WARSHIPS: TOP 5 IMPRESSIVE TALL SHIP OF THE WORLD by Old Modern Handicrafts
1. Sovereign of the Seas: H.M.S. Sovereign of the Seas, launched in 1637, was the most powerfully armed ship in the world in its day. It was originally going to have 90 guns, but King Charles I personally insisted that a "great ship" be built for the English Royal Navy, so it went to sea with 102 bronze guns. The vessel was the most extravagantly decorated warship in the Royal Navy, completely adorned from stern to bow with gilded carvings. The ship was later renamed Sovereign and then Royal Sovereign. It was destroyed by fire in 1697 in Chatham. 2. San Felipe: The San Felipe, launched in 1690, was one of the most beautiful Spanish galleons of the XVII century. She was the lead ship of the famous Spanish Armada. The San Felipe displaced more than 1000 tons and was armed with 96 cannons, enabling her to take on the most formidable ships in the French and British navies. The San Felipe’s role in the war against the British and French was to help protect Spanish settlements and harbors, to transport treasures, and to safeguard the long and hazardous passage back to Spanish ports. In 1705, the San Felipe participated in a furious and heroic battle between 12 Spanish ships and 35 British ships. After 24 hours of battle, she was captured by an English ship, but was so badly damaged that she could not be salvaged as a prize. She went down to the bottom of the ocean with several tons of gold. 3. HMS Victory HMS Victory, launched at Chatham in 1765, was a 100-gun ship of the line with a length of 227.5 ft overall (69.34 m), a displacement of 3500 tons, and a crew of more than 800 men. On Oct. 21, 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Villeneuve. The battle took place in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships and the British lost none. In the 1920s, HMS Victory was put in a dry dock and restored to her condition under Nelson. She was unveiled to the public in all her glory by King George V on 17 July 1928 at Portsmouth. She retains her status as a fully commissioned ship in the Royal Navy and serves as the flagship of the Naval Home Command, but to her visitors, she remains a precious museum and testament to Britain’s naval past. 4. Wasa Vasa was built top-heavy and had insufficient ballast. Despite an obvious lack of stability in port, it was allowed to set sail and foundered only a few minutes after it first encountered a wind stronger than a breeze. The impulsive move to set sail was the result of a combination of factors: Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, who was leading the army on the continent on the date of its maiden voyage, was impatient to see it join the Baltic fleet in the Thirty Years War; at the same time, the kings subordinates lacked the political courage to discuss the ships structural problems frankly or to have the maiden voyage postponed. During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around the hull of the Vasa by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. No expense was spared in decorating and equipping the Vasa, which was also one of the largest and most heavily armed warships of its time. 5. Zeven Provincien De Zeven Provinciën was a Dutch ship of the line, originally armed with 80 guns. The literal translation is "The Seven Provinces", the name referring to the fact that the Dutch Republic in the 17th century was a confederation of seven autonomous provinces. The vessel was originally built in 1664-65 for the Admiralty of the Maas in Rotterdam, by Master Shipbuilder Salomon Jansz van den Tempel. The ship participated in all major naval combat between 1666 and 1692. From 1666 to 1674 the ship was the flagship of the Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, one of the most famous sea-officers the Dutch Republic had ever seen. In 1694 the Zeven Provinciën was decommissioned and sold to be broken up. As of 2008, a new replica is being constructed.
1. Sovereign of the Seas: H.M.S. Sovereign of the Seas, launched in 1637, was the most powerfully armed ship in the world in its day. It was originally going to have 90 guns, but King Charles I personally insisted that a "great ship" be built for the English Royal Navy, so it went to sea with 102 bronze guns. The vessel was the most extravagantly decorated warship in the Royal Navy, completely adorned from stern to bow with gilded carvings. The ship was later renamed Sovereign and then Royal Sovereign. It was destroyed by fire in 1697 in Chatham. 2. San Felipe: The San Felipe, launched in 1690, was one of the most beautiful Spanish galleons of the XVII century. She was the lead ship of the famous Spanish Armada. The San Felipe displaced more than 1000 tons and was armed with 96 cannons, enabling her to take on the most formidable ships in the French and British navies. The San Felipe’s role in the war against the British and French was to help protect Spanish settlements and harbors, to transport treasures, and to safeguard the long and hazardous passage back to Spanish ports. In 1705, the San Felipe participated in a furious and heroic battle between 12 Spanish ships and 35 British ships. After 24 hours of battle, she was captured by an English ship, but was so badly damaged that she could not be salvaged as a prize. She went down to the bottom of the ocean with several tons of gold. 3. HMS Victory HMS Victory, launched at Chatham in 1765, was a 100-gun ship of the line with a length of 227.5 ft overall (69.34 m), a displacement of 3500 tons, and a crew of more than 800 men. On Oct. 21, 1805, at the Battle of Trafalgar, twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Villeneuve. The battle took place in the Atlantic Ocean off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships and the British lost none. In the 1920s, HMS Victory was put in a dry dock and restored to her condition under Nelson. She was unveiled to the public in all her glory by King George V on 17 July 1928 at Portsmouth. She retains her status as a fully commissioned ship in the Royal Navy and serves as the flagship of the Naval Home Command, but to her visitors, she remains a precious museum and testament to Britain’s naval past. 4. Wasa Vasa was built top-heavy and had insufficient ballast. Despite an obvious lack of stability in port, it was allowed to set sail and foundered only a few minutes after it first encountered a wind stronger than a breeze. The impulsive move to set sail was the result of a combination of factors: Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, who was leading the army on the continent on the date of its maiden voyage, was impatient to see it join the Baltic fleet in the Thirty Years War; at the same time, the kings subordinates lacked the political courage to discuss the ships structural problems frankly or to have the maiden voyage postponed. During the 1961 recovery, thousands of artifacts and the remains of at least 15 people were found in and around the hull of the Vasa by marine archaeologists. Among the many items found were clothing, weapons, cannons, tools, coins, cutlery, food, drink and six of the ten sails. No expense was spared in decorating and equipping the Vasa, which was also one of the largest and most heavily armed warships of its time. 5. Zeven Provincien De Zeven Provinciën was a Dutch ship of the line, originally armed with 80 guns. The literal translation is "The Seven Provinces", the name referring to the fact that the Dutch Republic in the 17th century was a confederation of seven autonomous provinces. The vessel was originally built in 1664-65 for the Admiralty of the Maas in Rotterdam, by Master Shipbuilder Salomon Jansz van den Tempel. The ship participated in all major naval combat between 1666 and 1692. From 1666 to 1674 the ship was the flagship of the Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, one of the most famous sea-officers the Dutch Republic had ever seen. In 1694 the Zeven Provinciën was decommissioned and sold to be broken up. As of 2008, a new replica is being constructed.