Five Magnificent Beasts of the Sea

On this very day in 1912, the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on its first voyage from Southampton to New York City. In remembrance of the ship, here are some other great ships that have sailed the oceans of the world.

Juan Sebastián de Elcano

Named in honour of Juan Sebastián de Elcano, the first navigator to complete a journey around the world, she was commissioned in 1927 as a training ship for the Spanish Armada. Since her launch, she has completed 77 training voyages and 10 circumnavigations of the globe. The ship has a permanent crew of 300 members and is 113 meters long with an engine speed of 13 knots and a sailing speed of 17.5 knots.

Juan Sebastian Elcano. Photo: Pinterest

Amerigo Vespucci

The Amerigo Vespucci is an Italian Navy ship that was launched in 1931. She was a training ship for Naval Academy cadets from its year of launch till 2005. In that time, she conducted 71 training campaigns in the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea and parts of Northern Europe. She carries 24 sails made of canvas and is 101 meters long. She has an auxiliary engine that has a maximum speed of 10 knots. She also carries 11 boats. The Amerigo carried a permanent crew of 270 members and 150 cadets.

Amerigo Vespucci. Photo: Wikipedia

Dar Mlodziezy

This Polish sail training ship’s name translates to “the gift of youth”. She was built in 1982 and is owned by the Gdynia Maritime Academy, who uses her to train officers of merchant and fishing fleets. Since her launch, she has made numerous circumnavigations of the world, most notably to the 200th anniversary of Australia in Sydney in 1988. Her success as a training ship spurred Poland to create four other ships in the subsequent years. The Dar Mlodziezy is 108.8 metres long and has a maximum engine speed of 12 knots and a sailing speed of 16 knots.

Dar Mlodziezy

Royal Clipper

In 1902, the Royal Clipper was launched as the largest and fastest sailing luxury ship in the world at the time. It was designed by Polish naval architect Zygmunt Choren for Star Clippers Ltd. of Sweden. As a luxury ship, she was created for the elite and people who appreciate the art of sailing. The ship is 133.8 metres long and has a total of 42 sails. It also has a crew of 106 members and a passenger capacity of 227 guests. Other features of the Royal Clipper include a 1765 square metre open deck and three swimming pools.

Royal Clipper. Photo: Cruise Mates

Cisne Branco

This ship, which literally translates as “White Swan”, was commissioned by the Brazilian Navy in 2000. Inspired by the Clippers of the 19th century, the Cisne Branco was created to enable Brazil to participate in nautical events around the world and to foster a better relationship between them and the international maritime and naval communities. She has a length of 76 metres, an engine speed of 11 knots and a sailing speed of 17.5 knots. She carries a permanent 51-member crew and a varying number of guests.

Cisne Branco. Photo: Think Defence