List of worlds largest passenger ships
Encyclopedia
The is a timeline list of the world's largest passenger ships.
Ancient
- 240 BCE - SyracusiaSyracusiaSyracusia was a ancient Greek ship sometimes claimed to be the largest transport ship of antiquity. It only sailed once, from Syracuse in Sicily to Alexandria in the Ptolemaic Kingdom.-General characteristics:...
(Syracuse) - 200 BCE - ThalamegosThalamegosThalamegos was a , high, two-story Nile river palace barge. The huge twin-hulled catamaran was commissioned by Hellenistic king Ptolemy IV Philopator for himself and his wife Arsinoe III ca. 200 BCE....
(Ptolemaic KingdomPtolemaic KingdomThe Ptolemaic Kingdom in and around Egypt began following Alexander the Great's conquest in 332 BC and ended with the death of Cleopatra VII and the Roman conquest in 30 BC. It was founded when Ptolemy I Soter declared himself Pharaoh of Egypt, creating a powerful Hellenistic state stretching from...
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Middle ages
- 15th Century - Zheng He's Treasure ShipTreasure shipA Treasure ship is the name for a type of large wooden vessel commanded by the Chinese admiral Zheng He on seven voyages in the early 15th century in Ming Dynasty...
s (ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
)
Age of Discovery
The caravels became passenger ships as they transferred people of Europe to the New World in the late 16th and early 17th century, before the caravel became a thing of the past.- 16th Century - CaravelCaravelA caravel is a small, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed in the 15th century by the Portuguese to explore along the West African coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. The lateen sails gave her speed and the capacity for sailing to windward...
(PortugalPortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
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19th century
- 1831 - SS Royal WilliamSS Royal WilliamSS Royal William was a Canadian steamship that is sometimes credited with achieving the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to be made almost entirely under steam power, using sails only during periods of boiler maintenance, though the British-built Dutch-owned Curaçao crossed in 1827.The...
(CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) - 1837 - SS Great WesternSS Great WesternSS Great Western of 1838, was an oak-hulled paddle-wheel steamship; the first purpose-built for crossing the Atlantic and the initial unit of the Great Western Steamship Company. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Great Western proved satisfactory in service and was the model for all successful...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1839 - SS British QueenSS British QueenBritish Queen was a British passenger liner that was the second steamship completed for the transatlantic route when she was commissioned in 1839. She was named in honor of Queen Victoria and owned by the British and American Steam Navigation Company...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1840 - SS PresidentSS PresidentSS President was a British passenger liner that was the largest ship in the world when she was commissioned in 1840, and the first steamship to founder on the transatlantic run when she was lost at sea with all 136 on board in March 1841....
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1845 - SS Great BritainSS Great BritainSS Great Britain was an advanced passenger steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the Great Western Steamship Company's transatlantic service between Bristol and New York. While other ships had previously been built of iron or equipped with a screw propeller, Great Britain was the first...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1854 - SS HimalayaSS HimalayaSS Himalaya was built at Barrow-in-Furness by Vickers Armstrong and launched 5 October 1948. She began her service on the Tilbury-Bombay-Australia route in 1949 following her departure from the local shipbuilding yard in the August...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1854 - SS AtratoSS AtratoSS Atrato was a 3,184 tons iron built paddle steamer built by Messrs Caird & Co of Greenock, in 1853 for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. She ran on the South American service for 17 years. She was sold to John Morrison & Co London and in 1870 converted into a single-screw vessel with compound...
- 1858 - SS Great EasternSS Great EasternSS Great Eastern was an iron sailing steam ship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and built by J. Scott Russell & Co. at Millwall on the River Thames, London. She was by far the largest ship ever built at the time of her 1858 launch, and had the capacity to carry 4,000 passengers around the...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1871 - SS AdriaticSS AdriaticSS Adriatic may refer to one of several notable steamships named after the Adriatic Sea:, operated by the Black Ball Line in the mid-19th century, and was among the first ships to be depicted on a postage stamp when used on a 12c value of the United States in 1869, operated by the White Star Line...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1873 - RMS City of ChesterRMS City of ChesterRMS City of Chester was the largest passenger ship during 1873 and 1874....
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1875 - SS Britannic (1874)SS Britannic (1874)SS Britannic was the first of three ships to sail with Britannic name. All were part of the White Star Line, famous for Titanic and other ocean liners....
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1875 - SS City of BerlinSS City of BerlinCity of Berlin was a British passenger liner that won the Blue Riband for the Inman Line in 1875 as the fastest liner on the Atlantic. She was also the largest passenger ship for six years except for the inactive Great Eastern Built by Caird & Company in Scotland, City of Berlin was the Inman...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1881 - SS ServiaSS ServiaSS Servia was a 2-funnel ocean liner built by John Brown and Company, Clydebank, Scotland, for the Cunard Line. She had four decks and a promenade deck. At the time of her launching in 1 March 1881 it was the second largest of all ships in the world at 515 feet long and 52.1 feet wide, after SS...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1881 - SS City of RomeSS City of RomeCity of Rome was a British passenger liner of the Inman Line that was designed to be the largest and fastest liner on the Atlantic. While often regarded as the most beautiful liner to ever cross the Western Ocean, she proved to be a major disappointment and was returned to her builders after only...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1888 - SS City of New YorkSS City of New YorkCity of New York was a British built passenger liner of the Inman Line that was designed to be the largest and fastest liner on the Atlantic. When she entered service in August 1888, she was the first twin screw express liner and while she did not achieve the westbound Blue Riband, she ultimately...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) - 1893 - RMS CampaniaRMS CampaniaRMS Campania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 8 September 1891....
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1893 - RMS LucaniaRMS LucaniaRMS Lucania was a British ocean liner owned by the Cunard Steamship Line Shipping Company, built by Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company of Govan, Scotland, and launched on Thursday, 2 February 1893....
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1897 - SS Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse (GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) - 1899 - RMS OceanicRMS Oceanic (1899)RMS Oceanic was a transatlantic ocean liner, built for the White Star Line. She sailed on her maiden voyage on 6 September 1899 and, until 1901, was the largest ship in the world...
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
)
20th century
- 1901 - RMS CelticRMS Celtic (1901)RMS Celtic was an ocean liner owned by the White Star Line. The first ship larger than the in gross tonnage, Celtic was the first of a quartet of ships over 20,000 tons, dubbed The Big Four....
(United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 1902 - RMS CedricRMS CedricRMS Cedric was laid down in 1902 at the shipyard of Harland and Wolff, Belfast. RMS Cedric was the second of White Star's series known as the "Big Four", the other three being , and . Celtic was the first ship to exceed Brunel's in overall tonnage, which was quite an accomplishment, considering...
(United Kingdom) - 1903 - RMS BalticRMS Baltic (1903)RMS Baltic was an ocean liner of the White Star Line that sailed between 1904 and 1933. At 23,876 gross tons, she was the largest ship in the world until 1905...
(United Kingdom) - 1906 - SS Kaiserin Auguste VictoriaRMS Empress of Scotland (1906)RMS Empress of Scotland was the later name of an ocean liner built in 1905-1906 by Vulcan AG shipyard in Stettin for the Hamburg America Line. The ship was launched as the SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria; she regularly sailed between Hamburg and New York until the outbreak of war in Europe in 1914...
(Germany) - 1907 - RMS LusitaniaRMS LusitaniaRMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
(United Kingdom) - 1907 - RMS MauretaniaRMS Mauretania (1906)RMS Mauretania was an ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson at Wallsend, Tyne and Wear for the British Cunard Line, and launched on 20 September 1906. At the time, she was the largest and fastest ship in the world. Mauretania became a favourite among...
(United Kingdom) - 1911 - RMS OlympicRMS OlympicRMS Olympic was the lead ship of the Olympic-class ocean liners built for the White Star Line, which also included Titanic and Britannic...
(United Kingdom)
- 1912 - RMS Titanic (United Kingdom)
- 1912 - RMS Olympic (United Kingdom) (after the Titanic had sunk)
- 1913 - SS ImperatorSS ImperatorSS Imperator was an ocean liner built for the Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft launched in 1912. She was the first of a trio of successively larger Hamburg America ships that included and built by the line for transatlantic passenger service...
(GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) - 1913 - SS Vaterland (Germany)
- 1914 - SS Bismarck (Germany) (since 1922 as RMS MajesticRMS Majestic (1914)RMS Majestic, launched in 1914 as SS Bismarck, was, at 56,551 gross tonnage, the largest ship in the world until the completion of the in 1935. Originally slated to be the third and largest member of German HAPAG Line's trio of transatlantic liners, her completion was delayed by World War I...
(United Kingdom) - 1935 - SS NormandieSS NormandieSS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique. She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.Her novel...
(FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) - 1940 - RMS Queen ElizabethRMS Queen ElizabethRMS Queen Elizabeth was an ocean liner operated by the Cunard Line. Plying with her running mate Queen Mary as a luxury liner between Southampton, UK and New York City, USA via Cherbourg, France, she was also contracted for over twenty years to carry the Royal Mail as the second half of the two...
(United Kingdom) - 1972 - SS FranceSS France (1961)SS France was a Compagnie Générale Transatlantique ocean liner, constructed by the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard at Saint-Nazaire, France, and put into service in February 1962...
(France) - 1988 - MS Sovereign of the Seas (NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
), (Bahamas) - 1995 - Sun PrincessSun PrincessSun Princess may refer to:* MS Sun Princess , a Sun class cruise ship operating with Princess Cruises since 1995* MS Sun Princess , former name of New Flamenco...
(BermudaBermudaBermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
) - 1996 - Carnival DestinyCarnival DestinyCarnival Destiny is a cruise ship that is owned and operated by Carnival Cruise Lines. Destiny spends her time plying the waters of the Caribbean. Upon entering service in 1996, she was the largest passenger ship ever built as measured by gross tonnage, and the first passenger ship larger than the...
(Bahamas) - 1997 - Grand PrincessGrand PrincessGrand Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises. Built in 1998 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone , Italy, at a cost of approximately US$450 million, she was the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built at the time...
(BermudaBermudaBermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
) - 1999 - MS Voyager of the Seas (Bahamas)
- 2000 - MS Explorer of the Seas (Bahamas)
21st century
- 2002 - (Bahamas)
- 2004 - (United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - 2006 - (Bahamas)
- 2007 - (Bahamas)
- 2008 - (Bahamas)
- 2009 - (Bahamas)
- 2010 - (Bahamas)