17 Great Ships of the World

[Dan Kappes]

The author Patrick O'Brien published a book for children in 2001 titled The Great Ships which features 17 famous ships throughout history. You can get it from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Ships-Patrick-OBrien/dp/0802787746/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Here are the 17 ships listed in the book in order. Note: One entry includes two ships and another includes three ships.

1. Gokstad Ship
2. Zheng He's (written in the book as Cheng Ho) Chinese Treasure Ship
3. Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria
4. Golden Hind
5. Mayflower
6. Queen Anne's Revenge
7. HMS Bounty
8. HMS Victory
9. USS Constitution
10. La Amistad
11. Flying Cloud
12. CSS Virginia and USS Monitor
13. USS Maine
14. RMS Titanic
15. German Battleship Bismarck
16. USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
17. USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

Do you like this list? And would you have added or removed some ships?

I personally think it's an exceptional list of important ships for a children's book that consists of 40 pages. I wonder how the author decided to choose those ones. Most of them are quite famous so their inclusion, like the Titanic's, is no surprise.

 

[Seumas]

I agree with you that if it's too be a concise list for forty or so pages, then that's actually a pretty fair list.

I might be tempted to throw in

Great Western & Great Eastern
Lusitania & Mauritania
HMS Dreadnought
HMS Argus & USS Langley
Queen Mary

 

[Harland Duzen]

I can't say much on the book (It has good reviews ) but If given the chance, I might have personally added* the Oceanic (1870) or the Kaiser Whilem Der Grosse (1897).


*At least to make it an even number.

 

[Jessie M.]

I don't know where it would fit on the list, but I'd probably add the Edmund Fitzgerald.

 

[Steven Christian]

I would say thats a good list to get started. Being a 40 page book they had to narrow it down and chose what they thought were best. As for great ships through out history you could probably add hundreds depending on what one considered a great ship.

 

[Dan Kappes]

As many people have said in reviews of the book, this is a very beautiful book. The author is also the illustrator. The paintings in the book are made by watercolor and gouache. The hardcover edition also features on the end papers a comparison size chart of all the ships in the book put side to side.

Another great book that features over a thousand historical ships is Lincoln P. Paine's Ships of the World: An Historical Encyclopedia.

https://www.amazon.com/Ships-World-Encyclopedia-Lincoln-Paine/dp/0395715563

 

[Samuel Halpern]

Great and famous are two different things.

 

[Dan Kappes]

I think great means important and anything can be famous and/or infamous. Many of those 17 ships are important for a world-changing event.

 

[Mike Spooner]

A different angle to The Greatest ship of the world!
We have a member who as come up with a new book called:
Great Passenger Ships That Never Were! Now that's some thing different!
The authors are Richard P de Kerbrech and David L Williams. Who have had publish good books on Titanic and other White Star Line ships to.

 

[Mark Baber]

Not exactly new, Mike; it's described on Amazon as a revised version of the outstanding Damned by Destiny, a wonderful work, as discussed at Damned By Destiny

 

[Mike Spooner]

I have been informed by Richard Amazon rather jump the gun by having a review beforehand.
Damned by Destiny mention Titanic and Britannic ships. Again I been informed they are included in the book.

 

[Mike Spooner]

Hi Mark,
It would appear we are talking of two books here.
As the first one in 1982 Damned by Destiny. As for Richard and David book is only just coming out. Probably using some of material from that book as well!
Titanic is not mention in Richard and David book.

 

[Mark Baber]

https://www.amazon.com/Great-Passenger-Ships-that-Never/dp/0750983574/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?keywords=de+kerbrech&qid=1553975158&s=gateway&sr=8-5