There's a certain romance about life on the ocean, and so much of our modern world was built off the back of sea-faring vessels. From Tudor warships and Viking vessels to extraordinary ocean liners that defined a golden age of travel, it's fair to say that without some of these historic ships, we might not be where we are today.
Read on to discover the best replicas of the world's most famous ships, museums and floating hotels around the world...
The original 17th-century Mayflower was an icon of American history, sailing the first pilgrims from England to the New World (today's United States) in 1620. She sailed from London, stopping off in Southampton to meet the Speedwell, a smaller ship, and continue across the Atlantic. The Speedwell never made it thanks to a recurring leak, and the Mayflower picked up the ship's stranded passengers in Plymouth and made the voyage alone. She landed in Massachusetts and the immigrants from Britain and Holland made the Plymouth colony, the second such settlement in the USA.
The original vessel is long gone, likely sold off as scrap after her many voyages in the 1600s. Today, though, you can visit the Mayflower II – a full-scale replica of the tall ship built in Brixham in Devon, England and sailed across the ocean in 1957. The replica was fully restored for 2020 as part of the 400-year anniversary celebrations and it's now one of the main attractions at the Plimoth Patuxet living history museum.
The incredible story of the Mayflower: the ship that shaped America
The oldest commissioned warship in the world, HMS Victory was the flagship of the fleet that British Naval Commander Horatio Nelson sailed to defeat the French and Spanish at the battle of Trafalgar in 1805. Launched in 1765, she served for an unusually long time, leading the British fleet in the American War of Independence and the French Revolutionary War.
She was placed in dry dock for repairs in 1922 and first opened to the public six years later. Extensive damage was caused by bombing in the Second World War, and after another major repair, she was finally placed into the custodianship of the National Museum of the Navy and is open to the public yet again in Portsmouth's Historic Dockyard. She is still a commissioned warship, known as the Flagship of the First Sea Lord.
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One of the largest and last battleships ever built by the US Navy in 1941, the USS Wisconsin is vast. The ship was awarded five battle stars for her service in the Second World War and a Combat Action Ribbon for the Korean War. She can now be visited in Norfolk, a waterfront city in southeastern Virginia, which is home to the world’s biggest naval base.
A visit to the USS Wisconsin is fascinating. You can buy a general admission ticket to explore the outdoor deck and main interior spaces, like the galley and ship's library, or book a more in-depth guided tour led by enlisted volunteers or retired officers. Overnight stays are possible too, giving you time to explore Virginia’s second-largest city, which is something of a hidden highlight with the fantastic Chrysler Museum of Art and the lovely riverside Virginia Zoo.
HMS Belfast is run by Imperial War Museums and all nine of her decks are open for you to explore by clambering up and down ladders. Exhibits present the personal stories of those who served aboard, while new interactive exhibits and multi-sensory experiences keep children entertained. HMS Belfast is open daily.
Visit now and on board you can explore how Scott and his crew lived, ate and survived on their epic voyages. The ship sits in the middle of the excellent Discovery Point visitor centre, where there are galleries, films and over 150 artefacts on display relating to their expeditions. In summer 2024, major preservation works will be carried out on the ship, but it will still be fully accessible to visitors, who will be able to witness traditional heritage shipbuilding skills in action.
Now a museum ship in downtown San Diego, you can explore more than 60 exhibits in the hangar and on the flight and lower decks. See over 30 restored aircraft, and try out the flight simulators or join a self-guided tour. It's even possible to stay overnight on the ship, where you can bed down in traditional Navy bunks and enjoy breakfast on board.
Looks aren't everything, and this splendid Swedish warship is proof. The intricate, impressive vessel sank on her maiden voyage in 1628, getting no further than a busy shipping lane outside Stockholm harbour in Sweden. In 1961 she was salvaged with her hull almost entirely intact, and today she lies in a museum, waiting to be admired by visitors.
The Vasa Museum is in the Royal National City Park on Djurgarden island in Stockholm, and since the ship was salvaged, it has welcomed more than a million visitors a year. The specially-built masts on the museum’s roof have become part of Stockholm’s skyline, representing the height of the originals.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is one of Scotland’s most visited tourist attractions, welcoming almost 400,000 people each year to its decks, and its allure is obvious. Who doesn’t want a nose around the late Queen’s favourite mode of transport? Until it was taken out of service in 1997, it was the floating palace of British royalty. Ordered the year Elizabeth II became Queen in 1952, Britannia sailed more than a million nautical miles during her 44 years in service, carrying the royals around the world for official tours and holidays.
And, of course, the Royal Yacht Britannia was the height of luxury too. Now moored in Leith, Edinburgh, you can see the staterooms, crew quarters and the bridge, all before catching your breath with a brew on the Royal Deck Tearoom to get a taste of travelling like a royal.
The USS Constitution was instrumental in the creation of modern America as we know it today. In 1794, the newly united states ordered the building of six new warships to form a navy, and the Constitution was one. Built at Hartt's shipyard in Boston's North End, the Constitution launched in 1797. She served in several engagements but is most famous for seeing action in the 1812 War of Independence, defeating four British frigates (warships).
This three-masted heavy frigate, known as Old Ironsides, is the oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat. Visit her at Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard and take a tour on board. A separate museum, the USS Constitution Museum, sits opposite the ship and offers family-friendly and hands-on exhibits, plus the chance to see artefacts from telescopes to trunks.
The first English expedition to circumnavigate the globe, the Golden Hind sailed between 1577 and 1580 with Elizabeth I’s favourite Sir Francis Drake at the helm. Now, the ship occupies a special place in the British imagination as the epitome of the nation’s seafaring history. It was also an expedition of plunder and, on his return, Drake had so much treasure aboard that just the Queen’s share was more than the national debt.
While you can't visit the complete original vessel, there's a full-size, sailable reconstruction containing pieces of the ship's galleon in London, on the south bank of the Thames. On board the Golden Hinde you can experience the sights, sounds and smells of life aboard a Tudor ship through its compelling exhibitions (check opening times in advance). There’s another full-size replica (pictured) in Brixham Harbour in Devon, near the tourist town of Torquay.
Famous for sinking and being raised, the Mary Rose is an icon of British history. The carrack-type warship was built for King Henry VIII, and she remained his favourite ship. She first set sail in 1511 and served for 34 years before meeting her end in mysterious circumstances during the Battle of the Solent. In 1982, the Tudor ship was dramatically raised and put on display in Portsmouth.
Today, an excellent museum at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, which was built around the ship, allows visitors to enjoy panoramic views through floor-to-ceiling glass to see the lower and main decks of this amazing Tudor time capsule. New for 2024 is the immersive 4D theatre experience, where visitors can see what it was like to dive the Mary Rose and bring it up to the surface. There are 19,000 artefacts to see too. You can buy a one-day ticket for just this single attraction, a 12-month pass to three attractions at the dockyard or unlimited access to all attractions for a year. A guided tour is available as an add-on.
Built in Barrow-in-Furness, northwest England from 1899-1900 and serving in the Russo-Japanese War, the Mikasa is a fascinating step back to another time on the seas. This 120-year-old vessel is very special indeed. Older ships, such as the Mikasa, were rendered obsolete when HMS Dreadnought was launched in 1906 and today the Mikasa is the only surviving pre-dreadnought battleship in the world, as well as one of the Japanese Imperial Navy’s few surviving boats from the time.
Named after Mount Mikasa in Nara, Japan, she was decommissioned in 1923 and is now a museum ship in Yokosuka, in the Kanagawa prefecture. Visitors can see the radio rooms, main artillery and explore the admiral's living and eating quarters aboard the bridge and upper deck, main deck and central exhibition room.
The ship was converted into a cargo vessel and remained in use as a storage ship until 1933, before being left to rust after a failed rescue mission. But in 1970, a landmark salvage effort brought her back to life. She was returned to the original Great Western Dockyard in Bristol, and now sits as an engaging museum in the city's historic harbour, with her passenger cabins and dining halls restored to their original glory.
Formerly known as the Viking Ship Museum, the newly anticipated Museum of the Viking Age will be home to three fabulously fascinating ships: the Oseberg, Gokstad and the Tune, when it opens in 2027. Beautifully crafted and well preserved, all three were seagoing vessels before they were brought onto land to be used as burial mounds. When they were discovered, each was found with grave gifts, from everyday objects to religious artefacts.
The trio of Viking ships have found a final resting place on the Bygdoy peninsula, a serene, forested area packed with maritime history that’s easily accessible by boat or bus from Oslo city centre. While the scale of these ships might not be quite as magnificent as others on this list, their age is impressive. The Tune and Gokstad were in use around AD 900, while the Oseberg dates to AD 820.
This beautiful ocean liner offers a glimpse into the glamour of a bygone era. Built by the Cunard Line, the Queen Mary was the company’s flagship vessel, sailing the North Atlantic route and serving in the Second World War until she was retired in 1967. She represented a ground-breaking technological achievement, earning the Blue Riband on her maiden voyage. But she was also the height of luxury and one of the grandest ocean liners ever built, which made her popular with British royalty and Hollywood film stars.
She continues her life of glamour permanently moored in Los Angeles’ Long Beach as a hotel and attraction. Visit for the day and enjoy the many exhibits, or join a Glory Days Historical Tour and go behind the scenes of the Queen Mary. You can also stay in one of its many gorgeous Art Deco staterooms or even take advantage of the onboard spa.
Another iconic luxury liner built by Cunard, the 963-foot-long (293m) Queen Elizabeth 2 (or QE2 as it's better known) set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York in May 1969, with crowds of well-wishers (pictured) waving her off. In her 39 years at sea, the QE2 completed 806 Atlantic crossings and 25 trips around the world, racking up millions of nautical miles as a cruise liner and, for a brief stint, a troopship in the Falklands War.
In 2007, the QE2 was sold to Dubai government investment company Istithmar World for £78 million ($100m). Despite standing for almost a decade untouched in the Mina Rashid marina after initial refurbishment plans were shelved, work on transforming the QE2 into a luxury static hotel finally began in 2017. Just a year later, the 13-deck venue welcomed its first visitors. The monumental destination offers heritage tours where you can glimpse the original rooms and artefacts from its time at sea. It's located in good company too, as nearby attractions include the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and the Gold Souk.
The last tea clipper built in Britain in 1869, the Cutty Sark was the fastest too. Weighing in at 963 tonnes, she sailed the equivalent of two-and-a-half times the distance to the moon and back through all manner of storms and high seas during her years of service. Essentially a cargo ship, her maiden voyage was to Shanghai, China where she carried 1.3 million pounds (600,000 kg) of tea back to London. Now part of the Royal Museums Greenwich in London, the Cutty Sark has been open to visitors for 67 years.
You can walk beneath the hull, see the captain’s table, take the ship’s wheel and climb the rigging. Greenwich has a wealth of museums worth taking in, such as the Maritime Museum, Royal Observatory, the Queen’s House and Painted Hall, all part of the Naval College. The most appropriate way to get there is down the Thames on the Clipper ferry service.
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