LIST OF WORLD'S LARGEST WOODEN SHIPS

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A list of the 'world's largest wooden ships' is compiled below. The vessels are sorted by ship length including bowsprit, if known.

Contents

Methodology

Largest known wooden ships

Less well documented large wooden ships

Unconfirmed large wooden ships

References

Methodology

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 benefitted 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.

Largest known wooden ships

'Length'	'Beam'	'Name'	'Service'	'Current Status'	'Comment'
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 Rochelle, and the first large vessel in the Baltic Sea with carvel planking.[1]
58.5 m (200.1 ft)	11m	''Göteborg''	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.
65 m (213.2 ft)	10.6 m	''SV Tenacious''	2000-	operational	A recently made British ship designed for the disabled.
65.18 m (213.8 ft)	16.24 m	''L'Orient''	1791-1798	blew up	A French 118 gun first rate ship of the line, and 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	A British ship used as King Henry V's flagship. It burned after being hit by lightning.
69 m (226 ft)	15.7 m	''HMS Victory''	1759 - 1765	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 except for the Regalskeppet Vasa. She sits in dry dock in Portsmouth as a museum ship.
69 m (226.3 ft)	11.7 m	''Regalskeppet Vasa'' or ''Vasa''	1628-1628	museum ship	This Swedish ship sunk on its maiden voyage when a gale forced water onto the ship, it fell over on its port side and sank.[2]
70 m (229 feet)	18 m	Caligula Nemi ships	Ca. 37	destroyed	These two Roman ships were found in Lake Nemi, a volcanic lake about 30 km south of Rome when the lake was drained between 1929 and 1932.
71 m (233 ft)	13.5m	''Fregatten Jylland''	1860-1908	museum ship	A restored Danish ship on display in the coastal town of Ebeltoft, Denmark.
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.[3]
71.9 m (236 ft)	10.7 m (35.1 ft)	''SS Great Western''	1837-1856	disassembled in salvage yard	A British ship designed by the renowned English engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel for regular transatlantic steam "packet boat" service. It featured 4 masts to capitalize on the economies of sail power.
76 m	11 m	''HMS Sovereign of the Seas''	1637-1696	accidentally burned	Being one of the first three deckers, 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.
83.7 m (274.6 ft)	18.5 m	''Al-Hashemi-II''	2001-	museum and restaurant	Planning for this nonseagoing model of a Kuwaiti dhow began in 1985, and construction started in 1997.[4]
91.1 m (299 ft)	23.7 m (78 ft)[5]	''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 Maritime National Historical Park.
91.7 m (301 ft)	13.0 m (42.5 ft)	Frank O'Connor[6]	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.[7][8]
92.7 m (304 ft)	18.6 m (61 ft)	''Baron of Renfrew''	1825-1825	disassembled to sell components	This unseaworthy[9] British ship was a disposable ship.[10] Created to avoid taxes on timber, its components were sold after being towed from Quebec to Europe.
97.2 m (319 ft)	12.8 m (42 ft)	''Appomattox''	1896-1905	Great Lakes shipwreck in a fog	An American ship 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.[11]
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.[12]
100.4 m (329.5 ft)	15.3 m (51.1 ft)	''Wyoming''	1909-1924	sunk[13]	This American ship had a tendency to flex in heavy seas, causing the long planks to twist and buckle.[14] This allowed sea water into the hold, which had to be pumped out.[15]
101.8 m (334 ft)	16.2 m (53 ft)	''Great Republic''	1853-1872	abandoned leaking[16]	This American ship used iron bolts, and reinforced with steel, including 90 36 foot 4x1 inch cross braces, and metal keelsons.[17] The MIT Museum noted that: "''With this behemoth, McKay had pushed wooden ship construction to its practical limits.''"[18]
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.[19][20]
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.[21]
104 m (341 ft)	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.[22]
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 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.

Less well documented large wooden ships

'Length'	'Name'	'Completed'	'Comment'
54.86 m (180 ft)	''Isis''	Ca. 150	The Roman ship ''Isis'' was described by the sophist Lucian when he saw it in Athen's seaport Piraeus.
55.0 m (180.4 ft)	''Syracusia''	Ca. 240 BC	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.
73.2 m (240 ft)	''Great Michael''	1511	Some claimed that the ''Scottish'' ship ''Great Michael'' was over twice the size of its competition of the same era, and had oak sides over 3 meters (10 feet) thick. It was allegedly armed with the largest ship's cannon ever.[23]

Unconfirmed large wooden ships

'Purported Size'	'Name'	'Completed'	'Comment'
126.73m by 51.84m (415.780ft by 170.078ft)[24][25]	''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 long.[26] However, the size of treasure ships is still disputed[27]''Asia's Undersea Archeology'', Richard Gould, NOVA, PBS Television article[28][29] and they more probably were between 59 and 84 meters long.[30][31]
128.0 m by 17.7 m (420 ft by 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). There is no solid evidence of this ship actually existing save for two ancient references.[32][33][34]
137.0 m by 22.9 m (450 ft by 75 ft)	''Noah's Ark''	?	''Noah's Ark'' is described in accounts in Genesis and the Qur'an. The geological and historical evidence for its existence is in dispute, and most historians and scientists don't believe it ever existed.

References

1. The ''Peter von Danzig'' introduced the Mediterranean ship building technique of carvel planking into Northern Europe.
2. Because of the conditions of the Baltic Sea, the ''Regalskeppet Vasa'' was well preserved and was recovered relatively intact in 1961. It is now in the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. (''The Swedish Ship Vasa's Revival'')
3. ''China To Revive Zheng He's Legend'', China Daily, September 4, 2006
4. ''CNN WORLD REPORT: World's Largest Wooden Ship Unveiled in Kuwait'', CNN Transcript, July 8, 2001.
5. Her round-bottomed hull is 42 feet (12.7 m) wide by 277 feet (83.9 m) long. The house rests on a platform extending 18 feet (5.5 m) from the hull on either side.
6. Originally known as the City of Naples, it was one of 3 sister ships (the others being the City of Venice and the City of Genoa).
7. Its 2 sister ships were constructed the same way for the same reasons.
8. Service History, Frank O'Connor article, Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks website, Wisconsin Historical Society and University of Wisconsin Sea Grant.
9. ''She left Quebec Augt. 23rd & filled with water 650 Miles from land, drew 33 ft. & had 31 ft. water in her Hold, was waterlogged & went ashore in 3 pieces 24th Octr: near Calais.'' (''Baron Renfrew Timber Ship (Timber Drogher) 1825'', Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. R9266-3280 Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana).
10. Also known as a timber ship, or timber drogher.
11. ''Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Appomattox'' University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and Wisconsin Historical Society, 2003
12. ''Santiago'', Great Lakes Shipwrecks, ©1999-2007, David D. Swayze, Lake Isabella, MI, retrieved August 16, 2007.
13. It foundered in heavy seas in 1924 with loss of all hands.
14. The twisting and bucking of the planks were caused by the ''Wyoming's'' extreme length and mostly wood construction, although it did include metal bracing and other metal components.
15. Steam-driven pumps were installed and run constantly to keep the hold relatively dry.
16. It started to leak after encountering a hurricane off Bermuda.
17. ''Great Republic'', A Sailor (presumed to be Duncan McLean), Eastburn's Press, Boston, 1853
18. ''MIT Museum's Hart Nautical Collection Portrays the Romance and Reality of Clipper Ships: The Clipper Ship Era, A Fever for Gold, Speed, and Profit 1843-1869, September 30, 2004 — July 10, 2005; More on the history of the clipper ship: Remarkable Achievements, MIT Museum article.
19. "''Even the biggest of the 5,000-6,000-ton wooden battleships of the mid- to late 19th century and the 5,000-ton wooden motorships constructed in the United States during World War I did not exceed 340 feet in length or 60 feet in width. The longest of these ships, the Mersey-class frigates, were unsuccessful, and one, HMS Orlando, showed signs of structural failure after an 1863 voyage to the United States. The Orlando was scrapped in 1871 and the Mersey soon after. Both the Mersey-class frigates and the largest of the wooden battleships, the 121-gun Victoria class, required internal iron strapping to support the hull, as did many other ships of this kind. In short, the construction and use histories of these ships indicated that they were already pushing or had exceeded the practical limits for the size of wooden ships.''" (''Asia's Undersea Archeology'', Richard Gould, NOVA, PBS Television article)
20. "''Britain had built two long frigates in 1858 - HMS Mersey and HMS Orlando - the longest, largest and most powerful single-decked wooden fighting ships. Although only 335 feet long, they suffered from the strain of their length, proving too weak to face a Ship of the line in close quarters.''" (''HMS Warrior'', h2g2, BBC Television)
21. ''Wisconsin's Great Lakes Shipwrecks: Pretoria'' University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and Wisconsin Historical Society, 2003
22. ''The World's Largest Ship, And a Tale of Two Ports'', Alan Lucas, AFLOAT, October 2006
23. The ''Great Michael'' was said to carry the Mons Meg cannon, the largest gun ever carried on any vessel in history with a bore of 56 cm (22 inches) that fired a 180 kg (396 lb) projectile. It also carried dozens of other cannons.
24. "History of the Ming dynasty" «明史», Zhang Tingyu chief editor, published 1737, “四十四丈一十八丈”
25. "Eunuch Sanbao's Journey to the Western Seas" «三宝太监西洋通俗演义记»Luo Maodeng, published 1597, “宝船长四十四丈四，阔一十八丈，每只船上有九道桅。”
26. Stern rudder posts have been found that are over 15+ ft, and calculations show that the ships would have been around 400 ft long from this. Some claims of lengths as much as 600 feet exist.
27. ''Ancient Chinese Explorers'', Evan Hadingham, Sultan's Lost Treasures, NOVA, PBS Television
28. [http://www.chinapage.com/zhenghe.html ''The Great Chinese Mariner Zheng He [Cheng Ho]''], China the Beautiful webpage with Zheng He links.
29. ''Zheng He: China and the oceans in the early Ming dynasty 1404–1433'', Edward L. Dreyer, Longman, ISBN 0321084438, reviewed in ''China at sea'', Jonathan Mirsky, The Times Literary Supplement, Times Online, January 24, 2007
30. ''The Colossal Ships of Zheng He: Image or Reality?'', Sally K. Church, p.155-176 of ''Zheng He; Images & Perceptions'', South China and Maritime Asia , Volume 15, Hrsg: Ptak, Roderich /Höllmann Thomas, O. Harrasowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2005
31. If the Zeng He ships were indeed as large as the early records claimed, then the ships may well have required metal structural parts to keep the ships from leaking or warping.
32. ''Ships and Seamanship in the Ancient World,'' Lionel Casson 1994.
33. ''The Age of the Supergalleys'', Chapter 7 of ''Ships and Seafaring in Ancient Times'', Lionel Casson, University of Texas Press; 1st University edition, March 1994 ISBN-10: 029271162X.
34. Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists, Book 5, Loeb Classical Library No. 208, Harvard University Press, 1987