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List of oldest surviving ships

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This is a list of the oldest ships in the world which have survived to this day with exceptions to certain categories. The ships on the main list, which include warships, yachts, tall ships, and vessels recovered during archaeological excavations, all date to between 500 AD and 1918; earlier ships are covered in the list of surviving ancient ships. Vessels listed are sorted by date of launch as most accurately known. Many of the ships in the "Build location" column were built for use in other countries by the United Kingdom, which in the mid to late 1800s was a dominant worldwide ship builder. A majority of ships on this list are found in museums, and it includes examples that are the last of their kind left in the world.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
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List criteria

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While this list includes the "oldest surviving" ships, many have since been restored, and/or reconstructed. Ships that have been exposed to the elements gradually deteriorate over time, thus no ship can be considered truly original due to part replacements during a ship's life. This leads to a known paradox called the "Ship of Theseus", making the definition of "original" unclear.[1] An example is the USS Niagara: the original sank in 1820 and was raised and reconstructed three times.[2] These extensive reconstructions left little of the original ship remaining (nonstructural items). Another separate issue is incomplete ships due to weathering conditions caused by their status as a former shipwreck, or by sheer neglect. One example is the ship Mary Rose, whose raised and preserved remains consist of only a partial hull. Those that remain underwater and intact are lumped into a separate category that focuses on shipwrecks, such as those found in the Black Sea. Many surviving old ships may also appear on other Wikipedia lists such as lightvessels. Many old lightvessels survive worldwide to this day, unlike ocean liners of which there are very few pre-World War II examples.

With these things in mind, the following are excluded

  • Replicas – There is an article on ship replicas.
  • Underwater wrecks – There is an index with lists of shipwrecks.
  • Ships made after 1918 – This is a list of "oldest" ships launched before 1919.

The following things are included in this page

  • Reconstructed ships – "Restored" is fine as long as the ship retains its original features or some of its original features.[a]
  • Wreckage – As long as they are restored in some way and put on display as a museum exhibit. All of the ships listed below include a fully intact or partially intact hull. Ships like the Lady Elizabeth are still considered to be surviving despite their current condition of not being preserved.
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Legend

  •   These ships have been preserved in museums or
    they are no longer in use but still exist to this day.
  •   Not a museum ship (commercial vessel, privately
    owned, etcetera)
  • N/A indicates that information is unavailable or yet to be evaluated.

Oldest ships

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Before 500 AD

For a list of surviving ancient ships dating before 500 AD, see List of surviving ancient ships.

500–1400s AD

More information Name, Image ...

1500s–1859

More information Names, Image ...

1860–1889

More information Names, Image ...

1890–1909

More information Names, Image ...

1910–1918

More information Names, Image ...
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Oldest surviving by category

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The following is a list of ships arranged by category. These include ships that are the oldest in the world by type and by function, they do not include ships known only for being the last of their kind. The cutoff date as with the list are ships constructed before 1919.

By type

More information Oldest..., Name ...

By function

More information Oldest..., Name ...
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See also

Notes

  1. Use your best judgement when including these ships here per "Ship of Theseus". Going by reliable sources indicating that the ship is "surviving" is a good indication of inclusion.
  2. Area of origin
  3. Estimated length
  4. It is popularly called the Glass Wreck because of the large quantities of broken glassware visible during the ships excavation
  5. Extant length
  6. Currently Disassembled
  7. Not otherwise defined, it's only known that these ships were used for warfare.
  8. Currently in storage
  9. 36-foot bow section is preserved
  10. Built between 1863 and 1865
  11. 89-ft. section is preserved
  12. Oldest still navigable steamship in Germany
  13. This is the discovery date, it is assumed the submarine is from the Confederacy. No known information is available regarding a launch date or original name.
  14. Originally built as a steam ferry
  15. Rebuilt as a car ferry
  16. Originally built as a steam Schooner.
  17. Lightvessel No. XVII Gedser Rev is the full name of the ship.
  18. Bow and bridge section are preserved
  19. Hull is now a breakwater
  20. Sea going museum ship
  21. Converted to an articulated barge in 2013. Bow section remains the same while the superstructure has changed.
  22. Laurindo Pitta is active at times when doing water tours.
  23. Wheelhouse was built in Olympia.
  24. Sevastopol is a city in Crimea
  25. Retains its original engines and other machinery as well as its stern section
  26. Tarihi Kadırga was constructed in the late 16th or early 17th century
  27. Ceremonial role
  28. The Bertha is laid up (inactive)
  29. The Tudor Vladimirescu is a "Sidewheeler" as opposed to the Moyie.
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References

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