Most Famous Ship [S. Worthen | Weblog]

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A week-or-so ago, I was waiting around the Cutty Sark, when I noticed a sign. It claimed that the Cutty Sark is the world's most famous ship.

Surely, that's not true. In America, the Niña, the Pinta, the Santa Maria, the Mayflower, and the Titanic are all far more famous than the Cutty Sark. I don't know why the Cutty Sark would be quite so famous anywhere outside the UK (and perhaps, given her history, Australia).

But it does raise the question: What is the world's most famous ship?

(Not fleet. Not sailor. Not navigator. Ship. And what is the most famous ship in Russia? India? China? etc.)

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There are 21 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

The most famous ship still around

Technically, the Titanic is still around, only not quite as close to the water's surface as is the Cutty Sark.

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Since the fire there's not much still around about the poor old Cutty Sark. More than the Mary Rose though.

It does have the Tall Ships Race named after it so in sail training circles it is probably the most famous. Smallish circles though.

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Probably the Titanic if only because of the movie. Surely the most famous ship in England is HMS Victory?

Other cndidates might include Argo, Bismark, USS Constitution as well as the ones you named.

I've never heard of the Cutty Sark. My vote would have gone for the Santa Maris or the Titanic. Maybe the Maryrose. Probably the Titanic.

Maria, not Maris... doh!

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Perhaps the fame of the Cutty Sark is so widespread due to its namesake whisky? Although it would be funny to market, say, a rum called "The Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria" if only to listen to people try to order it after their 8th piña colada.

That's what I was thinking.

FWIW, the most famous ship here in San Diego is the Star of India. But I know that's not a worldwide thing by any means.

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I think Russia is the cruiser Aurora, which is famous for..oh gods, I forget...*googles* Ah yes:
"On 25 October 1917, the refusal of an order for the Aurora to take to sea sparked the October Revolution. At 9.45 p.m. on that date, a blank shot from her forecastle gun signalled the start of the assault on the Winter Palace, which was to be the last episode of the October Revolution. Aurora's crew actually took part in the attack."

Historians are a bit sceptical about some of that but when I was out in Russia with a university trip in the early 90s we were proudly given the grand tour of the thing and told all the history, which I imagine means your average Russian is well aware of it.

And er, no, I'd not really heard of the Cutty Sark much before seeing it, and wasn't quite sure *what* it was when I did. Most famous one I can think of is the Marie Celeste, but I'm not sure that counts :)

Definitely the Titanic, for me.

In Canada the Bluenose is right up there, largely by dint of being on the dime. But I think the Titanic still has the edge, in general, even before the James Cameron movie. (But also before A Night to Remember? Hmmm. Discuss.)

Perhaps the writer meant most famous sailing ship and neglected to make the qualifier explicit?

The U.S.S. Enterprise

hee (to the Enterprise)

But I would have said Titanic, too.

Here in American it's almost certainly Old Ironsides.

I have never heard of most of these other boats y'all are mentioning.

The Lusitania sticks out for me and the Titanic.

The Titanic came into my consciousness early via children's lit about the sinking namely the Blossom Culp books.

The Lusitania because my father is a history nut and always talked about the sinking of the Lusitania kicking off WWI in the US.

I agree with both of these - the Lusitania and the Titanic stick in my memory much better than the others mentioned above (and most of them ARE familiar to me but I can't say they came to mind when I thought of famous ships!).

Perhaps the marketing department is basing it on the fact that the London Marathon is so well known and part of the route goes around the Cutty Sark every year ;)

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Hmmm... Noah's ark? Is that cheating? You get three major world religions there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famous_ships

I don't think the Cutty Sark is even England's most famous ship. I would give that title to the Mary Rose, HMS Victory or the Endeavour, all of which would be strong contenders for the world's most famous ship. Over all, I think it's probably the Titanic, but sailing types get awfully prissy about classification so it may not technically be a "ship" at all. Of course, it may turn out that none of the above mentioned are ships, which is how the Cutty Sark is able to claim the title.

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Arizona. (Although, not sailing.)

Also, the Vasa. Because that's just hilarity.

Yeah, first one that sprang to mind was Wasa but I think that's unlikely to be worldwide either.

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According to Jim Cameron Titanic.

October