dry dock in Portsmouth as a museum ship. |
| 71 m (233 ft) |
13.5 m | Jylland | 1860–1908 | museum ship | A restored Danish ship on display in the coastal town of Ebeltoft, Denmark It is the longest wooden ship in the world.[6] |
| 71.1 m (233.3 ft) |
14.1 m | Zheng He Treasure ship replica | 2008 (planned)- | under construction | This ship will exceed "the Göteborg, the world's largest wooden ship, by 10 m. in length" (sic), according to China Daily.[7] |
| 71.9 m (236 ft) |
10.7 m (35.1 ft) |
SS Great Western | 1837–1856 | disassembled in salvage yard | A British steamship designed by the renowned English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel for regular transatlantic steam "packet boat" service. In addition to its paddle wheels it carried 4 masts for supplementary propulsion and stability. |
| 76 m (249.3 ft) |
11 m (36 ft) |
HMS Sovereign of the Seas | 1637–1696 | accidentally burned | Being one of the first three-decker warships, the ship was built as deliberate attempt to bolster the reputation of the English crown. The ship took part in many battles after the upper deck had been removed for reasons of balance. |
| 78.3 m (256.9 ft) |
14.5 m | Adler von Lübeck | 1567-88 | disassembled | The Adler von Lübeck was built by Lübeck in two year's time to serve as the main fighting ship of the Hanseatic League. The galeon featured 138 guns, and space for 650 marines and a 350 men strong crew. It was the largest ship of its time.[8] |
| 80 m (262 ft) |
15 m | William D. Lawrence | 1874-1891 | converted to barge and sank under tow | The largest wooden sailing ship ever built in Canada, William D. Lawrence was built at Maitland, Nova Scotia and had a profitable career as cargo carrier under the Canadian flag and after 1883 under Norwegian ownership as Kommander Svend Foyn. She was converted to a barge in 1891 and later sank during a tow at Dakar. Her Sparred Length, including bowsprit was 335 ft / 102 m. [9] |
| 83.7 m (274.6 ft) |
18.5 m (60.7 ft) |
Al-Hashemi-II | 2001- | museum and restaurant | Planning for this non-seagoing model of a Kuwaiti dhow began in 1985, and construction started in 1997.[10] |
| 91.1 m (299 ft) |
23.7 m (78 ft)[11] |
Eureka | 1890–1957 | museum ship | Eureka is steamboat with twin, 27-foot paddlewheels. She carried railcars, cars and passengers across San Francisco Bay. This National Historic Landmark is at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. |
| 91.7 m (301 ft) |
13.0 m (42.5 ft) |
Frank O'Connor[12] | 1892–1919 | burned | A steam screw operating on the Great Lakes, it required an innovative iron and steel-reinforced hull to be a viable vessel.[13][14] |
| 91.7 m (301 ft) |
15.4 m (50 ft) |
Columbus | 1824–1825 | broke apart and sunk | It was the first timber ship or disposable ship[15] with a kind of four-masted barque rigging - just three square sails (course, top, and topgallant sails) per mast, two fore and aft sails on the spanker mast, and two foresails. Built to avoid taxes on timber (the timber used for the ship was tax-free), its cargo and components were intended to be sold after the ship's arrival from Quebec (Anse-du-Fort) to London. Changing its plans Charles Woods, her builder and owner, had only the cargo discharged and sold and ordered the ship back for another voyage with a timber cargo before being disassembled. But the ship broke apart and sunk in the Channel on her return voyage to St. John, New Brunswick. The ship had a 356 ft / 108 metres over all length. |
| 92.7 m (304 ft) |
18.6 m (61 ft) |
Baron of Renfrew | 1825-1825 | stranded and broke apart; planned to be disassembled to sell components | This unseaworthy[16] British ship was a disposable ship.[17] Created to avoid taxes on timber, its components were intended to be sold after the ship's arrival from Quebec to London. The ship stranded on the Goodwin Sands and broke apart while being towed with a pilot aboard. Parts of her timber were found on the French coast. The ship had 5,294 GRT and an over all length of 362 ft / 110 metres. |
| 97.2 m (319 ft) |
12.8 m (42 ft) |
Appomattox | 1896–1905 | run aground and sunk | A Great Lakes steamship capable of carrying 3000 tons of bulk cargo. Built with metallic cross bracing, keelson plates, and multiple arches because of its extreme length. Several syphons and steam-driven pumps were required to keep it afloat. Towed the steamer barge Santiago.[18] |
| 98.8 m (324 ft) |
14.0 m (46 ft) |
Santiago | 1899–1918 | swamped in gale and sunk | An American schooner-barge on the Great Lakes, towed by the Appomattox until 1905 and then the steamer John F. Morrow until 1918.[19] |
| 97.84 m (311 ft) |
15.0 m (49 ft) |
Roanoke | 1892–1905 | sunk after having burnt down to the waterline | A huge four-masted barque with skysails of a total length of 360 ft (110 m) and 3,539 GRT. In 1905 she was in command of Capt. Jabez A. Amesbury when it caught fire while loading at the anchorage of Noumea. The crew, sustained by those of the four-masted barque Susquehanna of the same owner and the three-masted ship Arabia, all in all 60 men, tried to fight the fire. This American ship used iron bolts and steel reinforcements. It belonged to the fleet of Arthur Sewell & Co. of Bath, Maine. It was the largest wooden ship (115 m / 377 ft LOA) after the Great Republic.[20][21] |
| 100.4 m (329.5 ft) |
15.3 m (50 ft 1 in) |
Wyoming | 1909–1924 | sunk[22] | This American ship had a tendency to flex in heavy seas, causing the long planks to twist and buckle.[23] This allowed sea water into the hold, which had to be pumped out.[24] The over-all-length including jibboom was 450 feet (140 m). |
| 102.1 m (335 ft)[25] |
16.2 m (53 ft) |
Great Republic | 1853–1872 | abandoned leaking[26] | This American ship used iron bolts, and reinforced with steel, including 90 36 foot 4x1 inch cross braces, and metal keelsons.[27] The MIT Museum noted that: "With this behemoth, McKay had pushed wooden ship construction to its practical limits.".[28] The over-all-length including jibboom was 400 ft (120 m). |
| 102.1 m (335 ft) |
18.3 m (60 ft) |
HMS Orlando and HMS Mersey | 1858–1871, 1875 resp. | sold as scrap | These British warships were pushing the limits of what was possible in wooden ship construction and suffered structural problems.[29][30] |
| 103 m (338 ft) |
13.4 m (44 ft) |
Pretoria | 1900–1905 | sunk | An American barge built for use on the Great Lakes. To strengthen its wooden frame and hull, it included steel keelson plates, chords, arches, and also was diagonally strapped with steel. A donkey engine powered a pump to keep its interior dry.[31] |
| 115.0 m (377.3 ft) |
22.2 m (72.8 ft) |
Rochambeau | 1865–1874 | scrapped | This French ship was an iron-clad ship built in New York. About 50 feet (15 m) of her length was a ram. She was not particularly stable or seaworthy, even with her substantial metal components, and only made one voyage in the open ocean to reach her new owners. |
| Modern estimates are approx 104m (341 feet) | 20.3 m (66 ft) |
Caligula's Giant Ship | ca. 37 | foundation of lighthouse | Traces of this Roman barge were found during the construction of Rome's Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Fiumicino, Italy. Some speculate that this ship, or a similar ship, was used to transport the obelisk in St. Peter's Square from Egypt on the orders of Roman emperor Caligula.[32] |
| Length | Name | Completed | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 m (180 ft) |
Isis | ca. 150 | The Roman ship Isis was described by the sophist Lucian when he saw it in Athens' seaport Piraeus. |
| 55 m (180 ft) |
Syracusia | ca. 240 BCE | The Greek ship Syracusia is claimed to be the largest transport ship of antiquity. It was designed by Archimedes and built around 240 BC by Archias of Corinth on the orders of Hieron II of Syracuse. |
| 73 m (240 ft) |
Great Michael | 1511 | Some claimed that the Scottish carrack Great Michael was over twice the size of its competition of the same era, and had oak sides over 3 meters (10 ft) thick. It was allegedly armed with the largest ship's cannon ever.[33] |
| Modern estimates range from 63–95 m by 27–32 m | Hatshepsut's barge | ca. 1500 BCE | Used to transport obelisks.[34][35][36][37] |
| 127×52 m (416×170 ft)[38][39] |
Treasure ship | 15th c. | Historical records from the document "History of the Ming dynasty" claim that the largest Chinese Treasure Ships were more than 400 feet (120 m) long.[40] However, the size of treasure ships is still disputed[41][42][43][44] and some scholars argue that they were probably closer to 200–250 feet in length,[45] while others argue that they were actually 309–408 feet in length and 160–166 feet in width. [46] |
| Purported Size | Name | Completed | 'Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 115×14 m (377×46 ft)[47][48] |
Thalamegos | ca. 200 BCE | Thalamegos (Ancient Greek θαλαμηγός = "leader of the rooms" from θάλαμος, -οι (thálamos, pl. -oi) = room(s) and ἡγεῖσθαι (hegeísthai) - to lead, guide) was a river going pomp boat of Ptolemy IV Philopator.[49] It was divided into two storeys with different preciously designed rooms and halls, the upper one for the queen, the lower one for the pharaoh with a taller height. The ship had a twin hull like a catamaran, with one single mast with a yard and sail on the forecastle, and is said to have been towed from the banks of the Nile. Columns surrounded the storeys like a temple. Athenaios' report doesn't tells us where the servants' rooms were installed, probably on both the upper and lower storeys. Some sources report a second large ship, the Tessarakonteres (forty), of the same king. |
| 128×18 m (420×58 ft) |
Tessarakonteres | ca. 200 BCE | The Greek trireme Tessarakonteres reportedly carried a crew of 400, was powered by 4000 oarsmen and transported 2850 soldiers, according to Athenaeus and Plutarch (Life of Demetrios). Historical evidence for this ship is limited to ancient references.[50][51][52] |
| 137×23 m (450×75 ft) |
Noah's Ark | unknown[53] | Noah's Ark is described in accounts in Genesis and the Qur'an. |
|
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