This is a timeline list of the world's largest passenger ship, ranked by gross tonnage.
Timeline
Ancient
thumb|The Syracusia depicted in 1798
Early modern
- 15th century – Zheng He's treasure ships (China )
- 16th century – Portuguese caravels that transferred people to the New World
19th century
- 1831 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (Canada )
- 1837 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom ) – 76.8 m (251.97 ft) long
- 1839 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1840 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1845 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1854 – SS Himalaya (United Kingdom) – became Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. within a year – 100 m (340 ft)
- 1854 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1858 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom) – 211 m (682 ft), broken up 1889
- 1871 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom) – 138 m (452 ft)
- 1873 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1875 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1875 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1881 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1881 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom)
- 1888 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United Kingdom, United States ) – 170 m (560 ft)
- 1893 – missing name (United Kingdom) – 189.6 m (622 ft)
- 1893 – missing name (United Kingdom) – 189.6 m (622 ft)
- 1897 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (Germany) – 200 m (655 ft)
- 1899 – missing name (United Kingdom) – 215 m (704 ft)
20th century
- 1901 – missing name (United Kingdom )
- 1902 - RMS Cedric (United Kingdom)
- 1903 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1906 – SS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria (Germany)
- 1907- RMS Adriatic (1906) (United Kingdom)
- 1907 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1907 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1911 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1912 – missing name (United Kingdom)[1]
- 1913 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (Germany)
- 1913 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (Germany)
- 1913 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (Germany), after 1922 named RMS Majestic (United Kingdom)
- 1935 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (France )
- 1936 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1940 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 1952 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist. (United States )
- 1962 – Script error: The function "ship_prefix_templates" does not exist.
- 1988 – MS Sovereign of the Seas (Norway , Bahamas)
- 1995 – Sun Princess (Bermuda)
- 1996 – Carnival Destiny (Bahamas)
- 1997 – Grand Princess (Bermuda)
- 1999 – missing name (Bahamas)
- 2000 – missing name (Bahamas)
Table for 20th century
| Year
|
Ship
|
Tonnage
|
Length
|
Country
|
Notes
|
Image
|
| 1901
|
RMS Celtic
|
20,904
|
701 ft (214 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
|
|
| 1903
|
RMS Baltic
|
23,876
|
729 ft (222 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
|
|
| 1906
|
Kaiserin Auguste Victoria
|
24,581
|
677.5 ft (206.5 m)
|
Germany
|
|
-->
|
| 1907
|
RMS Lusitania
|
31,550
|
787 ft (240 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Torpedoed in May 7, 1915 by U-20
|
|
| 1907
|
RMS Mauretania
|
31,938
|
790 ft (240 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Also held the "Blue Riband" from 1909 to 1929 (20 years)
|
|
| 1911
|
RMS Olympic
|
45,324
|
882.5 ft (269.0 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Also held the title again briefly after the sinking of the Titanic
|
|
| 1912
|
RMS Titanic
|
46,328
|
883 ft (269 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Sank on April 15, 1912; one of the only ocean liners to sink by an iceberg
|
|
| 1913
|
SS Imperator
|
52,117
|
906 ft (276 m)
|
Germany
|
Given to Cunard Line as a compensation for Lusitania
|
|
| 1913
|
SS Vaterland
|
54,282
|
950 ft (290 m)
|
Germany
|
Seized by Americans during World War I and was renamed SS Leviathan
|
|
| 1913
|
SS Bismarck
|
56,551
|
956 ft (291 m)
|
Germany
|
Given to White Star Line as a compensation to Britannic
|
|
| 1935
|
SS Normandie
|
79,280 (as built) 83,404 (1936 onwards)
|
1,029 ft (314 m)
|
France
|
First passenger liner to exceed 1000 feet and 300 metres in length
|
|
| 1936
|
RMS Queen Mary
|
81,237
|
1,019.4 ft (310.7 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Held the title for a bit, until Normandie recaptured the largest ship title after being modified in 1936 to increase her size
|
|
| 1940
|
RMS Queen Elizabeth
|
83,673
|
1,031 ft (314 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Burnt after being converted in Hong Kong as "Seawise University"
|
|
| 1962
|
SS France
|
66,343
|
1,035 ft (315 m)
|
France
|
Became the largest existing ship upon the destruction of the larger Queen Elizabeth; stayed the longest passenger ship until RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004
|
|
| 1969
|
RMS Queen Elizabeth 2
|
65,200 (as built)
|
963 ft (294 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
Became the largest active passenger ship in service, upon the retirement of the larger France
|
|
| 1988
|
MS Sovereign of the Seas
|
73,192
|
880 ft (270 m)
|
Norway, Bahamas
|
|
|
| 1995
|
Sun Princess
|
77,499
|
857 ft (261 m)
|
Bermuda
|
|
|
| 1996
|
Carnival Destiny
|
101,353
|
893 ft (272 m)
|
Bahamas
|
First passenger ship to surpass Queen Elizabeth in tonnage
|
|
| 1997
|
Grand Princess
|
109,000
|
951 ft (290 m)
|
Bermuda
|
|
|
| 1999
|
Voyager of the Seas
|
137,276
|
1,020 ft (310 m)
|
Bahamas
|
|
|
| 2000
|
Explorer of the Seas
|
137,308
|
1,020 ft (310 m)
|
Bahamas
|
|
|
21st century
Allure of the Seas
- 2002 – missing name (Bahamas)
- 2004 – missing name (United Kingdom)
- 2006 – missing name (Bahamas)
- 2007 – missing name (Bahamas)
- 2008 – missing name (Bahamas)
- 2009 – missing name (Bahamas)[2]
- 2010 – missing name (Bahamas)[3]
- 2016 – missing name (Bahamas)
- 2018 - missing name (Bahamas)
Table for 21st century
| Year
|
Ship
|
Tonnage
|
Length
|
Country
|
Notes
|
Image
|
| 2002
|
MS Navigator of the Seas
|
139,570
|
1,021 ft (311 m)
|
Bahamas
|
|
|
| 2004
|
RMS Queen Mary 2
|
148,528
|
1,132 ft (345 m)
|
United Kingdom
|
|
|
| 2006
|
missing name
|
154,407
|
1,112 ft (339 m)
|
Bahamas
|
Two more ships in class of the same size
|
|
| 2009
|
MS Oasis of the Seas
|
225,282
|
1,186 ft (361 m)
|
Bahamas
|
One more ship in class of the same size
|
|
| 2016
|
MS Harmony of the Seas
|
227,700
|
1,188 ft (362 m)
|
Bahamas
|
|
|
| 2018
|
MS MS Symphony of the Seas
|
228,081
|
1,188 ft (362 m)
|
Bahamas
|
Currently the largest passenger ship in the world.
|
|
See also
- List of world's longest ships
- List of the world's largest cruise ships
- Ocean liners
References
de:Passagierschiff#Größenentwicklung der Passagierschiffe (nach BRT)(Auswahl)