Ship History

ALBATROS

Albatros was a sailing ship built as a schooner at the state shipyard in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in 1920, to serve as a pilot boat in the North Sea. The slender shape of the hull and the relatively smooth lines of the deck were copied from the French frigates.

AMERICA

This fantastic schooner was made due to the world yachting. It was launched in 1851 according to a project of Georges Steers, with the aim of participating in the cup of 100 guineas held in England, known now as America's Cup.

AMERIGO VESPUCCI

Launched in 1931 in the Naval shipyard of Castellamare di stabia in Italy, the Amerigo Vespucci is realized by the lieutenant Colonel Francesco Rotundi. She has sailed the seas of the world from the masts, built to withstand a wind pressure of 3000 sq meters sail.

ASTROLABE

This vessel was built in 1811 and began service as a horse barge named “LA COQUILLE”. This celebrated small ship circumnavigated the globe three times, each voyage lasting three years, and always with the famous DUMONT D'URVILLE on board. Concerted into a corvette and still named “LA COQUILLE”, she made a first scientific voyage under the commanded of DUPERREY from 1822 to 1825.

AUSTRALIA II

The Australia II is a 12-metre class yacht and the first successful challenger for the America's Cup after 132 years. Designed by Ben Lexcen and built by Steve Ward, owned by Alan Bond and helmed by John Bertrand.

BELEM

The Belem is a three-masted barque from France. Launched on 10 June 1896. It was build in the Chantiers Adolphe Dubigeon, Nantes (Chantenay-sur-loire). She was originally a cargo ship transporting sugar from West Indies. Actually she is a training ship.

BELLE POULE

The first Belle Poule was built at Bordeaux in 1765, and went on a long cruise on the route to India, thus paving the way for Suffren's cruise. She fought against the Arethusa a battle which remained famous in the French Royal Navy's annals, and knew a bevy of famous officers such as Marigny, Kergarion, and La Perouse. For a long time, the Belle Poule was on mission in the Indian Ocean.

BERLIN

Berlin is a frigate build in Brandenburg in 1674. One of the first charter frigates put at the disposal of Frederic William by the Brandenberg Navy. Berlin is the largest vessels of the German Navy.

BLUE NOSE

Blue Nose originated as a nick-name for Nova Scotians from as early as the late eighteenth century. The original Blue Nose was built in Smith & Ruth land's shipyard located in Lunenburg, New Scotland and Canada in 1921 and was commanded by the courageous captain Angus Walters of Lunenburg. In 1963, Colonel Orland De Halifax ordered the construction of an exact replica of the original Blue Nose, he named it Blue Nose II.

BOUNTY

Under the command of Captain Bligh, the three-masted Bounty with 44 men on board left for the island of Tahiti on 24th December 1787. Her mission was to collect as many breadfruit trees as possible and to take them to the West Indies. Captain Bligh was later made a Colonial Governor and promoted to Rear Admiral.

BRICK NEGRIER

Slave brick, authorized during three centuries, the slaves trade was officially condemned by certain European countries in 1815 under the Vienna Treaty. (England had abolished slavery in 1807). In spite of legal prohibition, severe punishment, and a very strict control, the slave trade went on nevertheless during half a century.

CHEBEC

The Chebec seemed to be the successor of the Dromon and had a lot of the characteristics of the schooner. A three masted Arab ship with lateen sails, the foremast inclined towards the front and the mizzen, much smaller, towards the rear- the bowsprit propping up the standing-jib. At first, the chebec was a 30 to 40 oars vessel which used its sails only in facourable winds whilst in full the ship was propelled by the oarsmen.

CALYPSO

Calypso was originally a wooden-hulled minesweeper built for the British Royal Navy by the Ballard Marine Railway Company of Seattle, Washington, USA, converted into a research vessel for the oceanography researcher Jacques-Yves Cousteau, equipped with a mobile laboratory for underwater field research. She was severely damaged in 1996, and is undergoing a complete refurbishment in 2009. The ship is named after the Greek mythological figure Calypso.

CANOT IMPERIAL

The Imperial Barge was built in 1811 to a design by the engineer Guillemare. Construction went at great speed: she was built in 21 days apart from the decoration which is rich and abundant: there is a multiple figurehead, the imperial arms on the upper stern rais and, surmounting a magnificent poop, a large crown supported by four cherubs. Napoleon I used it to visit the port of ANTWERR. In 1943, the ship was taken by rail to PARIS to be laid up with some difficulties, in the Maritime Museum.

CONSTITUTION

Named after the Constitution of the United States of America by President George Washington, she is the oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat in the world. In July 1828, she was due to be taken provisionally out of service then the government decided that she should be scrapped. Constitution's mission today is to promote understanding of the Navy's role in war and peace through educational outreach, historic demonstration, and active participation in public event.

CUTTY SARK

Cutty Sark's construction bankrupted the builders, Scott and Linton of Dumbarton. She had to be completed by Denny Brothers at Dumbarton in 1870. She was famous for her record trips to China for the commerce of tea and later on to Australia for the wool trade. The Cutty Sark was sold to the Portuguese shipowners FERREIRA who named her after their family. She now lies preserved in dry dock at GREENWICH, a fitting tribute to a great epoch.

THE DUYFKEN

In 1606 the little Dutch East India Company ship, Duyfken, came upon the coast of Cape York Peninsula. Its skipper, Willem Jansz, went to his grave without knowing that his crew was the first Europeans to land on the shrores of the sixth continent. His chart lay undiscovered in the archives for many years. Nearly four hundred years later, a small group of dedicated people set themselves the daunting task of bringing the Duyfken story back to life. They built a replica of the ship, as a gift to the nation on the eve of the millennium, and sought out the stories of the earliest European explorers of the Great South Land. Their project itself would turn into a modern voyage of discovery.

EGYPTIAN

The Egyptian boats has neither keel nor frames and were built on the same principles as the early basket boats in papyrus blocks of sycamore or acacia 2 metres long and 9 cms think rather than planks were pegged and held in place by ropes girding the hull-the extremities were bent or hogged and supported not by a keel running under the hull but by a great rope stretched over it in the form of a truss. This was tensioned by inserting a stout piece of wood between the strands, and twisting them in the form of what was later called a “Spanish windlass”. Thus the ship emerges on the stage of history as an expression of royal power.

ENDEAVOUR COOK

James Cook, arguably the greatest seaman of them all, portrayed by the artist Nathaniel Danee. Even today, his surveys are considered masterpieces of the hydrographers art and he founded a tradition of sea charting in which the Royal Navy can take pride. Cook's first voyage was made in a small converted collier, the Earl of Pembroke which was renamed the Endeavour. She completed a five month voyage to England, via the Cape of Good Hope, to arrive in London in March 1997.

FRANCE II

The France II was a French sailing ship and the second one of that name. She was the largest sailing ship in the world merchant fleet ever built. Built in 1911 at the Gironde yards ("Chantiers et Ateliers de la Gironde") in Bordeaux according to the plans of chief designer Gustave Leverne.

FRIESLAND

The Admiralty of Friesland or Frisian Admiralty was one of the five admiralties of the Dutch Republic. Set up on 6 March 1596, it was dissolved in 1795 during the reforms by the Batavian Republic. On 5 May 1597, Hoitze Aisma, Feijcke Tetmans, Sicke van Dijckstra, and Frans Jansz were entrusted with creating the Frisian Admiralty board.

GORCH FOCK

The Gorch Fock is a tall ship of the German Navy (Deutsche Marine). She is the second ship of that name and a sister ship of the Gorch Fock built in 1933. Both ships are named in honor of the German writer Johann Kinau who wrote under the pseudonym "Gorch Fock" and died in the battle of Jutland/Skagerrak in 1916. The modern-day Gorch Fock was built in 1958 and has since then undertaken 146 cruises (as of October 2006), including one tour around the world in 1988. She is sometimes referred to (unofficially) as the Gorch Fock II to distinguish her from her older sister ship.

GOLDEN HIND

Flying Sir Francis Drake's pennant this ship set sail in 1577 from Plymouth, with a group of four other frigates. However the Golden Hind was the only vessel of the original squadron to continue on a expedition that would become famous the world over.

HARVEY

The Clipper ship Harvey was built in 1847 in the state of Maryland. She was sailing out of the port of Galveston, Texas. The Harvey like other Clippers was built with two masts. Clippers were used for a number of purposes, all of which made the most of their speed.

HERMIONE

The Hermione was a 12-pounder Concorde class frigate of the French Navy. She became famous when she ferried General La Fayette to the United States in 1780 to allow him to join the American side in the American Revolutionary War. Built in eleven months at Rochefort, by the shipwright Henri Chevillard. Between May and December she underwent successful sea trials in the Gulf of Gascony under the command of Vassor de la Touche. In 1792 again in service against the British, she ran aground off Croisic, and was then wrecked by heavy seas. In 1997 rebuilding project starts in Rochefort.

HMS AGAMEMNON

HMS Agamemnon was the most famous Royal Navy 91-gun battleship ordered by the Admiralty in 1849. Agamemnon fought at the Battle of the Saintes, the Battle of Copenhagen, Battle of Santo Domingo and of course, Trafalgar, the summit of her career. Unfortunately she wrecked in Maldonado Bay in 1890 bringing her end. Nelson, the legendary British navy legend who commanded the HMS Agamemnon between 1793 and 1796, always referred to HMS Agamemnon as his favorite ship.

HMS INDEFATIGABLE

HMS Indefatigable was launched in early July 1784 and completed from 11 July to 13 September of that year at Portsmouth Dockyard as a 64-gun two-decked third-rate ship of the line for the Royal Navy. At that time, she was already nearly obsolete for the main battle line, and was never brought into commission in that role. In October 1804, Indefatigable, commanded by Graham Moore, with three other frigates intercepted a Spanish treasure fleet carrying bullion from the Caribbean back to Spain. Indefatigable was selected by C. S. Forester as the ship on which his fictional hero Horatio Hornblower spent most of his time as a midshipman in the novel Mr. Midshipman Hornblower. HMS Indefatigable is also mentioned in a novel by Alexander Kent.

HMS MARY ROSE

The Mary Rose was built in the years between 1510 and 1515 against the ever present threat of the French Navy. She was an English Tudor carrack warship and one of the first to be able to fire a full broadside of cannons and was well equipped with 78 guns (91 after an upgrade in 1536) and was the pride of the English fleet. Built in Portsmouth, England (1509–1510) she was thought to be named after King Henry VIII's sister Mary and the rose. She was one of the earliest purpose-built warships to serve in the Royal Navy; it is thought that she never served as a merchant ship. The surviving section of the ship was raised in 1982 and is now on display in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard along with an extensive collection of well preserved artefacts.

HMS MERCURY

Mercury was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard on 16 March 1876, launched on 17 April 1878 and completed on 18 September 1879. The ship carried a complement of 275 officers and men. Then Mercury found itself between two ships. Swarms and swarms of cannon balls flew to Mercury. To the Turkish surprises, a demand to surrender was only returned with carronade volleys. Finally, Mercury's accurate 24-pound shot damaged Selimie's main topgallant mast and made the ship hard to maneuver. Mercury's damages: 22 holes in the hull, 133 holes in the sails, 16 damages in the masts and spars, and 148 in rigging. Mercury served until November 9th, 1857 (38 years of service) when she was disassembled due to her age. Her name was passed on in the Russian Black Sea Fleet: a corvette in 1865 and two cruisers in 1883 and 1907.

HMS SURPRISE

HMS SURPRISE was launched at Blackwall in 1856 and broken up in Plymouth in 1866. Led by Jack Aubrey in 1805 during the Napoleonic era, the British ship HMS Surprise received specific instructions: "Intercept French Privateer, Acheron…you will sink, burn, or take her as prize." However, it was Acheron that took the British ship by surprise. In the raffle Surprise suffered major damage including the death of many men. But at the end conquer and capture the Acheron. This triumph of HMS Surprise was matchless all through the world's naval history.

JUNK

The Chinese Junk had reached such a state of perfection that there had been little change in its development for over 2000 years. Furthermore, the Chinese ship construction included two very important innovations. First the stern hung rudder which was used by the Chinese, centuries before the other sea faring nations. Second the sails were made of small sections of cloth stiffered laterally by light bamboo battens.

KING OF MISSISSIPI

King Mississipi is a reminiscent of Mark Twain's famous Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, this authentic Mississipi Paddlewheel Steamboat takes you back in time. This exquisite steamboat, also known as a steamer or steamship, is a wooden model replica of the steam powered ships typically driven by a propeller or paddlewheel.

LA CONFIANCE

Build in Bordeaux in 1799, she was sent out to Mauritius the same year under the command of captain Tandin. On her arrival at Port-Louis the agents for the vessel offeres the command to Robert Surcouf, a young corsair from Saint Malo who has operated out of Mauritius for a couple of years. Surcouf left Port-Louis in January 1801 and arrived at La Rochelle 72 days later with a cargo valued at 2000000 francs. La Confiance was captured off the African coast in 1803.

LA COURONNE

A 72 gun three masted galleon, manned by a crew of 638 men, the COURONNE was the first warship to be totally French in it's conception and realisation. A whole forest was used building this warship which became a model for other foreign powers, its hull being 40 metres long. The Couronne although mounting 72 guns, was the more effective man of war than the 100 gun Sovereign of the seas, riding with greater freeboard and well served, might deliver as heavy a broadside in all but calm weather. When in 1638, it joined the Biscay saquadron, it was the object of great surprise and admiration as never had such a huge ship been seen in European seas.

LANGOUSTIER

Langoustier is a boat equipped for the fishing of crayfish. For fishing distance, these last exceed 50 barrels. The most part are equipped with a fish tank put in the centre and supported in constant communication with the sea. The modern Langoustier is 30 meters long and can load living crayfishes from 30 to 40 tones in the fish tank. The term Langoustier also indicates nets in the form of deep scales to take crayfishes.

MARIE JEANNE

This model is that of a classical Tuna fishing boat that first appeared from the fishing ports of La Rochelle and Sables d'Olonnes on the Bay of Biscay. A well-known owner called Pierre Baron had the idea of transforming the standard type of tuna fisher to present day lives. It was successful that all new Tuna fishermen began to transform their boats according to his specification.

MARIEVILLE

It was not until 1801 that the first working paddle steamer was built under the patronage of the Lord Dundas and called the CHARLOTTE DUBDAS which was 50 feet long and driven by a single paddle wheel recessed in the stern. However caution was necessary because not only were they inclined to have frequent breakdowns, but also had to have coal stocks easily accessible which was on of the two reasons when they appeared on Lakes Rivers and canals; the second reason being their instability in stormy seas. Those paddle steamers began to appear in the early days of the nineteenth century on the Hudson in the United States land navigation for a century to be enshuned in the legend of the American West.

MAURITIUS

A 160 ft long and 40 ft wide ship manned by a crew of 150 men and build in Amsterdam in 1601-1602, the Mauritius was the third of the name. Admiral Ship of Wifbrand Van Warwijch under the command of Capt Pieter Cornelisz Van Petter, the Mauritius left Texel on 17th June 1602 en route towards BANTAM. After a brief stop at Plymouth the ship reached Cape Palmas on 23rd August and the Cape of Good Hope on the 12th December 1602 and arrived safely at BANTAM on the 29th April 1603. Laden with pepper, clove, nutmeg and mace, the Mauritius and the Rotterdam returned to Amsterdam in mid July 1603. On its second voyage in June 1605 the Mauritius left with eleven other ships under the command of Admiral Cornelius TELIEFF, and arrived in the Island of Mauritius where it stayed the whole month January 1606. In May, The Mauritius took part in the siege of Malacca, which was abandoned after a sea battle lasting several months. The ship later travelled to china, Bantam etc and left for Amsterdam via Madagascar on 27th December 1607. However, it never reached Amsterdam as it sank in a storm at Cape Lopez.

MERCATOR

Infact when one said Ostende he means Mercator. This Belgium school ship sailed until 1960. It was on board of this ship that the dead body of father Damien was sent home. This three masts ship has its interior preserved as in its original design. Nowadays the Mercator is like a museum where are exhibited maritime objects collected when the ship was sailing in different seas. While visiting the ship, someone may enlarge his knowledge about school ship.

NEPTUNE

Neptune was one of the notorious Second Fleet ships to Port Jackson. Built in the River Thames in 1779, at 809 tons she was the largest ship of the fleet. In company with Surprize and Scarborough she sailed from England with 421 male and 78 female convicts on 19 January 1790. Her master was Donald Traill and surgeon was William Gray. She and Scarborough were parted from Surprize in heavy weather and arrived at Port Jackson on 28 June 160 days out from England. During the voyage 158 convicts died (31%) and 269 (53%) were sick when landed.

PAQUEBOT FRANCE

Built in shipyard under the name of PICARDIE, renamed FRANCE before her launching, At the time, the largest French steamer, The only French steamer with 4 funnels. FRANCE leaves Le Havre for her maiden trip on April 20, 1912, that is to say 5 days after the shipwreck of TITANIC. The steamer will carry out all her career on the line Le Havre-New York. Leaves Le Havre on April 15 1935, that is to say less than one month before the maiden arrival of NORMANDIE, to be demolished.

PHOENICIAN MERCHANT SHIPS 800 BC

The Phoenician vessels fell into two types, a coasting craft known as a gaulus and a seagoing ship called a hippo (a horse as prow head), able to make the fearful voyage into the strange, tidal Hyperborean seas. The hippo was fully decked and pierced with hatches. She boasted stem and stern posts which bore decorations such as horses' heads. According to the Old Testament, Ezekiel reports one such ship to have” Ship boards, of fir trees of SENHIR” and cedars of Lebanon” to make masts…of the oaks of BASHAN” have they made their oars. What is perhaps significant is that these ships made no more random voyages, but those requiring organizational effort, skill and knowledge. One can assume with a primitive ships were manned and commanded by men whose knowledge of their trade was that of boatmen. As such the Phoenicians can be seen as the first true seafarers, founding the art of pillotage, cabotage and navigation. Equally the hippo, for all it's ungainly connotations to our modern sensibilities, would appear to be the first true ship, built of planks capable of carrying a dead weigh cargo and being sailed and steered.

PRAO

Originally the praos were simple dugouts with a balancing pole, (still to be found in Madagascar in the form of the Sakalave) and gradually under the influence of the Chinese and the Arabs, the ship were built in teak complete with keel and ribs and able to travel thousands of miles in the Indian as well as the pacific Ocean. Commerce between India on one side and Malaya and Indonesia on the other side started centuries before the Christian era. The historian Hall stated that it was not a one sided affair both parties crossing the gulf of Bengal in their trade relations. The Malays have always been excellent explorers and have taken part in far away migrations. Anyhow, it is well known that they were the only navigators to make use of the current which crosses the Indian Ocean from East to West South of the Equator to sail to Madagascar and South Africa.

PRINS WILHEMS

The "PRINS WILHEM" belonged to the Dutch Company of the East Indies. Built at Middleburg during 1649-1650, under the direction of the carpenter cornelis Spendernieuw. On 23rd December 1661, the "PRINS WILHEM" with other ships, commanded by Arnold de Vlaming VanDudshorn, Governor of Ambon headed for the Low Countries. The small fleet never reached its destination, perhaps due to a violent storm, the ship was wrecked near the island of Brandon.

ROMAN MERCHANT SHIP 300 BC

A sturdy, broad beamed, capacious wooden keel-based hull, planked and decked, and clearly capable of lifting a reasonably deadweight, the Roman merchant ship was certainly derived from the ships of the –Phoenicians. The vessel had high stern post being fashioned into a decorative finial, usually a swan's neck and head. The hull was double ended but the deck was carried out over the stern into a rudimentary poop with a deck cabin and on either quarter protrusions of the deck enabled the twin oars to be fitted and handled. The vessel also bore a single mast support by shroud and a forestay, tensioning being achieved by dead eyes and lanyards. On the mast a square sail was hoisted on a yard by a halliard (haul-yard) which was clewed by brails. The sail and yard could then be lowered by the deck. It was usually approximately 55 m long, over 12 m in the beam and with a similar depth from deck to keelson. Later on, the Romans developed vessels, capable of seaborne invasion, which were built near the locality in which they were required to serve.

REALE DE FRANCE

The Galley belonged to the King of France, thus the name 'REALE'. She was sumptuously decorated by the famous sculptor Pierre Puget… Her ornamentation is still displayed in the Musee de la Marine in Paris. The REALE had a total length of 63ms and having 50 oars, each oar was manoeuvred by 7 men. There were 413 oarsmen alone on the vessel. Most oarsmen would have been either slaves or criminals condemned to life imprisonment. Arms consisted of 5 pieces in bronze concentrated to bow under the forecastle on special sliding carriages, and by 11 swivelguns.

RIVA AQUA RAMA

The "Riva Aqua Prima Ponte" is another example of Italian design and craftsmanship. It is built from specially selected African mahogany and is hand finished. As the "Aqua Rama Special" the Aqua Prima Ponte" fittings are all hand made from brass and then chrome plated. The deck was planked using mahogany and pine. The whole boat was then given nine coats of varnished.

ROTER LOWE

The Galleon Roter Lowe was built in the Netherlands in 1597 and was bought by the council of Konigsberg. It was in service as a vendettas-boat in Pillau from 1602 to 1605 under Captain Peter Hintze's command. The sizes of the Roter Löwe are unknown; however, on the ground of the tonnage of 240tons and the construction methods at that time, it was possible to reconstruct a ship having a length of 28 meters from prow to stern and a width of about 8 meters. Equipment: 12 iron guns on the lower deck - 4 guns to launch stone balls on the deck and 2 other for the retreat - 4 culverins. Crew: estimated at 30 hands

ROYAL CAROLINE -

Two Royal English yachts were called Royal Caroline. The old "Royal Caroline" was returned to the British Navy and received back its name of peregrine Galley. She ended her service tragically, sunk with the entire crew in the Bay of Biscay. That was in the year 1761, the same year the 'ROYAL CAROLINE" was renamed Royal Charlotte going on to serve the Royal British family until 1805. It was completely destroyed in 1820.

LE RENARD.

The Renard is a cutter launched in 1812. She is the latest ship equipped for commerce destroying by Robert Surcouf. She has only one mast and a very long bowsprit, which permits large sails compared with the height of the ship. Of course these large sails allow a high speed, main element for the capture of merchant vessels.

LE SANTA MARIA

The Santa María was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus in his first voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in 1492. Her master and owner was Juan de la Cosa. The Santa was a small carrack or "Nao" about 70 feet long, and was used as the flagship for the expedition. She carried 40 men. The Santa María had a deck and three masts. She was the slowest of Columbus' vessels but performed well in the Atlantic crossing.

SANTATISSIMA MADRE

The Santissima Madre was a Spanish warship launched in 1692. It bears the features of the typical Spanish warship of the 17th Century. The Santissima Madre was heavily armed cannons on 3 decks. The Santissima Madre's build characteristics made the ship very light and maneuverable. In fact it has been reconstructed from historical documents from maritime museums of Paris and of Barcelona. All decorations on this model are hand carved out of teak.

SAN FELIPE

An admiral ship impressive in its size, with a slim and extraordinary wide sail, armed with 108 cannons and made precious by several sculptures. It is one of the most beautiful Spanish ships of the XVII century. After a furious and heroic battle in which 36 English ships participated 12 of the invincible armada, it was captured and sank by an English ship in 1705.

SHAMROCK

Shamrock was built in 1898 under a shroud of secrecy, and christened by Lady Russell of Killowen at its launch on June 24, 1899. Being the unsuccessful Irish challenger for the 10th America's Cup in 1899 against the United States defender, Columbia. It sailed to New York for the America's Cup race in the summer of 1899. It returned to Britain in the autumn of 1899, towed by Lipton's steam yacht, Erin. It was subsequently refitted by Lipton and used as a "trial horse" to test the later challengers, Shamrock II, III, and IV.

SOLEIL ROYAL

Soleil Royal (Royal Sun) was a French 104-gun ship of the line, flagship of Admiral Tourville. She was built in Brest between 1668 and 1670 by engineer Laurent Hubac, was launched in 1669, and stayed unused in Brest harbor for years. She was recommissioned with 112 guns and 1200 men when the Nine Years' War broke out in 1688 as the flagship of the escadre du Ponant (squadron of the Ponant). She was said to be a good sailing ship and her decorations were amongst the most beautiful and elaborate of all baroque flagships.

SOVEREIGN OF THE SEAS

The "Sovereign of the sea", a masterpiece which can be considered at least 150 years ahead of its time with the length of 127 feet and width of 48 feet. It's the ship which Charles I wanted in the year 1634. Three years later it was launched and its ornaments which represent imaginary portraits and many heraldic coat-of-arms were so splendid that the Dutch called it the "Golden Devil". Its end came after catching fire as a result of an overturned candle in 1696 on the Medway River.

THE SPHINX

The possibility of harvessing steam to drive a paddle had first attracted the attention of a French physician Denis Papin. It was another Frenchman, the Marquis de Jouffroy d'Abbans who persisted in experimenting; and on 15 July 1783, his steamer the PYROSCAPHE steamed against the flow of the river SAONE for a quarter of an hour. The Sphinx, a twin-wheeled three masted schooner steam boat, was built at Rochefort and used in the siege of Algiers in June 1830 for communication between the naval forces in Toulon and North Africa. In 1822, the Sphinx sailed to Alexandria to low the LUXOR on which was placed the OBELISK, which, after travelling to Toulon and Cherbourg, reached Rouen and sailed down the Seine to Paris where it stands in the middle of the PLACE de la CONCORDE since 1836. From 1835 to 1845, the SPHINX was used for the transport of troops from France to Algeria and was wrecked in an intense fog fifteen years after the capture of Algiers.

ST GERAN

This vessel was built and launched at Lorient in July 1736. It travelled for the first time on the 11th November to Pondicherry under the command of Captain L.Laurent Aubin Dupleyssis then was successively placed under the commands of the captains Poree de la Toche, Drake and Richard de Lamarre on its different trips to the Indies. It measured 29m long, 9,60m wide and 21m high and had 28 cannons. The Saint Geran wrecked on the 17th August 1744 on the north east coast of Ile de France (Mauritius).

SUPERBE

The Superbe was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy launched in 1784. She took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver, where she sank due to a leak. She was constructed according to the plan of the most well known engineer of the maritime history: Jacques Noel Sane. She was the exact model which represents the French battle ship of the end of the ancient regime, of the revolution and the Empire. The "Superbe" formed part of the Naval French War of the Admiral Villaret Joyeuse.

SUPER MARAMU

The Super Maramu is an ideal World Cruising Vessel with a spotless history, launched in November 1999 and is equipped for immediate departure to any destination you desire. Designed for low maintenance and rigged for single person operation, with electric assist on all the heavy or strenuous operations and a retracting bow-thruster for easy docking maneuvers. Controls are strategically located at the helm, and seldom is any crew required to go on deck to perform functions while under way.

TITANIC

The RMS Titanic was an Olympic-class passenger liner owned by British shipping company White Star Line and built at the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, United Kingdom. For her time, she was the largest passenger steamship in the world. On the night of 14 April 1912, during the ship's maiden voyage, Titanic hit an iceberg and sank two hours and forty minutes later, early on 15 April 1912. The sinking resulted in the deaths of 1,517 people, making it one of the deadliest peacetime

The Unicorn

The secret of the Unicorn is the eleventh album comic adventures of Tintin. Tintin buys a ship model 'The Unicorn' for Captain Haddock. By coincidence, it is a ship commanded by the ancestor, the chevalier de Hadoque. Tintin discovers an incomprehensible parchment in the large mast of the ship models. Meanwhile, the Capitain found in his granary a trunk containing objects that belonged to his ancestor. Tintin and haddock learn the existence of a treasure and decide to launch the search. The Unicorn is a three mast fictitious ship, having as characters the dog of tintin, milou, Professor Tournesol, Dupont & Dupond, Rackham the red.

USS ESSEX

USS Essex was launched on 30 September 1799 by Enos Briggs, Salem, Massachusetts and won the distinction of being the first Yankee warship to capture a ship of the Royal Navy during the war with 36 gun or 32 gun sailing frigate that participated in the Quasi-War with France, the Barbary Wars, and in the War of 1812, during which she was captures by the British (1814). A British fleet was finally dispatched to pursue the Essex. During a ferocious storm in the port of Valparaiso, Chile, USS Essex lost her topmast, putting her at a serious disadvantage in the gun battle. She was pounded by two British frigates and finally had to lower her flag.

VICTORY

The Victory was a five-deck ship with 104 cannons and a crew of 850. It took part in the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and was under the command of Captain Nelson who was fatally wounded by a seaan firing from the main top of the Redoubtable. At present the ship can be visited in Portsmouth.

WAPPEN VON HAMBURG

Also named "Empress" by Happel, was built in the Deich-tor shipyard in Hamburg. The woodwork was finished in 1668, the ornaments were then installed, and the ship took up service in 1669. The sculpture work was done under the guidance of Precht. On the 10th of October 1683, while she was on the Cadiz route, a fire broke out in the bows, quickly spreading through out the fire eventually reached the arsenal and the ship exploded. Admiral B.Karbfanger, along with 42 of his 170 sailors and 22 of the 50 soldiers, lost their life in an attempt to save his ship.

WASA

Vasa (or Wasa) was a Swedish warship that was built from 1626 to 1628. The ship foundered and sank after sailing less than a nautical mile (ca 2 km) into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. She was located again in the late 1950s, in a busy shipping lane just outside the Stockholm harbor. She was salvaged with a largely intact hull on 24 April 1961. She was housed in a temporary museum called Wasavarvet ("The Wasa Shipyard") until 1987, and was then moved to the Vasa Museum in Stockholm.

YATCH ENDEAVOUR

This 130ft J Class sloop was launched in 1934. Designed and built by Camper & Nicholsons, England as one of the yachts to challenge the America's Cup she dominated the British racing scene for many years. After those early glorious days of racing, Endeavour, like many of the other Js was abandoned. Until 1984 when American Yachtswoman Elizabeth Meyer set about Endeavour's five year restoration. She is now an almost total rebuild.