Top 3 Most Famous Ships in History: From the RMS Titanic, U.S.S. Arizona and the Bismarck, how these transport and naval carriers left an imparting legacy on culture.
Ships have been around for more than 5000 years now. And, during all these years, they have been an integral component of transport and war. With innovations in design and improvements in power and speed over the years, ships have continued to fascinate humankind.
Ships have played a very important role in the civilization process since they were once the only means of transporting goods across countries, says Premier Ship Models, a reputed company that makes some of the best naval warship and battleship models.
Millions of ships have been built till date, but only some have had a lasting impact. Here are the top 3 among them.
RMS Titanic
RMS Titanic, the ill-fated British luxury liner, is undoubtedly the most famous ship of all time. Among the passenger ships of its era, this was the biggest and the fastest, but its tenure on the sea lasted for only five days. On April 10, 1912, Titanic embarked on its maiden voyage from England. Five days later, it struck an iceberg and was lost forever.
The ship had sufficient time to evacuate the 2,224 people onboard. However, a highly inadequate number of life boats resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. The sinking shocked the maritime community to the core and resulted in a number of regulation changes and safety improvements.
U.S.S. Arizona
The name Arizona would make any American veteran emotional. This battleship suffered a fiery fate during the Second World War after the Japanese made a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. A well-aimed bomb ignited a powder magazine in the ship and completely destroyed it. Out of the 1,400 people in the crew, over 1,177 died.
The ship couldn’t be salvaged since it was too badly damaged. It still remains in Pearl Harbor in the form of a war memorial. This ship is a popular choice for making large scale U.S. navy battleship ship models.
Bismarck
This humongous German dreadnought terrified the British Navy during the Second World War. The 823 feet long Bismarck was the largest warship of its time, but also had the speed to match its size. With a maximum speed of 30 knots, it was among the fastest ships in the war. In the month of May in 1941, this ship went after the British merchant fleet and consequently became the target of a huge naval hunt by the Royal Navy.
Bismarck was eventually engaged by two British warships, the HMS Hood and the HMS Prince of Wales. In the vicious battle that ensued, Bismarck sank the Hood and ran off the Prince of Wales. However, the British retaliated with aerial torpedoes the next day and damaged Bismarck. The ship tried to make a run for repairs, but got sunk by a second combined attack. This powerful and legendary ship is still a favorite among people who build naval warship models.
From hollowed out logs to the super-advanced cruise ships and warships today, mankind has always had a deep bond with ships. This is also evident from the fact that building ship models is a growing trend these days.
