Major ships. Giant ships: what are the dimensions of the largest peaceful ship in the world

Oceans and seas occupy most the surface of our planet. To move along them, mankind has been building for many millennia various ships, and some of them are truly gigantic in size. The largest ships in the world are usually cargo ships, tankers or container ships. But among other types of ships in the world, there are those that deserve interest when it comes to the largest ship. Therefore, the top 10 largest ships below include relatively modest in size compared to tankers, but the largest ships in their class (military, passenger, sailing).

1. Prelude

Although this ship is not yet in operation, it already rightfully bears the title of the largest ship in the world. The dimensions of its hull, which has already been launched in 2013, are amazing. The length of the vessel is 488 m, and the width is 78 m. With such gigantic dimensions, the cargo ship has a displacement of 600,000 tons. This is not quite a cargo ship, but the world's first floating platform designed for production, liquefaction and subsequent transportation natural gas. The giant is being built by the order of Royal Dutch Shell by the South Korean corporation Samsung Heavy Industries.

Full completion of construction is scheduled for 2017. The floating leviathan, which produces and processes gas independently, cannot go by sea; tugboats will be used for this. Place of future work of the platform - western australia, 295 km east of the city Broome. The cost of building the ship is $12 billion, and the estimated period of operation is 25 years. The design of the vessel is designed to withstand the most powerful cyclones that exist in nature, for this it has three shunting engines with a capacity of 6700 hp. with. everyone. With the help of them, during storms, the ship will turn to the required position. The capacity of the floating plant is 3,600,000 tons of liquefied gas per year.

2 Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis)

If the previous largest ship in the world represents the future of shipbuilding, then this largest ship in history has already been decommissioned and cut up for scrap. A giant 458.5 m long and 69 m wide was built in 1976, its displacement was almost 565 thousand tons. Its colossal dimensions did not allow it to pass through the Panama and Suez canals and even through the English load line was 24.6 m.

Max Speed Because of its size, the movement of the tanker was relatively small, 13 knots or 21.1 km/h, but even so, the stopping distance of the ship was 10.2 km, and the turning circle of the ship was 3.7 km. Initially, in 1976, the ship, built by the Japanese Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI), was named Oppama. Then its dimensions were more modest, length - 376.7 m, displacement - 418.6 thousand tons. Later new owner of the ship, Orient Overseas Line of Hong Kong, ordered a rebuild of the ship, a cylindrical insert was added to it, and the ship acquired its final record dimensions. In 1981, the ship was named Seawise Giant and began to sail the ocean under the Liberian flag carrying crude oil.

In 1986, during the Iran-Iraq conflict, the tanker ran aground due to damage. anti-ship missile. After the war, it was bought and restored by the Norwegian Norman International, the ship was renamed the Happy Giant. Even before it was put into operation in 1991, it was again resold to the Norwegian shipping company Loki Stream AS, so when the ship left the shipyard in Singapore, it received another new name Jahre Viking. The tanker received its last name Knock Nevis in 2004 after it was purchased by the Norwegian company First Olsen Tankers Pte, since this year it has been anchored and it has ceased to be a transport vessel. The giant made its last voyage in 2009 to the shores of India, where it was disposed of in 2010. One of his 36-ton anchors can be seen today at the Hong Kong Maritime Museum.

It is currently the world's longest operating ship. This is a container ship with a length of 397 m, it is one of 8 vessels of the E-Class series built by the Moller-Maersk Group. The displacement of the ship is 157 thousand tons, it was launched in 2006. Its main purpose is to transport goods between Southeast Asia and Northern Europe through the Suez and Gibraltar Canals.

The ship is capable of carrying up to 11,000 typical 20-foot containers (with cargo), its carrying capacity is 123,000 tons. The power of its huge diesel plant is 109,000 liters. s, and its mass is 2300 tons, thanks to it the ship can go across the ocean at a speed of 25.5 knots. On average, a large commercial vessel travels a total distance of just over 300,000 km a year.

Today, the vessels of this series are the largest operated ships in terms of displacement, which is 441.6 thousand tons. They have a double hull, which is dictated by modern environmental requirements for ships carrying environmentally hazardous bulk cargo. A total of 4 ships of this series were built, 2 of which, TI Europe and TI Oceania, sail the ocean, and 2 were turned into floating platforms to ensure the operation of the field near Qatar. The length of the vessels is 380 m.

5. Ore trucks Vale

These are the largest dry cargo ships operated in modern times. The displacement of the largest vessels of this series reaches 400 thousand tons, and the length is 362 m. All vessels of the Vale family are owned by the Brazilian mining corporation of the same name. They are mainly used for transportation iron ore in the USA from Brazilian deposits.

Today, the fleet of super-ore carriers consists of 31 ships with a displacement of 380 to 400 thousand tons. Four of the largest ships were recently chartered to China's largest dry-cargo fleet operator COSCO for 25 years. The advantage of Vale vessels is their low consumption of diesel fuel and low carbon dioxide emissions per ton of ore, when compared with conventional ore carriers with a displacement of up to 200,000 tons.

This is the largest passenger ship, its length is 362 m, and the displacement is 19.8 thousand tons. It has a twin ship - the Oasis in the Seas cruise ship, which is 50 mm shorter. Allure of the Seas was launched as recently as 2008. The cruise ship has a crew of 2,100 and a maximum passenger capacity of 6,400. On board the ship are:

• a park with exotic trees and shrubs;
• various sports facilities ice rink, golf course, basketball and volleyball courts, bowling, etc.);
• swimming pools with jacuzzi;
• shops, casinos and more.

7. Aircraft carrier USS Enterprise

This is the largest warship in the world. The aircraft carrier is 342 m long and 78.4 m wide. This is the first warship of this type with a nuclear power plant(8 reactors). The Enterprise entered service in 1961. It was originally planned to build 5 ships of this type, but due to the enormous cost ($451 million) and a number of other reasons, the largest warships of this modification decided not to be replicated. In 2012, the aircraft carrier made its last 8-month sea voyage. The crew of the ship was 3000 people, the number of aviation personnel - 1800 people, up to 90 aircraft and helicopters could be located on the aircraft carrier.

If we talk about huge military ships, then Russia also has its own large aircraft carrier - this is the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral of the Fleet Soviet Union Kuznetsov. It is 306 meters long and 72 meters wide. If we talk about the operating fleet, then at present it is second in size only to aircraft carriers of the Nimitz type, their length is almost 333 m.

This is the largest steamship ever built. Its length was 211 m, and the displacement was 22.5 thousand tons. The ship was launched in 1857. From the very beginning of its operation, it was firmly entrenched in notoriety, what other ship, except for the one pursued by misfortunes, could in just two years:

• cause the death of several dozen workers during launching;
• get damaged due to the explosion of the steam engine during the first passage;
• hit the rock.

The crew of the ship was 418 people, and the passenger capacity was 4,000 people. The steamer was propelled by two paddle wheels powered by a 3650 hp steam engine. with. and a 4-bladed propeller powered by a 4000 hp steam engine. with. In addition, the ship could go by sea under sails fixed on 6 masts.

9. Project 941 Shark submarines

These are the largest submarines of our time. The length of the submarines of this series is almost 173 m, and the underwater displacement is 48 thousand tons. Their colossal dimensions, first of all, were determined by the dimensions of the main armament - intercontinental solid-propellant three-stage ballistic missiles.

The submarine is propelled by two water-cooled nuclear reactors with a capacity of 190 MW each (shaft power 2 × 50 thousand hp) and two steam turbine plants. In addition, the ship has two standby DC electric motors and a thruster, consisting of two folding columns driven by electric motors. The crew of the submarine - 160 people.

This five-masted barque, launched by the French in 1912, is the largest sailing ship in history, its length was 146.2 m and a displacement of 10.7 thousand tons. The ship was used to transport goods (wool, ore, coal) across around the world. In 1922, near New Caledonia, the ship hit the reefs and was abandoned by the owners. In 1944, during the bombing, it was destroyed.

Any ship presented in our TOP 10 largest ships can be called engineering creations. Of course, gigantic dimensions are not the goal for which these ships were designed and built. The dimensions of the ships are determined, first of all, by the tasks that huge ships had to solve or solve.

The key criterion for the distribution of seats was the maximum length of the ship, however, in some cases, the choice also depended on the size of the deadweight - the maximum mass that the ship can carry in order not to sink below the dangerous line (deadweight includes not only cargo, but also fuel, the mass of passengers , crew and provisions).

10. Mozah

Length: 345 m

Deadweight: 128900 t

Launched: 2007

Flag: Qatar

Status: in operation

The Mozah is the first ship in the Q-Max family of tankers designed to carry liquefied natural gas from fields near Qatar. Designed and built in South Korea. In total, 14 ships of the Q-Max type are currently in operation.

Q-Max Mozah / ©Nakilat

9. QueenMaryII

Length: 345 m

Deadweight: 19189 t

Launched: 2002

Flag: Bermuda

Status: in operation

One of the largest passenger liners in the world, the transatlantic cruise ship Queen Mary 2 is capable of transporting up to 2,620 passengers across the ocean with all the associated amenities. Designed and built by the French company Chantiers de l "Atlantique. In addition to 15 restaurants, a casino and a theater on board, Queen Mary 2 also has the first ship planetarium.

Size comparison of Queen Mary 2 and Airbus 380, bus, car and person

Queen Mary 2 / ©Tronheim Havn

8. Allure of the Seas

Length: 362 m

Deadweight: 19750 t

Launched: 2008

Flag: Bahamas

Status: in operation

The Oasis cruise ship class includes two twin ships, both of which are the largest of their type in the world. True, Allure of the Seas is still 50 millimeters longer than Oasis in the Seas, which is why it takes the eighth position. The maximum number of passengers that this liner can carry is 6296 people, and the crew is 2384. To list all the entertainment offered on board, you will need to write a separate article - this is a real floating city: from an ice rink, a golf course and many shops and bars to a whole park with exotic trees and other unusual plants.

Allure of the Seas / © Daniel Christensen

7 Vale Sohar

Length: 362 m

Deadweight: 400315 t

Launched: 2012

Flag: Marshall Islands

Status: in operation

This vessel belongs to the family of the largest bulk carriers, which in turn belongs to the Brazilian mining company Vale. It is intended for transportation of ore from Brazil to the USA. A total of 30 such ships have already been built with deadweight varying between 380 and 400 thousand tons. Sohar is one of the ships of the family with the maximum deadweight.

Vale Sohar / ©Dmitry Lakhtikov

6. TIclass

Length: 380 m

Deadweight: 441585 t

Launched: 2003

Flag: Marshall Islands and Belgium

Status: 2 in operation, 2 converted to floating platforms

On the this moment TI Class double hull ships are the largest operating ships in the world in terms of deadweight and gross tonnage. In total, 4 identical ships were commissioned: TI Oceania, TI Africa (under the flag of the Marshall Islands) and TI Asia, TI Europe (under the flag of Belgium). In 2010, "Asia" and "Afrika" suffered the fate of being transformed into floating oil storage and offloading (FSO) platforms, and now they serve one of the offshore oil fields near Qatar.

TI Asia (right) / ©Naviearmatori.net/Lillo

5. Emma Maersk

Length: 397 m

Deadweight: 156907 t

Launched: 2006

Flag: Denmark

Status: in operation

The first of 8 identical container ships of the E-Class series of the Danish company Moller-Maersk Group. In 2006, when Emma Maersk first set sail, the ship was the largest operating ship in the world. Carries various cargoes between Northern Europe and Asia through the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. This ship is accompanied by a rather bad reputation: during its construction there was a major fire, and in 2013, as a result of damage to one of the engines, it lost control right in the Suez Canal. There was no talk of flooding, however, and management was restored. In Europe, Emma has been criticized for using sour fuel.

Emma Maersk / ©Maerskline

4 . Esso Atlantic

Length: 406.5 m

Deadweight: 516891 t

Launched: 1977

Flag: Liberia

Once the world's largest ship by deadweight, the oil supertanker Esso Atlantic was built in Japan in the mid-1970s, but made its first voyage to its intended purpose from Liberia, under the flag of which it was registered by Esso Tankers. He was mainly engaged in the transportation of oil between Europe and the countries of the Middle East. Broken up for scrap in Pakistan in 2002. Also, there was an almost identical ship Esso Pacific, however, the value of the deadweight of the Atlantic is slightly higher, so it was she who took the fourth position.

Esso Atlantic / ©Photobucket/Auke Visser

3. Pierre Guillaumat

Length: 414.2 m

Deadweight: 555051 t

Launched: 1977

Flag: France

Status: scrapped

This supertanker was the largest in terms of deadweight among the family of almost identical French Batillus ships. Built by the French company Chantiers de l "Atlantique, "lived" only 5 years and was dismantled for scrap in South Korea in 1983; the same fate befell the rest of the family (Prairial, Bellamya, Batillus). Such a short service life is explained by the fact that the commercial utility of the supertanker turned out to be minimal: it could not pass through either the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal.

Postcard with the image of Pierre Guillaumat / © Delcampe

2. Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis)

Length: 458.5 m

Deadweight: 564763 t

Launched: 1979

Flag: Sierra Leone (last registered country)

Status: scrapped

Until recently, he was the most long ship in history. The Seawise Giant supertanker was so huge that its length was compared to the tallest buildings in the world. The ship could not fit in either the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal; even the English Channel turned out to be “Giant” not in terms of tonnage. During the Iran-Iraq war in 1988, the ship was seriously damaged by an Iraqi air force missile while it was carrying Iranian oil in the Persian Gulf. As a result, the ship sank close to the coast, but soon after the war, Norman International was able to tow it to Singapore, where the ship was repaired and re-commissioned already in 1991, already with a new optimistic name - "Happy Giant". Subsequently, the ship was turned into a floating platform, and in 2009 the "Giant" went to his last way- to the shores of India, where it was subsequently dismantled for scrap.

Length comparison of Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis) with tallest buildings peace

Jahre Viking is one of former titles ship Happy Giant / ©Didier Pin?on

1. Prelude

Length: 488 m

Deadweight: 600000 t

Launched: hull only, 2013

Flag: not yet received

Status: under construction

Prelude is the world's first floating platform not only for transportation, but also for the production and liquefaction of natural gas directly on board. Under construction by South Korean Samsung Heavy Industries for Royal Dutch Shell. Essentially a mobile gas processing plant, the Prelude is already the largest floating structure ever built by man. By 2017, when the construction of all high-tech components on the hull is completed, it is planned to carry out the first drilling of the seabed near the coast of Australia.

Comparison of the length of the Prelude and the tallest buildings

Prelude Corps / ©AFP/Getty images

Since ancient times, people have traveled the seas, gradually improving their ships. Modern shipbuilding is very developed, and the range of ships has become extremely diverse. But always Special attention attracts the TOP of the largest ships in the world, which will be discussed below.

1. Seawise Giant (Knock Nevis)

Deadweight - 564 700 tons.
. Length - 458.5 m.
. Year of construction - 1979.
. Last country of registration: Sierra Leone. Dismantled for scrap.

Until 2010, the largest ship in the world was the Knock Nevis supertanker, built in 1975 in the Japanese city of Yokosuka. Before changing several names, he had a simple number 1016. But the cyclopean size actually ruined him - the tanker could not pass through either the Panama or the Suez Canal, even in the English Channel it would run aground, so move from ocean to ocean could only take a roundabout way.
During Iran-Iraq war In 1988, an Iraqi missile hit him and seriously damaged him. As a result, the supertanker sank in the Persian Gulf near the shore. After the end of the conflict, he was raised from the bottom and towed to Singapore, where they were able to restore in 1991, giving him a new "optimistic" name "Happy Giant". But as a tanker, no one needed it, so it began to serve as a floating oil storage. Finally, in 2009, the "lucky" was sent on his last journey to the Indian shores, where the next year he was cut into scrap metal.

2. Pierre Guillaumat

Deadweight - 555,000 tons.
. Length - 414.2 m.
. Year of construction - 1977.
. Last country of registration: France. Cut up for scrap.

In the family of twin ships of the Batillus series, this supertanker is the largest in terms of deadweight. It was built at French shipyards, worked for nothing at all - 5 years, after which it was mercilessly sent in 1983 to South Korea, where it turned into scrap metal. The rest of his brothers from the same series shared his fate. The reasons for such an inglorious death in all cases were the same problems with the impossibility of passing through the Suez and Panama canals.

3 Esso Atlantic

Deadweight - 516 900 tons.
. Length - 406.5 m.
. Year of construction - 1977.
. Last country of registration: Liberia. Cut up for scrap.

At one time, this oil supertanker was also a deadweight champion. It was built in Japan, and made its first commercial route from African Liberia, where the company owner Esso Tankers registered it under the Liberian flag. Most often, the tanker transported oil from the Middle East to Europe. But in 2002, the end came to him - in Pakistan, he was cut into scrap metal. He was practically a twin ship "Esso Pacific", but despite the "Pacific" name, he was smaller than the "Atlantic brother".

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4. Emma Maersk

Deadweight - 156 900 tons.
. Length - 397 m.
. Year of construction - 2006.
. Last country of registration: Denmark. It is still in operation.

This is the first ship of eight identical container ships of the E-class series, built by the Danish holding Moller-Maersk Group. At the time of her first voyage in 2006, she was the world's largest floating ship. "Emma Maersk" carries a variety of cargo between Asia and America, following through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Gibraltar.
This ship has a not very successful history - when its construction was already being completed, a fire broke out on the upper deck, which seriously damaged the brand new ship. Needed some repairs which were done quickly. In 2013, a new misfortune happened - right in the middle of the Suez Canal, one of the dry cargo ship's power plants broke down, as a result of which it lost control. Fortunately, both the ship and the canal remained intact.
Europeans do not favor the giant for its use of sulfur-rich fuel. Like many giant ships, Emma does not fit into the Panama Canal, therefore Pacific Ocean it is closed for her (not around Cape Horn to sail there!).

5.TI Class

Deadweight - 441 600 tons.
. Length - 380 m.
. Year of construction - 2003.
. Last country of registration: Belgium. It is still in operation.

This double-hulled ship had the largest deadweight and gross tonnage of its time. In total, four completely identical ships were built: two "TI Africa" ​​and "TI Oceania" under the flag of the Marshall Islands, "TI Europe" under the Belgian flag and "TI Asia". But in 2010, floating platform-terminals for storage and shipment of oil products were made from "Asia" and "Afrika", since then they have been working on a layup near one of the Qatari offshore oil fields.

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6 Vale Sohar

Deadweight - 400 300 t.
. Length - 362 m.
. Year of construction - 2012.
. Last country of registration: Marshall Islands. It is still in operation.

This vessel belongs to the family of the largest bulk carriers and is owned by the mining company Vale from Brazil. It transports ore mined in Brazil to the United States. In total, 40 huge dry cargo ships ply along this route, the deadweight of which is in the range of 380-400 thousand tons. Sohar is the largest ship among them.

7. Allure of the Seas

Deadweight - 19 750 tons.
. Length - 362 m.
. Year of construction - 2008.
. Last country of registration: Bahamas. It is still in operation.

This vessel belongs to the class of cruise ships "Oasis", consisting of two twins (the second "Oasis in the Seas"), occupying a leading place for its type of ships in the world. They say that Allure is still 5 cm longer than Oasis, which is why it is presented here. This giant is able to take on board 6296 passengers and 2384 crew members. The types of entertainment offered on board are innumerable, this floating city has a golf course and an ice rink, a lot of bars and shops, there is even a park with exotic plants.

8. Queen Mary II

Deadweight - 19 200 t.
. Length - 345 m.
. Year of construction - 2002.
. Last country of registration: Bermuda. It is still in operation.

This beautiful transatlantic cruise ship is one of the largest passenger liners in the world. It is able to transport with maximum comfort from the Old to New World or back 2620 passengers. It was designed and built by the French company "Chantiers del" Atlantique ". On board there is a theater, a casino, 15 restaurants and the only planetarium on ships.

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9. Mozah

Deadweight - 128 900 tons.
. Length - 345 m.
. Year of construction - 2007.
. Last country of registration: Qatar. It is still in operation.

This vessel opens a new family of tankers of the Q-Max series, which specialize in the transportation of liquefied natural gas produced in fields off the coast of Qatar. It was designed and built in South Korea. In total, 14 tankers from this series are currently in operation.

10. USS Enterprise (CVN-65)

Length - 342 m.
. Year of construction - 1960.
. Last country of registration: USA. The aircraft carrier has been decommissioned.

This is the largest American nuclear strike aircraft carrier, the first to operate a nuclear power plant. He began acting in 1961. A series of six similar hulks was planned, but only the Enterprise was built. Its cost resulted in an incredible 451 million of those more dollars, so even the bottomless US budget could not afford such expenses. In length, it is the largest warship in the world. Having refueled once with nuclear fuel, the aircraft carrier acquired autonomy for 13 years of active service and could cover a million nautical miles during this time. In February 2017, the Enterprise was sent to an honorary retirement - for the US Navy, this was the first farewell to a nuclear aircraft carrier.

Names of winners

Knock Nevis is the largest cargo ship ever built. With a length of 466 and a width of 70 meters, its total cargo capacity is about 565 thousand tons (4.1 million barrels of oil). Of the current cargo ships, the largest is Emma Maersk.

Norwegian super tanker Knock Nevis was built in 1979 and bore the following names: Seawise Giant, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking. Its draft in the water with a full load is 24.5 m, which does not allow the vessel to pass through the English Channel, the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal.

A bit of history

This ship was built in the 20th century by the company SUMITOMO OPPAMA SHIPYARD (Japan). Despite the fact that this vessel was laid down in 1979, its dimensions are still unsurpassed.

Knock Nevis is also the largest displacement ship in human history. Its crew consists of 40 people, speed - no more than 13 knots. The stopping distance of big ship in the world is more than 10 km.

Seawise Giant began to build on the order of the Greek tycoon, but he went bankrupt as a result of the oil embargo of the 70s. After that, the ship was purchased by the Hong Kong magnate Tung, who financed its completion. However, at Tung's insistence, the ship's deadweight was increased from 480,000 to 564,763 tons, making the Seawise Giant the world's largest ship.

Destiny - to carry oil

The tanker entered service in 1981, and initially transported oil from fields in the Gulf of Mexico. Then he was transferred to transport oil from Iran. It was in the Persian Gulf that he was sunk. In 1986, during the Iran-Iraq war, Strait of Hormuz, the tanker was attacked and sunk by Iraqi Air Force aircraft with missiles. It sank in shallow water near Kharg Island, due to which in August 1988 it was raised and taken for repairs at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore by its new owner, Norman International. Most likely, the company bought, raised and repaired the tanker mainly for the sake of prestige. The refurbished Seawise Giant was renamed the Happy Giant.

By 1999, he again changed the owner and name - he was bought by the Norwegian Jahare Wallem and renamed Jahre Viking.

How to dispose of bulk?

In March 2004, the giant had new owner, First Olsen Tankers.
Times have already changed, and given the age of the tanker, it was decided to convert it into a floating storage and loading facility at the Dubai shipyards. After the alteration, he received the name Knock Nevis, and was then delivered to the Al Shaheen field in the waters of Qatar.

In December 2009, the ship was sold for scrapping to India, and set off on her last journey under the name Mont. His last photographs date back to January 2010, when the ship was laid up near the city of Alang (India) ready for disposal. Dismantlement of the largest ship in the world will last at least a year.

Giant monument to love

Of the operating for its intended purpose, the largest cargo ship is the ship Emma Maersk built in 2006.

This one is enough new ship, perhaps the world's largest monument to love. The giant container ship, capable of captivating even people far from technology with its appearance, was named by the ship-owning magnate who built it in honor of his deceased wife.

The giant container ship is also equipped with the world's largest internal combustion engine. And the capacity of this vessel, estimated by standard scheme, is 13.5-14.5 thousand TEU (these units are equivalent to 20-foot containers).

A.P. owner Moller-Maersk Group, 93-year-old Arnold Maersk Mackini Möller ( Arnold Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller), immortalized his wife Emma, ​​who died in December 2005, in a supership. With Emma, ​​Arnold lived in love and harmony for 65 years.

Only numbers

Now Emma is a beautiful gray-blue ship, the parameters of which are truly amazing. The length of the ship is 397 meters, width - 56 meters, draft - 15.5 meters. Gross tonnage - 171 thousand tons (gross).

Since ancient times, the ability to swim like a fish has been no less desirable for a person than the ability to fly like a bird. What can't do given by nature body, helped implement the machines we built. From the fragile boats of antiquity, mankind has grown to the creation of huge cities on the water. The largest of them, even a modern person accustomed to the achievements of progress, amaze with a combination of power and beauty.

The largest ships in the world: selection criteria

To name the most-most huge ship, there are at least two criteria: dimensions (length and width) and displacement (in fact, this is the volume of the underwater part of the ship).

In addition, to determine the winner in individual categories, his ability to perform his main task is of decisive importance. For a passenger ship, this is the number of passengers that it can take on board and the number of cabins, for a bulk carrier or tanker, the weight of the cargo carried, for a container ship, the number of containers.

Sailboats and steamships

Before moving on to modern record holders, let's remember their predecessors, those who plowed the seas driven by the power of wind and steam.

The largest sailing ship ever to float off the stocks is the French barque France II. The ship had a displacement of almost 11 tons and a length of 146 meters. For only ten years - from 1912 to 1922 - they carried out regular cargo transportation, until the sailboat that ran aground off the coast of New Caledonia was abandoned by the owners. The ship was finally destroyed in 1944 during a bombardment.

The greatest steamship in history is the Great Eastern launched in 1857. Its length is 211 meters, and its displacement is 22.5 thousand tons. The ship was propelled by two wheels and one propeller, but could also sail. The main purpose of the vessel is passenger transportation; Great Eastern could take up to 4000 people on board. Unfortunately, the age of coal and steam was not kind to such large-scale projects - the operation of Great Eastern turned out to be unprofitable and was discontinued for economic reasons.

Absolute record holder

For many years, the tanker Knock Nevis was the winner in the nomination "The largest ships in the world". Erected in 1976 in Japan, it changed its name many times and underwent a major restructuring. The champion acquired the final dimensions in 1981 (under the name Seawise Giant): 458.5 meters long, 68 wide with a displacement of 565 thousand tons.

A huge tanker is a piece of equipment that is not so easy to find a use for. Due to its size, the ship had low speed, a huge (more than 10 kilometers!) braking distance, could not pass through strategic navigable straits and could only moor in a few ports around the world.

You can see a photo of the largest ship on any site, dedicated to history shipbuilding, but this giant with recently belongs to the past, just like sailboats and steamships. In 2010, the ship, which had not been used for six years, was cut into scrap metal.

Workaholic Giants

Like the Seawise Giant, the other largest ships are also cargo ships: tankers, bulk carriers, container ships.

The longest ship currently in use (397 meters) is the container ship Emma Maersk. According to various sources, it is possible to lift from 11 to 14 thousand standard containers without its board. Since the designers were tasked with ensuring the passage of Emma Maersk through the Suez and Panama canals, the width and draft of the ship were set to be quite moderate. Therefore, the displacement of such a giant is "only" 157 thousand tons.

And the largest ships in the world in terms of displacement are four Hellespont supertankers. Although the length of each of them is 17 meters less than that of the leader among container ships, but the displacement is one and a half times greater - 234 thousand tons.

The ore carriers of the Brazilian company Vale are not too inferior to them. The largest of them - Vale Sohar - has a displacement of about 200 thousand tons and a length of 360 meters. The maximum load that this giant is able to carry is 400 thousand tons.

Cruise beauties

Although passenger ships and not as large as trucks, but they make an indelible impression. A cruise liner is not a means of transportation, but a luxury vacation spot. The large size of the ship here serves not so much to accommodate as many passengers as possible on board, but to create all conceivable comfort that would satisfy the most demanding audience.

The largest passenger ships are many times larger than the Titanic that once seemed incredible. A pair of twin liners Allure of the Seas and Oasis in the Seas are unmatched in size. 362 meters in length and 225 thousand tons of displacement - figures comparable to the largest cargo ships. Each of the liners can comfortably accommodate 6,400 passengers. In addition, 2,100 personnel are serving on board (this is against several dozen sailors serving tankers and bulk carriers).

Allure of the Seas or Oasis in the Seas offers shops, casinos, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, a fitness center, volleyball and basketball courts, a sauna and swimming pools. There is even a park with real trees and grass.

Sea storm

You can not ignore the largest warships. These are now aircraft carriers. And this is understandable: no matter how the aircraft engineers work to reduce the take-off run of aircraft, the “winged sailors” still need a rather big track for the start.

In the period before World War II, the most powerful maritime powers built especially large warships - battleships. The largest of them is the flagship of the Japanese fleet "Yamato". 263 meters long, 40 wide, with a crew of 2,500 sailors, the battleship seemed simply invulnerable. However, the ship, launched in 1940, was sunk shortly before the surrender of Japan.

The development of anti-submarine weapons made such ships too convenient a target. The ships laid down in those years were still in service (for example, the American battleships of the Iowa project), but the main stake in the post-war period was placed on aircraft carriers.

The largest naval ship of all time was the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. It is 342 meters long and 78 meters wide. The ship carried up to 90 aircraft (airplanes and helicopters), which served 1800 people. Total population crew - 3000 sailors. After serving for more than half a century, in 2012 the Enterprise was withdrawn from service with the United States Navy. Now its place has been taken by Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, slightly inferior in size to their predecessor - the length of the largest modern aircraft-carrying ships is 333 meters.

The largest ships in Russia

Although Russian-made ships do not occupy the top positions in the ratings of the largest ships in the world, some models are unrivaled in their categories.

Thus, the flagship of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Federation, the nuclear-powered missile cruiser Pyotr Veliky, is the world's largest non-aircraft-carrying combat strike ship. Cruiser dimensions: 251 meters - length, 28 meters - width, displacement - 28 thousand tons. Main task: counteracting enemy aircraft carrier formations.

There is another record holder in the service of the Russian Navy - the Akula submarine (Project 941). The length of the boat is 173 meters, the underwater displacement is 48 thousand tons, the crew is 160 people. Submarine equipped with a nuclear reactor and diesel power plants. The main weapons are intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads.

Of the civilian ships, it is necessary to mention the largest nuclear-powered icebreaker "50 Years of Victory", which left the stocks in 1993. Perhaps, knowing what the largest ships in the world are, its 160 meters in length will seem frivolous, but still this ship has no equal in its class.

Giant in the shipyard

In addition to the ships themselves, modern shipbuilders are busy developing other sea ​​giants- floating platforms. Strikingly large structures can be used for various purposes, from mining to launching spacecraft.

Right now, the shipyards of the South Korean Samsung Heavy Industries are completing the Prelude floating platform, which the customer, Royal Dutch Shell, plans to use for the extraction, liquefaction and transportation of natural gas. In 2013, the Prelude hull was launched. Its dimensions are more impressive than the largest ships in the world can boast. A photo of the unfinished giant has become available to everyone interested.

The vessel is 488 meters long, 78 meters wide, and has a displacement of 600,000 tons. It is assumed that the platform will move with the help of tugs. Only the absence of its own running gear does not allow Prelude to be called a champion among giant ships. The platform is still not a ship.