Ships on Screen
Some ships you never forget. The Orca heading out after the shark. The bow of the Titanic at sunset. Crockett’s Scarab tearing across Biscayne Bay at night. The little canoe of Moana. The black sails of the Corsairs coming up the river.
We have gathered 1,404 of them here, from films, television series, cartoons, documentaries and books, from the silent era right up to 2026. For each one you will find the film or the book, the year, who was in it, what the ship does in the story, and the scene we would bring to life.
Marea can build every one of these ships as a scale model, with the maximum detail the scale permits, finished to be inspected. But we don’t stop at the ship. We bring the scene with it: a few hand painted figurines on deck, caught in the one moment you remember. It isn’t a diorama. It’s the ship, with its story on board.
This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these films, books and ships better than we do: listening, correcting and learning is one of the many ways we work towards perfection in this craft.
Have you spotted a mistake? Tell us which film, series, book, cartoon or boat, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here
The ships
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
SS Seawitch Fictional
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey
After their tanker Northern Star is sunk, Rossi and Captain Jarvis join a new Liberty ship on a Murmansk convoy, fighting U-boats and the Luftwaffe.
The Marea scene Bogart at the wheel of the Liberty ship as a U-boat surfaces in the fog.
On set Built entirely on Warner Bros. sound stages, with the ship sets split across two stages.
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
HMCS Donnacona Fictional
Corvette K-225 (1943)
Directed by Richard Rosson
Starring Randolph Scott, James Brown, Ella Raines, Barry Fitzgerald
A Canadian officer who lost his first ship to a U-boat takes a new corvette on a convoy to Britain and sinks the U-boat that killed his men.
The Marea scene The corvette's crew at the depth charge rails in a heavy Atlantic sea.
On set Filmed with the real HMCS Kitchener (K225), a convoy escort veteran.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS Corsair Fictional
Crash Dive (1943)
Directed by Archie Mayo
Starring Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews
A PT boat officer transfers to a submarine and falls for his captain's fiancée; the submarine raids a German base in the North Atlantic.
The Marea scene The submarine surfacing to shell a disguised German Q-ship.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Lifeboat of the torpedoed freighter Fictional
Lifeboat (1944)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, John Hodiak
Survivors of a freighter and the U-boat that sank her share one lifeboat in the Atlantic, with the German captain secretly steering them towards a supply ship.
The Marea scene Nine survivors crowded in the lifeboat, the German captain at the oars.
On set Four lifeboats built at the 20th Century Fox studio, one used in the studio tank.
Photo: Brosen, CC BY 2.5
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Daniel Webster Fictional
Sealed Cargo (1951)
Directed by Alfred L. Werker
Starring Dana Andrews, Carla Balenda, Claude Rains
A New England fishing skipper sails his schooner into the Newfoundland fog and comes across a derelict square rigger. The derelict turns out to be a disguised supply ship for German U-boats.
The Marea scene The fishermen boarding the silent derelict in the fog.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Ergenstrasse Fictional
The Sea Chase (1955)
Directed by John Farrow
Starring John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar, Tab Hunter
At the outbreak of war a German captain slips his old freighter out of Sydney and tries to reach Germany across two oceans, pursued by his British friend in a warship.
The Marea scene The rusty Ergenstrasse burning spars and furniture to keep steam up in the North Atlantic.
On set HMCS New Glasgow stood in for the pursuing Australian warship HMAS Rockhampton.
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS Haynes (DE-181) Fictional
The Enemy Below (1957)
Directed by Dick Powell
Starring Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens
Captain Murrell's destroyer escort plays a long game of cat and mouse with a U-boat in the South Atlantic, a duel of wits between two respectful commanders.
The Marea scene Mitchum on the bridge as depth charges erupt astern of the destroyer escort.
On set Played by USS Whitehurst (DE-634), lent by the US Navy at Pearl Harbor.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Von Stolberg's U-boat Fictional
The Enemy Below (1957)
Directed by Dick Powell
Starring Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens
The German captain, weary of the war, tries to outwit the escort to reach a rendezvous with a raider. Both ships are lost at the end.
The Marea scene The U-boat crew below decks singing as depth charges shake the hull.
On set Studio sets and miniatures.
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
German raider Atlantis Real ship
Under Ten Flags (1960)
Directed by Duilio Coletti
Starring Van Heflin, Charles Laughton, Mylène Demongeot, John Ericson
Captain Rogge's disguised raider changes identities to sink Allied merchant ships while the Admiralty tries to track her down.
The Marea scene The raider's crew dropping false bulwarks to reveal her guns before a surprised freighter.
Photo: S.W.Roskill, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Ingo Fictional
Morituri (1965)
Directed by Bernhard Wicki
Starring Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Janet Margolin, Trevor Howard
A pacifist engineer is blackmailed into sailing on a German blockade runner carrying rubber from Japan and disabling her scuttling charges so the Allies can capture her.
The Marea scene Brando creeping through the Ingo's hold to disarm the scuttling charges.
On set Filmed mostly aboard the freighter Blue Dolphin, a repurposed wartime German freighter.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-boat on the Orinoco Fictional
Murphy's War (1971)
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips, Philippe Noiret, Horst Janson
After a U-boat sinks his ship Mount Kyle and machine guns the survivors, Irish mechanic Murphy wages a one man war against it on the Orinoco in Venezuela.
The Marea scene The U-boat hiding under the jungle canopy of a river channel.
On set Played by the Venezuelan Navy submarine ARV Carite (ex USS Tilefish).
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Grumman Duck seaplane and river crane barge Fictional
Murphy's War (1971)
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips, Philippe Noiret
Murphy repairs a Grumman Duck floatplane to bomb the U-boat and finally attacks it with an old river crane barge.
The Marea scene Murphy's floatplane skimming over the river to drop a Molotov bomb on the U-boat.
On set A restored Grumman Duck flown by Frank Tallman, now at the National Museum of the United States Air Force; a former tank landing craft served as the crane.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-96 Real ship
Das Boot (1981)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
A U-boat patrol in 1941 seen through a war correspondent's eyes: storms, depth charge attacks, an attempt to run the Strait of Gibraltar and a descent to the seabed.
The Marea scene Der Alte on the open conning tower in a gale, soaked by green water.
On set Two full size mock ups (one exterior at La Rochelle, later borrowed for Raiders of the Lost Ark) and a gimballed interior at Bavaria Film Studios, Munich, plus a half size model.
Photo: Andrey Belenko, CC BY 2.0
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
SS Weser Real ship
Das Boot (1981)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
A German merchant ship interned in neutral Vigo, Spain, which secretly resupplies U-boats. U-96's scruffy crew attend a formal dinner with the ship's officers before sailing for the Mediterranean.
The Marea scene The bearded U-boat officers in stained uniforms at a white linen dinner table in the brightly lit merchant ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS S-33 Real ship
U-571 (2000)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi
An old American submarine, disguised as a German resupply boat, is sent to capture an Enigma machine from a crippled U-boat. The real S-33 served only in the Pacific.
The Marea scene Sailors paddling rubber boats from S-33 to the crippled U-boat in rough seas.
On set A non diving replica built in Malta, displayed in Grand Harbour, Valletta and later reused for Das Boot (2018).
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-571 Real ship
U-571 (2000)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi
After their own submarine is sunk, the Americans must sail the captured U-boat home under attack from a German destroyer. Fiction: the real U-571 was never captured.
The Marea scene The Americans firing U-571's last torpedo at the pursuing destroyer.
On set Built for the production in Malta and Cinecittà; the real U-571 was sunk west of Ireland in 1944.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Chelsea Fictional
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Jared Harris, Tilda Swinton
Benjamin works on Captain Mike's tugboat, which is pressed into naval service when America enters the war. The Chelsea finds and rams a German U-boat after a sinking, and Captain Mike is killed.
The Marea scene The little Chelsea charging at full speed towards the surfaced U-boat as its deck gun fires.
On set Fictional name; real tug and visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS Keeling (DD-548) "Greyhound" Fictional
Greyhound (2020)
Directed by Aaron Schneider
Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue
Commander Krause, on his first command, leads the escort group of a convoy through the Black Pit of the mid Atlantic, beyond air cover, for fifty hours of U-boat attacks.
The Marea scene Krause on the open bridge wing in the North Atlantic spray as Greyhound swings to ram.
On set Filmed aboard USS Kidd (DD-661), a museum ship at Baton Rouge, Louisiana; pre production photography aboard HMCS Montréal.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Escorts Harry, Dicky and Eagle Fictional
Greyhound (2020)
Directed by Aaron Schneider
Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue
The other escorts, HMS James (Harry), HMCS Dodge (Dicky) and ORP Viktor (Eagle), fight alongside Greyhound under Krause's command.
The Marea scene Two escorts crossing close astern in heavy seas while chasing a contact.
On set Fictional ships created with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-boat "Grey Wolf" Fictional
Greyhound (2020)
Directed by Aaron Schneider
Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue
The lead U-boat of the wolfpack taunts the escorts over the radio and duels with Greyhound.
The Marea scene The U-boat surfacing close aboard while Greyhound's guns cannot depress far enough to hit it.
On set Visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · D-Day and amphibious landings
Bombardment cruisers and landing craft Real ship
The Longest Day (1962)
Directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki
Starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Richard Burton
The invasion fleet appears off Normandy, bombards the defences and lands the troops on the beaches.
The Marea scene German officer at his bunker slit seeing the whole invasion fleet on the horizon at dawn.
On set The US Sixth Fleet lent USS Springfield (CL-66) and USS Little Rock (CL-92), now a museum ship in Buffalo, plus landing ships filmed off Corsica.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · D-Day and amphibious landings
Landing craft on D-Day Real ship
Overlord (1975)
Directed by Stuart Cooper
Starring Brian Stirner, Davyd Harries
The film opens and closes inside a landing craft full of young soldiers heading for Sword Beach, where Tom is killed.
The Marea scene Young soldiers packed in a landing craft ploughing towards the Normandy shore.
On set About 70 per cent newly shot footage intercut with Imperial War Museum archive film.
Second World War at Sea · D-Day and amphibious landings
Higgins boats (LCVP) Real ship
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
Captain Miller's Rangers approach Omaha Beach in landing craft and the ramps drop into machine gun fire, opening the film's famous landing sequence.
The Marea scene Seasick soldiers crouched in a Higgins boat as the ramp starts to fall.
On set Two genuine wartime Higgins boats plus 1950s craft from California, Donegal and Southampton; filmed at Curracloe Beach, County Wexford, Ireland.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Starling Fictional
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty
Clem Miniver volunteers his motorboat Starling with other boat owners to help in the Dunkirk evacuation. His return, exhausted, after days ferrying troops is a key moment of the film.
The Marea scene Clem steering the Starling out of the river in a line of small boats heading for France.
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Vanity and Heron Fictional
Dunkirk (1958)
Directed by Leslie Norman
Starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee
Journalist Charles Foreman takes his motorboat Vanity to Dunkirk, where she is destroyed by bombing. Garage owner John Holden reluctantly sails his boat Heron with his young apprentice and, despite engine failures, brings soldiers home after a destroyer finds them drifting.
The Marea scene Holden's small Heron packed with exhausted soldiers, drifting towards Calais until a destroyer looms up.
On set Stock footage from The Cruel Sea was used for a destroyer sinking at the mole.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
The Nancy Starling Fictional
Their Finest (2016)
Directed by Lone Scherfig
Starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy
The Ministry of Information propaganda film being made in the story is about twin sisters who take their father's boat to Dunkirk. The boat gives the film within the film its title.
The Marea scene The twin sisters at the helm of their father's boat, filmed on a beach standing in for Dunkirk.
On set Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire stood in for Dunkirk.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Moonstone Fictional
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
Mr Dawson, his son and a local boy take their family motor yacht across the Channel when the Admiralty requisitions private boats. On the way they pick up a shell shocked soldier from a wreck and then rescue downed airmen and soldiers off Dunkirk.
The Marea scene Mr Dawson at the wheel of Moonstone, her deck crammed with rescued soldiers as a Spitfire passes overhead.
On set A real 1930s motor yacht; her most crowded scenes, with up to sixty people aboard a boat designed for fewer than ten, were shot on the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
The Little Ships of Dunkirk Real ship
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
The civilian flotilla arrives off the beaches in the film's climax to lift the stranded army. The production gathered genuine veterans of Operation Dynamo for these scenes.
The Marea scene Commander Bolton on the mole watching the civilian boats appear over the horizon.
On set Twenty actual Little Ships of Dunkirk, piloted by their owners, took part in filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
British destroyer (played by Maillé-Brézé) Fictional
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
Stands in for the Royal Navy destroyers that loaded troops at the East Mole. Soldiers board her and are caught below decks when she is torpedoed and sinks.
The Marea scene Soldiers scrambling up the destroyer's side from the mole as Stukas dive.
On set French Navy destroyer Maillé-Brézé (T 47 class, 1950s), now a museum ship at Nantes, disguised as a British destroyer because no wartime British destroyer with working engines survives.
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Hospital ship (played by MS Rogaland) Fictional
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
A hospital ship loading wounded at the mole is bombed and sinks early in the film, throwing Tommy and his companions back into the water.
The Marea scene Stretchers being carried up the gangway moments before the bombs strike.
On set Norwegian coaster Rogaland, a Second World War veteran, portrayed the hospital ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
HMS Britomart and other minesweepers (played by HNLMS Naaldwijk, HNLMS Sittard) Real ship
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
Dutch minesweepers of the 1950s portray British minesweepers and destroyers that ferry troops away from the mole.
The Marea scene Troops lining the rails of a grey minesweeper pulling away from the burning harbour.
On set HNLMS Naaldwijk played HMS Britomart; HNLMS Sittard played HMS Havant and HMS Jaguar; the armed pilot vessel MLV Castor played HMS Basilisk.
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
MTB 102 Real ship
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
The veteran motor torpedo boat appears in the evacuation sequences. The real MTB 102 took part in Operation Dynamo in 1940.
The Marea scene MTB 102 cutting through the swell off the beaches at speed.
On set The real MTB 102 (1937), preserved and still operational in Britain.
Photo: Mark, CC BY-SA 2.0
Second World War at Sea · French, Dutch and other European
Dutch submarines in the occupied yard Fictional
The Silver Fleet (1943)
Directed by Vernon Sewell and Gordon Wellesley
Starring Ralph Richardson, Googie Withers, Esmond Knight
A Dutch shipyard engineer secretly sabotages the Nazis, helping engineers hijack one submarine to England and blowing up another with German officials aboard.
The Marea scene The new submarine sliding out of the yard on her maiden voyage with the Nazi officials aboard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · French, Dutch and other European
U-boat escaping to South America Fictional
Les Maudits (The Damned) (1947)
Directed by René Clément
Starring Marcel Dalio, Henri Vidal, Florence Marly, Fosco Giachetti
At the end of the war Nazis and sympathisers flee Oslo in a U-boat bound for South America with a kidnapped French doctor, and the crew slowly disintegrates.
The Marea scene The long tracking shot down the length of the U-boat's interior.
On set Sets at Victorine Studios, Nice, and locations near Toulon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Germany
U-47 Real ship
U 47 Kapitänleutnant Prien (1958)
Directed by Harald Reinl
Starring Dieter Eppler, Sabine Sesselmann
The career of Günther Prien, whose U-47 slipped into Scapa Flow and sank HMS Royal Oak at anchor in 1939.
The Marea scene U-47 creeping on the surface into Scapa Flow past the blockships at night.
On set Played by the Spanish submarine G-7, formerly the German U-573.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Germany
Wilhelm Gustloff Real ship
Nacht fiel über Gotenhafen (1960)
Directed by Frank Wisbar
An earlier German film about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.
The Marea scene The liner leaving Gotenhafen in the snow with refugees on every deck.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
U-234 Real ship
Das letzte U-Boot (The Last U-Boat) (1993)
Directed by Frank Beyer
Starring Ulrich Mühe, Ulrich Tukur, Kaoru Kobayashi
A television film inspired by U-234's voyage towards Japan with secret cargo in the last days of the war.
The Marea scene Japanese officers and German crew facing each other in the cramped control room as Germany surrenders.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
Wilhelm Gustloff Real ship
Die Gustloff (2008)
Created by Joseph Vilsmaier
Starring Kai Wiesinger, Heiner Lauterbach, Michael Mendl
A two part television drama about the evacuation of refugees from Gotenhafen in January 1945 and the sinking of the overcrowded liner by the Soviet submarine S-13, the deadliest sinking in history.
The Marea scene Refugees crowding the icy boat deck as the torpedoes strike at night.
On set Filmed in Stralsund harbour with sinking scenes in the Malta water tanks and CGI for the ship at sea.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
RMS Laconia and U-156 Real ship
The Sinking of the Laconia (2011)
Created by Uwe Janson
Starring Andrew Buchan, Ken Duken, Franka Potente, Brian Cox
U-156 sinks the troopship Laconia off West Africa in 1942, then surfaces to rescue survivors and tows lifeboats under a Red Cross flag until attacked by an American aircraft.
The Marea scene Survivors crowded on U-156's deck and lifeboats in tow, a Red Cross flag spread over the gun.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
U-612 Real ship
Das Boot (2018)
Created by Bavaria Fiction for Sky (director Andreas Prochaska)
Starring Rick Okon, Vicky Krieps, Tom Wlaschiha, Vincent Kartheiser
A sequel series in which young captain Klaus Hoffmann takes U-612, with a scorpion emblem on her tower, into the Atlantic while the resistance plays out in La Rochelle.
The Marea scene U-612 leaving the La Rochelle pens at dusk with the crew on the casing.
On set A 45 metre moving interior set at Barrandov Studios, Prague, and the non diving replica built in Malta for U-571.
Photo: Darkone, CC BY-SA 2.0
Second World War at Sea · Home front and comedy
SS Cabinet Minister Fictional
Whisky Galore! (1949)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Starring Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, James Robertson Justice, Gordon Jackson
On a wartime Hebridean island that has run out of whisky, a cargo ship carrying 50,000 cases runs aground in the fog. The islanders salvage the whisky before the English Home Guard captain and the customs men can stop them.
The Marea scene Islanders rowing out through the fog to the stranded Cabinet Minister and lowering crates into their boats.
On set Based on the real SS Politician, wrecked off Eriskay in 1941; the film used sets and locations on Barra rather than a ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Home front and comedy
USS Kornblatt Fictional
Don't Give Up the Ship (1959)
Directed by Norman Taurog
Starring Jerry Lewis, Dina Merrill, Mickey Shaughnessy
Jerry Lewis plays a former wartime officer summoned before Congress to explain how he lost a whole destroyer escort. The search for the missing ship drives the comedy.
The Marea scene Jerry Lewis in a diving suit searching the sea floor for his lost ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Home front and comedy
USS Echo Fictional
The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)
Directed by Richard Murphy
Starring Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson, John Lund
A yachtsman turned naval officer is given command of a decrepit sailing schooner and a crew who cannot sail. Disguised as a neutral trader, she slips a coastwatcher behind Japanese lines.
The Marea scene Jack Lemmon at the wheel of the Echo as the green crew wrestle with the sails.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Indian Ocean
Ehrenfels Real ship
The Sea Wolves (1980)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard
A German merchant ship interned in neutral Goa that secretly radios Allied shipping movements to U-boats. Elderly members of the Calcutta Light Horse volunteer to sail to Goa and sink her.
The Marea scene The old soldiers climbing aboard the Ehrenfels at night with limpet mines.
On set The real Ehrenfels was scuttled at Mormugao in March 1943 during Operation Creek; the film was shot on location in Goa.
Second World War at Sea · Indian Ocean
Calcutta Light Horse barge Real ship
The Sea Wolves (1980)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard
The raiding party travels round India to Goa in a decrepit and barely seaworthy barge. From it they board the German ships in the harbour.
The Marea scene The ageing Light Horse volunteers crowded on the rusty barge as it creeps into Mormugao harbour.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Submarine A103 Fictional
Uomini sul fondo (Men on the Sea Floor) (1941)
Directed by Francesco De Robertis
Starring real submarine crews (non actors)
During training the submarine collides with a steamer and sinks. The captain and seven men stay aboard to refloat her, and a sailor gives his life to open a valve.
The Marea scene Divers working on the sunken hull while the trapped men wait in the dark.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Human torpedoes (maiali) at Alexandria Real ship
I sette dell'Orsa maggiore (Hell Raiders of the Deep) (1953)
Directed by Duilio Coletti
Starring Pierre Cressoy, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Paolo Panelli, Paul Müller
Italian frogmen ride human torpedoes into Alexandria harbour in 1941 to attack British battleships. Real Decima MAS veterans such as Luigi Ferraro appear.
The Marea scene Two frogmen astride a human torpedo gliding under the hull of a battleship.
On set Real Decima MAS members took part as supporting actors.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Italian submarine (unnamed) Fictional
La grande speranza (Submarine Attack) (1954)
Directed by Duilio Coletti
Starring Lois Maxwell, Renato Baldini, Earl Cameron, Folco Lulli
An Italian submarine sinks merchant ships in the Atlantic, then rescues the survivors, carrying 24 Danish seamen on her casing towards the Azores at great risk.
The Marea scene Shipwrecked sailors crowded on the submarine's deck as she runs on the surface.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Explosive motor boats (MTM) at Souda Bay Real ship
Siluri umani (Human Torpedoes) (1954)
Directed by Antonio Leonviola (and Carlo Lizzani, uncredited)
Starring Raf Vallone, Franco Fabrizi, Ettore Manni, Christian Marquand
Italian volunteers train on explosive speedboats and attack British ships in Souda Bay, Crete, in 1941, hitting the cruiser HMS York and a tanker.
The Marea scene A pilot jumping clear of his speedboat as it races at the cruiser at night.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Olterra Real ship
The Silent Enemy (1958)
Directed by William Fairchild
Starring Laurence Harvey, Dawn Addams, Michael Craig, Sid James
Royal Navy diver Lionel Crabb fights Italian frogmen at Gibraltar and discovers that they operate from the interned ship Olterra through an underwater door.
The Marea scene Crabb underwater discovering the hidden door in the Olterra's hull.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Italy
HMS Valiant and the human torpedoes Real ship
The Valiant (1962)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring John Mills, Ettore Manni
Two captured Italian frogmen are held aboard HMS Valiant at Alexandria after planting a charge under her, and her captain tries to learn where it is before it explodes.
The Marea scene Captain Morgan interrogating the Italian frogman deep in the battleship's hull as the clock runs down.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Comandante Cappellini Real ship
Comandante (2023)
Directed by Edoardo De Angelis
Starring Pierfrancesco Favino
Commander Salvatore Todaro sinks the Belgian steamer Kabalo in October 1940, then rescues her 26 survivors against orders and sails on the surface for days to land them safely.
The Marea scene Belgian survivors packed on the Cappellini's deck under Todaro's watch on the open Atlantic.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Mediterranean raids
HMS Seraph Real ship
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
Directed by Ronald Neame
Starring Clifton Webb, Gloria Grahame, Stephen Boyd
The submarine carries the body of the invented Major Martin and releases it off Huelva, Spain, to deceive the Germans before Sicily (Operation Mincemeat).
The Marea scene Officers on Seraph's casing at night lowering the canister into the sea off Spain.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Mediterranean raids
Motor torpedo boats and captured E-boat Fictional
Hell Boats (1970)
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring James Franciscus, Elizabeth Shepherd, Ronald Allen
An American officer commanding British MTBs at Malta rebuilds three boats from wrecks and, using a captured E-boat, raids a German base in Sicily.
The Marea scene The captured E-boat leading the MTBs into the enemy harbour at night.
Photo: Mark, CC BY-SA 2.0
Second World War at Sea · Mediterranean raids
HMS Seraph Real ship
Operation Mincemeat (2021)
Directed by John Madden
Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Johnny Flynn
The submarine drops the corpse in the Gulf of Cádiz, where it is found by fishermen from Huelva.
The Marea scene The submarine crew committing the body to the sea off the Spanish coast at dawn.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
SF Hydro Real ship
The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
Directed by Anthony Mann
Starring Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson
Norwegian saboteurs sink the ferry carrying Germany's heavy water across Lake Tinn. In the film the hero organises a lifejacket drill so the children aboard survive.
The Marea scene The ferry settling by the bow on the icy lake as passengers jump clear.
On set Played by the sister ferry SF Ammonia; the Channel Islands steamer TSS Roebuck played the hijacked coastal steamer in Dorset.
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
Cargo ship Donau Real ship
Max Manus (2008)
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
Starring Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken
The resistance fighter Max Manus and Roy Nielsen plant limpet mines on the ship in Oslo in January 1945, and she sinks the next day.
The Marea scene Two saboteurs in a rowing boat fixing limpet mines to the Donau's hull at night.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
SF Hydro Real ship
The Heavy Water War (Kampen om tungtvannet) (2015)
Created by Per-Olav Sørensen
Starring Espen Klouman Høiner, Christoph Bach, Anna Friel, Pip Torrens
The final episode shows the Gunnerside team ordered to sink the ferry carrying the heavy water stocks from Rjukan.
The Marea scene A saboteur planting the charge in the ferry's bilge by lamplight.
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
Fishing boat Brattholm Real ship
The 12th Man (Den 12. mann) (2017)
Directed by Harald Zwart
Starring Thomas Gullestad, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Twelve commandos sail from Shetland to northern Norway on Operation Martin; the boat is discovered and blown up, and only Jan Baalsrud escapes.
The Marea scene The commandos on the fishing boat's deck as a German ship closes in the fjord.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
German and British destroyers at Narvik Real ship
Narvik (2022)
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg
Starring Kristine Hartgen, Carl Martin Eggesbø, Henrik Mestad
The Royal Navy enters Narvik harbour and sinks the German destroyers that landed the invasion force in April 1940.
The Marea scene Burning German destroyers in the harbour below the snowy mountains.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Apollo and the Deutschland Fictional
Convoy (1940)
Directed by Pen Tennyson
Starring Clive Brook, John Clements, Edward Chapman, Judy Campbell
Captain Armstrong's cruiser Apollo escorts a North Sea convoy and must hold off the German pocket battleship Deutschland until help arrives.
The Marea scene The cruiser turning broadside to the pocket battleship to shield the merchant ships.
On set HMS Apollo is fictional; the enemy is the real Deutschland (renamed Lützow in 1940).
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Invincible (fictional carrier) Fictional
Ships with Wings (1941)
Directed by Sergei Nolbandov
Starring John Clements, Leslie Banks, Jane Baxter, Ann Todd
A disgraced Fleet Air Arm pilot redeems himself in operations off Greece flying from the carrier.
The Marea scene Swordfish biplanes ranged on the flight deck ready for launch.
On set Filmed aboard HMS Ark Royal, which was sunk in November 1941 shortly after filming.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Torrin Fictional
In Which We Serve (1942)
Directed by Noël Coward and David Lean
Starring Noël Coward, John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson
The story of a destroyer from her commissioning in 1939 to her sinking off Crete, told through the memories of survivors clinging to a Carley float. Based on Lord Mountbatten's HMS Kelly.
The Marea scene Captain Kinross and his men clinging to a Carley float under strafing fire as the Torrin goes down.
On set Based on HMS Kelly; exteriors used the Australian destroyer HMAS Nepal, interiors were built at Denham Studios.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
San Demetrio Real ship
San Demetrio London (1943)
Directed by Charles Frend (completed by Robert Hamer)
Starring Arthur Young, Walter Fitzgerald, Ralph Michael, Gordon Jackson
The true story of the tanker set ablaze by the Admiral Scheer in 1940 and abandoned. Survivors in a lifeboat reboard the burning ship days later, put out the fires and sail her home to the Clyde.
The Marea scene The lifeboat crew climbing back up the side of the still burning tanker.
On set Studio production with a scale model now displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London; the real San Demetrio was sunk in 1942.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Sea Tiger (P61) Fictional
We Dive at Dawn (1943)
Directed by Anthony Asquith
Starring John Mills, Eric Portman
The submarine is sent into the Baltic to sink the new German battleship Brandenburg before she clears the Kiel Canal. Low on fuel after the attack, the crew must raid a Danish island port to get home.
The Marea scene Sea Tiger surfacing in the Baltic as her crew man the deck gun.
On set Exteriors used submarines P614 and P615 (Turkish order requisitioned by the Royal Navy); HMS Safari also appears.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Trojan Fictional
Morning Departure (1950)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Nigel Patrick
Set just after the war, the submarine strikes a leftover magnetic mine and sinks, leaving twelve men trapped with too few escape sets. Released as HMS Truculent was lost, it was dedicated to the Royal Navy.
The Marea scene Captain Armstrong dealing cards to decide who escapes first.
On set Exteriors used the submarine HMS Tiptoe.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Ballantrae Fictional
Gift Horse (1952)
Directed by Compton Bennett
Starring Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough, Sonny Tufts, James Donald
An old American destroyer from the destroyers for bases deal becomes an unlucky ship until her crew are chosen for Operation Boadicea, ramming the dock gate of a French port. The story is based on HMS Campbeltown at St Nazaire.
The Marea scene Ballantrae, disguised as a German torpedo boat, ramming the lock gate under searchlights.
On set Played by HMS Leamington (ex USS Twiggs), her four funnels reduced to two for the raid scenes.
Photo: Herbert Mason, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Amesbury and the raider Essen Fictional
Sailor of the King (1953)
Directed by Roy Boulting
Starring Jeffrey Hunter, Michael Rennie, Wendy Hiller
A young signalman, the unknown son of a Royal Navy captain, holds up a German raider single handed from a remote island until the Royal Navy can catch her. Based on C. S. Forester's Brown on Resolution.
The Marea scene Signalman Brown with his rifle on the rocks above the anchored raider.
On set HMS Cleopatra played both Amesbury and Stratford; the minelayer HMS Manxman was disguised as the raider Essen; HMS Glasgow also appeared; filmed at Malta.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Compass Rose Fictional
The Cruel Sea (1953)
Directed by Charles Frend
Starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker
Lieutenant Commander Ericson's small corvette escorts Atlantic convoys through storms and U-boat attacks. Her loss and the hours in the water that follow are the emotional centre of the story.
The Marea scene Ericson on the open bridge of Compass Rose as green seas break over the bow.
On set Played by HMS Coreopsis (K32), a Flower-class corvette brought from Malta; filmed at Plymouth, the Channel and the Portland Race.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Saltash Castle Fictional
The Cruel Sea (1953)
Directed by Charles Frend
Starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker
Ericson and Lockhart's second command, in which they continue the convoy war and finally sink a U-boat.
The Marea scene Saltash Castle firing depth charges astern as the U-boat breaks surface.
On set Played by HMS Portchester Castle, a Castle-class corvette held in reserve for the filming.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
RAF Launch 2561 Fictional
The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Steel
An RAF air sea rescue launch battles bad weather, mechanical trouble and a galley fire to find a ditched aircrew in the North Sea, one of whom carries secret papers on the V weapons.
The Marea scene The launch crashing through heavy seas as the crew scan the horizon for the dinghy.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
X-craft and Chariots Real ship
Above Us the Waves (1955)
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Starring John Mills, John Gregson, Donald Sinden
Commander Fraser develops Chariot human torpedoes and then X-craft midget submarines to attack the battleship Tirpitz in her Norwegian fjord.
The Marea scene An X-craft slipping under the anti torpedo nets beneath the looming hull of the Tirpitz.
On set Some original war equipment was used; Donald Cameron VC, commander of X6, advised. The real XE8 survives at Chatham.
Photo: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
Cockle canoes and HMS Tuna Real ship
The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)
Directed by José Ferrer
Starring José Ferrer, Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, David Lodge
Royal Marines train in two man canoes and are launched from a submarine to paddle up the Gironde and mine German ships in Bordeaux, a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton.
The Marea scene Two marines in a canvas canoe paddling past a moored German freighter at night.
On set The real raid used Cockle Mark II canoes launched from HMS Tuna; Major Hasler advised before withdrawing.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
MGB 1087 Fictional
The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
Directed by Basil Dearden
Starring Richard Attenborough, George Baker, Bill Owen, Virginia McKenna
A motor gun boat serves gallantly in the war, then her old crew buy her and turn to smuggling. The boat seems to rebel against her dishonourable use until she is wrecked.
The Marea scene MGB 1087 roaring through the Channel at night with her guns manned.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Amethyst Real ship
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring Richard Todd, William Hartnell, Akim Tamiroff
The sloop is trapped on the Yangtze by Communist Chinese guns and escapes downriver at night.
The Marea scene Amethyst running the gauntlet down the river at night, blacked out, under fire from shore batteries.
On set HMS Amethyst played herself (and nearly sank during explosions); HMS Magpie stood in for underway and gunfire shots and HMS Teazer played Consort and Concord; filmed on the Orwell and Stour, Suffolk.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
Rescue tug W88 Fictional
The Key (1958)
Directed by Carol Reed
Starring William Holden, Sophia Loren, Trevor Howard
Rescue tug crews go out unarmed to tow in torpedoed ships in the Western Approaches, and captains pass on a key to the flat of the same woman.
The Marea scene The small tug alongside a burning merchant ship as a U-boat surfaces nearby.
On set Filmed aboard HMS Restive (W39), an Assurance-class Admiralty tug.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
Raid ship for Operation Mad Dog Fictional
Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring Lloyd Bridges, Andrew Keir, Sue Lloyd, Mark Eden
Commandos and the Royal Navy plan to ram an explosive laden vessel into the gate of a dry dock in occupied France, a raid modelled on St Nazaire.
The Marea scene The explosive laden ship charging towards the dock gate as shore batteries open fire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
Bismarck Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
The German battleship breaks out into the Atlantic, sinks HMS Hood and is hunted down by the Home Fleet, finally crippled by a torpedo hit on her rudder and sunk.
The Marea scene Bismarck ablaze and listing under the guns of Rodney and King George V.
On set Studio tank miniature; HMS Vanguard provided turret and deck scenes, and a Dido-class cruiser stood in for Bismarck's final scenes.
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
HMS Hood Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
The pride of the Royal Navy engages Bismarck in the Denmark Strait and blows up within minutes, leaving three survivors.
The Marea scene Hood's magazine exploding in a column of smoke in the Denmark Strait.
On set Miniature in the studio tank, with HMS Vanguard used for scenes on board.
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
HMS Prince of Wales, King George V and Rodney Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
Prince of Wales fights alongside Hood and is damaged. King George V and Rodney catch the crippled Bismarck and destroy her in the final action.
The Marea scene King George V's 14 inch turrets training round for the final broadside.
On set Miniatures, with HMS Vanguard's 15 inch turrets and decks used for close shots.
Photo: USN, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
HMS Ark Royal Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
Swordfish torpedo bombers from Ark Royal attack Bismarck in bad weather and jam her rudder, sealing her fate.
The Marea scene A Swordfish lifting off the pitching deck of Ark Royal into rain and low cloud.
On set HMS Victorious represented Ark Royal; flying scenes used HMS Centaur with restored Fairey Swordfish. HMS Belfast played several British cruisers.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
U-37 Fictional
49th Parallel (1941)
Directed by Michael Powell
Starring Eric Portman, Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey
A German U-boat is sunk in Hudson Bay by Canadian aircraft, leaving a landing party of six Nazis stranded in Canada. They try to cross the country to the neutral United States.
The Marea scene The U-boat blowing up in Hudson Bay as the landing party watch from the shore.
On set Filmed with a submarine mock up in Canada.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
USS Nautilus and USS Argonaut Real ship
Gung Ho! (1943)
Directed by Ray Enright
Starring Randolph Scott, Noah Beery Jr., Robert Mitchum
The film dramatises the 1942 Makin Island raid by Carlson's Raiders, who were carried to the island by two large US submarines. The raiders launch in rubber boats from the submarines' decks.
The Marea scene Marines paddling rubber boats away from the dark hulls of the two submarines towards Makin.
Photo: USN, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
USS Dragonfish Fictional
Battle of the Coral Sea (1959)
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring Cliff Robertson, Gia Scala, Teru Shimada
A US submarine on a reconnaissance mission before the Battle of the Coral Sea is captured by the Japanese. Her captain escapes with vital information about the enemy fleet.
The Marea scene The submarine on the surface surrounded by Japanese patrol boats as her crew are taken prisoner.
On set Fictional boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
USS Tiger Shark Fictional
Below (2002)
Directed by David Twohy
Starring Matthew Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Holt McCallany
A US submarine on patrol in 1943 picks up survivors of a sunken hospital ship, including a woman. Strange events aboard suggest the boat is haunted by what happened to her previous captain.
The Marea scene Crew huddled in the red lit control room listening to a gramophone playing somewhere in the silent boat.
On set Fictional boat; sets and models.
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
Admiral Graf Spee Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
Captain Langsdorff's commerce raider takes British merchant crews prisoner, is brought to battle by three British cruisers and retreats to Montevideo, where she is scuttled.
The Marea scene Graf Spee blowing up in the estuary off Montevideo as crowds watch from the shore.
On set Played by the American heavy cruiser USS Salem, now a museum ship at Quincy, Massachusetts.
Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
HMS Ajax Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
Commodore Harwood's flagship leads the hunting group and fights Graf Spee off the River Plate.
The Marea scene Harwood on Ajax's bridge as the cruisers split to engage from two sides.
On set Played by HMS Sheffield.
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
HMNZS Achilles Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
The New Zealand cruiser fights alongside Ajax. She played herself in the film, then serving in the Indian Navy.
The Marea scene Achilles racing in at full speed, guns firing, with New Zealanders cheering.
On set Achilles herself, then INS Delhi of the Indian Navy.
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
HMS Exeter Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
Captain Bell's heavy cruiser takes the brunt of Graf Spee's fire and is badly damaged but keeps fighting.
The Marea scene Exeter's shattered bridge and a single turret still firing through the smoke.
On set Played by HMS Jamaica; HMS Cumberland appears as herself early on.
Photo: Tomlin, H W (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Balkans
USS Carl Vinson Real ship
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Directed by John Moore
Starring Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Gabriel Macht
Navigator Chris Burnett flies from a US carrier in the Adriatic and is shot down over Bosnia. Admiral Reigart defies his NATO superiors from the carrier to launch the rescue.
The Marea scene Admiral Reigart on the carrier's flight deck as the rescue helicopters lift off.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Battleship Potemkin (Knyaz Potemkin Tavricheskiy) Real ship
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Directed by Sergei Eisenstein
Starring Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov
Imperial Russia, 1905: sailors of the Black Sea Fleet battleship mutiny over rotten meat and take the ship to Odessa. The film ends with the battleship passing through the fleet without a shot being fired.
The Marea scene Sailors under a tarpaulin face the firing squad on Potemkin's quarterdeck as Vakulinchuk calls out to the guards.
On set The real Potemkin was being scrapped. The battleship Dvenadsat Apostolov is usually said to have been used, but footage better matches the scuttled Rostislav at Sevastopol; interiors were shot aboard the cruiser Komintern, in Odessa.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
British and German squadrons of 1914 Real ship
The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (1927)
Directed by Walter Summers
A reconstruction with documentary feel of the German victory at Coronel and the Royal Navy's revenge at the Falkland Islands in 1914, where von Spee's squadron was destroyed.
The Marea scene British battlecruisers fire broadsides at von Spee's cruisers in the South Atlantic.
On set Real Royal Navy ships stood in for both squadrons, among them HMS Barham; filmed at Cricklewood Studios and off Malta and the Isles of Scilly.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Q-ship and U-boats Real ship
Q-Ships (1928)
Directed by Geoffrey Barkas
A British semi documentary reconstruction of the anti submarine war of 1917, showing disguised merchant ships luring U-boats to the surface.
The Marea scene The Q-ship's false panels drop to reveal her guns as the U-boat surfaces alongside.
Photo: UK Government, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Submarine S-13 Fictional
Men Without Women (1930)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Kenneth MacKenna, Frank Albertson, Paul Page
A US submarine sinks after a collision in the China Sea, trapping her crew on the bottom. The men wait for rescue as the air runs out, and one man must stay behind to help the others escape.
The Marea scene The trapped crew in the tilted, dripping torpedo room waiting for the divers.
On set Filmed with navy cooperation. John Wayne appears in a small role.
Photo: Fox Movietone, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Q-ship and German U-boat Fictional
Seas Beneath (1931)
Directed by John Ford
Starring George O'Brien, Marion Lessing
An American Q-ship commanded by Bob Kingsley hunts a German U-boat off the Canary Islands in 1918. The U-boat refuels at sea from another submarine.
The Marea scene A German U-boat slips alongside a supply submarine to refuel on a calm sea.
Photo: UK Government, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Landing boats at Gallipoli Real ship
Tell England (1931)
Directed by Anthony Asquith, Geoffrey Barkas
Starring Fay Compton, Tony Bruce, Carl Harbord, Dennis Hoey
Two English schoolfriends serve at Gallipoli in 1915; the landing from boats under Turkish fire is the centre of the film.
The Marea scene Soldiers crouch in open boats as they are towed towards the beach under fire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
USS AL-14 Fictional
Hell Below (1933)
Directed by Jack Conway
Starring Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston, Madge Evans, Jimmy Durante
An American submarine operates in the Adriatic in the First World War. A clash between her officers ends with a sacrificial attack on the enemy.
The Marea scene The AL-14 surfaces beside the burning Austrian minelayer.
On set USS S-31 played the AL-14; the old destroyer USS Moody (DD-277) was bought for 35,000 dollars and sunk as the enemy minelayer; filmed at Pearl Harbor and Honolulu.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
U-21 Real ship
Morgenrot (1933)
Directed by Gustav Ucicky
Starring Rudolf Forster, Fritz Genschow, Adele Sandrock
The U-21 sinks a cruiser carrying a senior British leader to Russia, a thinly disguised version of Kitchener's death in 1916. She is then damaged by a Q-ship.
The Marea scene The crew of the stricken U-21 lie trapped on the seabed debating who will use the few escape sets.
On set A submarine borrowed from the Finnish Navy; filmed at Kiel and Helsinki in 1932.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Submarine chaser SC-599 Fictional
Submarine Patrol (1938)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, Preston Foster
A rich young man joins the navy in 1917 and is posted to a run down wooden submarine chaser with a misfit crew. A tough new captain turns them into a fighting unit that goes after a U-boat.
The Marea scene The little wooden subchaser dropping depth charges in a line behind her stern.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Cruiser Varyag Real ship
Cruiser Varyag (Kreiser Varyag) (1946)
Directed by Viktor Eisymont
Set in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, the cruiser Varyag fights a hopeless battle at Chemulpo against a Japanese squadron and is scuttled by her crew.
The Marea scene Varyag steams out of Chemulpo harbour to face the Japanese squadron with her band playing.
On set The cruiser Aurora, today a museum ship in Saint Petersburg, reportedly portrayed Varyag.
Photo: Uncredited, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
USS San Pablo Fictional
The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen
In 1926 the old gunboat San Pablo patrols the Yangtze amid the Chinese revolution. Engineer Jake Holman finds his place in her engine room while tension with the crew and the Chinese grows.
The Marea scene The San Pablo rams through the boom of junks across the river under fire.
On set A seaworthy replica built by 20th Century Fox for 250,000 dollars, based on USS Villalobos; it sailed under its own power between Hong Kong and Taiwan, became the Nola D and was broken up in Singapore in 1975.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
U-boat U-33 Fictional
The Land That Time Forgot (1975)
Directed by Kevin Connor
Starring Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon
Survivors of a torpedoed ship capture the U-boat that sank them. Lost in the South Atlantic, the submarine reaches the prehistoric island of Caprona.
The Marea scene The U-boat surfacing inside the island's lagoon surrounded by dinosaurs.
On set Models and sets at Shepperton.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
SMS Blücher (based on SMS Königsberg) Fictional
Shout at the Devil (1976)
Directed by Peter R. Hunt
Starring Lee Marvin, Roger Moore, Barbara Parkins, Ian Holm
A poacher and an Englishman in German East Africa set out to destroy the German cruiser Blücher hidden for repairs in the Rufiji delta. The ship is loosely based on the real Königsberg, sunk there in 1915.
The Marea scene The two men paddle a canoe loaded with explosives towards the grey cruiser in the delta.
On set Filmed in Malta and South Africa.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Troopships to Egypt and Gallipoli Fictional
Gallipoli (1981)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr
Two young Australian runners enlist and sail by troopship to Egypt before the Gallipoli campaign. The ships mark the passage from outback Australia to the war.
The Marea scene Young Light Horsemen crowd the rail of a troopship at night as it sails for Egypt.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Sibirsky Strelok Real ship
Admiral (2008)
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk
Starring Konstantin Khabensky, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Sergei Bezrukov
The biography of Admiral Kolchak opens in the Baltic in 1916 with his destroyer Sibirsky Strelok engaging German ships. The film then follows him through revolution and civil war.
The Marea scene Kolchak stands on the destroyer's deck amid shell splashes as the German cruiser closes in.
On set Heavy use of computer generated imagery, around 24,000 shots; the duel with the German cruiser Friedrich Karl is fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Tiger Shark Fictional
Submarine Command (1951)
Directed by John Farrow
Starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, William Bendix
An officer haunted by a decision he made in the last days of the Second World War serves again on a submarine in the Korean War. A rescue mission gives him a chance to redeem himself.
The Marea scene The submarine surfacing close inshore to pick up prisoners in the Korean dark.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Mercenary submarine Fictional
Hell and High Water (1954)
Directed by Samuel Fuller
Starring Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Victor Francen
An American ex officer is hired to command an old submarine for a private group of scientists investigating atomic activity on an Arctic island. They uncover a plot to drop an atomic bomb and blame it on the United States.
The Marea scene The submarine surfacing in Arctic fog beside a Chinese freighter.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Oriskany Real ship
Men of the Fighting Lady (1954)
Directed by Andrew Marton
Starring Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern, Keenan Wynn
The film follows the jet pilots of the carrier Oriskany in the Korean War. The best known sequence has a pilot talk a blinded comrade down onto the deck.
The Marea scene One Panther jet guides another, flown by a blinded pilot, down to the Oriskany's deck.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Oriskany, sunk as an artificial reef off Florida in 2006.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Savo Island Fictional
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
Directed by Mark Robson
Starring William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney
The carrier Savo Island operates off Korea, launching jets against the heavily defended bridges at Toko-Ri. Reserve pilot Harry Brubaker flies from her deck.
The Marea scene Brubaker's damaged Panther jet catches the wire on the Savo Island's deck in rough seas.
On set Played by the Essex class carriers USS Oriskany and USS Kearsarge.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
SS Chiku Shan Fictional
Blood Alley (1955)
Directed by William A. Wellman
Starring John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Paul Fix
An American merchant captain helps a whole Chinese village steal their own ferry and escape from Communist China to Hong Kong. They take it down the dangerous strait known as Blood Alley.
The Marea scene John Wayne on the crowded bridge of the old ferry as villagers pack every deck.
On set Filmed in California waters.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Tigershark Fictional
The Atomic Submarine (1959)
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
Starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey
A US nuclear submarine sent to the Arctic to investigate the loss of ships and submarines. The crew find an alien flying saucer operating beneath the sea.
The Marea scene The submarine ramming the glowing alien saucer under the Arctic ice.
On set Models.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Seaview Fictional
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
Directed by Irwin Allen
Starring Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre
Admiral Nelson's glass nosed nuclear submarine races to the Marianas to fire a missile at a burning Van Allen belt and save the world. The Seaview later starred in its own television series.
The Marea scene The Seaview's glass observation nose lit up as a giant squid looms outside.
On set Built as models and full size sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Bedford Fictional
The Bedford Incident (1965)
Directed by James B. Harris
Starring Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam
Captain Finlander drives his destroyer relentlessly in pursuit of a Soviet submarine in the Denmark Strait. His obsession brings the crew to the edge of nuclear catastrophe.
The Marea scene Finlander stares down from the bridge at the snorkel wake of the Soviet submarine in icy seas.
On set The US Navy declined to help; the Royal Navy Type 15 frigates HMS Wakeful (opening shots) and HMS Troubridge (interiors) were used, plus a large model filmed in a tank at Shepperton.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Proteus Fictional
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Starring Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Donald Pleasence, Edmond O'Brien
A submarine and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into a defecting scientist to destroy a blood clot in his brain. The Proteus must complete her voyage through the body within an hour.
The Marea scene The Proteus drifting through glowing red blood cells in a vast artery.
On set Full size and model submarine built by 20th Century Fox.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Tigerfish Fictional
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Directed by John Sturges
Starring Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown
The nuclear submarine Tigerfish races under the Arctic ice to a stricken weather station, carrying a British agent with a secret mission. Sabotage nearly sinks her on the way.
The Marea scene The Tigerfish breaks upward through the polar ice pack under a grey Arctic sky.
On set USS Ronquil (SS-396) for surface scenes, USS Blackfin (SS-322) for diving and surfacing near Pearl Harbor, and scale models of a Skate class nuclear submarine underwater.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Pueblo (AGER-2) Real ship
Pueblo (1973)
Directed by Anthony Page
Starring Hal Holbrook
ABC television film about the capture of the intelligence ship USS Pueblo by North Korea in January 1968, and the eleven months of imprisonment of Commander Lloyd Bucher and his crew. Hal Holbrook plays Bucher.
The Marea scene The small grey ship with her aerial masts steaming alone in the Sea of Japan before the encounter.
On set Studio sets and a stand in vessel; the real Pueblo remains in North Korea as a museum ship in Pyongyang.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Neptune and DSRV Fictional
Gray Lady Down (1978)
Directed by David Greene
Starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty
The nuclear submarine Neptune sinks after colliding with a freighter and lies on the edge of an undersea canyon. The Navy rushes rescue submersibles to save the trapped crew.
The Marea scene The rescue vehicle latches on to the Neptune's escape hatch on the edge of the canyon.
On set USS Trout (SS-566) was filmed as the Neptune; the rescue ship USS Pigeon (ASR-21) and its DSRV appeared, and USS Cayuga (LST-1186) played USS Nassau.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Red October Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones
Soviet captain Marko Ramius takes his new submarine, with a silent caterpillar drive, west in an attempt to defect. Both navies hunt her across the Atlantic.
The Marea scene Red October's huge black sail glides out of Polyarny as the crew sing on the deck.
On set Soundstage mock ups and a near full scale above water mock up built from welded barges for the opening sequence.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Dallas Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Scott Glenn, Courtney B. Vance, Alec Baldwin
The Dallas detects the Red October's unusual sound and trails her, and Jack Ryan is flown aboard to make contact with Ramius.
The Marea scene Jack Ryan is lowered from a helicopter onto the Dallas's sail in a storm.
On set The Navy lent USS Houston (SSN-713) for the Dallas, with filming also aboard USS Dallas, Chicago, Portsmouth, Salt Lake City and Louisville; the carrier USS Enterprise and frigate USS Reuben James also appear.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
V.K. Konovalov Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Connery
The Konovalov is sent to hunt down and sink Red October, and her captain Tupolev was taught by Ramius himself.
The Marea scene The Konovalov's torpedo turns back on its own boat in the canyon.
On set Models and visual effects.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Alabama (SSBN-731) Real ship
Crimson Tide (1995)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini
During a Russian crisis the missile submarine receives an incomplete launch order. Her captain and executive officer clash over whether to launch, leading to mutiny aboard.
The Marea scene Hunter and Ramsey face each other across the control room with the missile keys at stake.
On set The Navy withdrew cooperation over the mutiny theme. The scrapped USS Barbel (SS-580) with a plywood sail served for the boarding scene, the French carrier Foch was lent by the French Navy, and the real USS Alabama was filmed leaving Pearl Harbor by helicopter until she dived.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Stingray Fictional
Down Periscope (1996)
Directed by David S. Ward
Starring Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton
Lieutenant Commander Dodge is handed a rusty Second World War submarine and a crew of misfits for a war game against the modern Navy. The old boat outwits the nuclear fleet.
The Marea scene The Stingray sails into Norfolk disguised as a fishing trawler with a tuna net over her sail.
On set Played by the museum submarine USS Pampanito (SS-383) at San Francisco; the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet stood in for Norfolk.
Photo: Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
K-19 Real ship
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard
The Soviet Union's first nuclear missile submarine suffers a reactor coolant failure in 1961. Crewmen enter the reactor compartment to improvise repairs at the cost of lethal radiation.
The Marea scene Reactor crew in makeshift suits climb into the glowing compartment while their shipmates wait.
On set The Soviet submarine K-77 (a Juliett class boat, not a Hotel) portrayed K-19; it became a museum ship in Providence, Rhode Island, and sank in a storm in 2007.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
K-129 Real ship
Phantom (2013)
Directed by Todd Robinson
Starring Ed Harris, David Duchovny, William Fichtner
A fictional account of the loss of the Soviet missile submarine K-129 in 1968, in which a KGB group tries to use her to start a war.
The Marea scene Captain Zubov faces the KGB agent across the cramped control room.
On set Filmed aboard the former Foxtrot class submarine B-39, then a museum at San Diego.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Argus Fictional
World War Z (2013)
Directed by Marc Forster
Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz
Gerry Lane's family are flown to a US Navy ship off New York, which has become the floating headquarters of the UN response to the zombie pandemic. Gerry agrees to leave on a mission so his family can stay aboard.
The Marea scene The helicopter landing on the crowded deck of the Argus while survivors wait below.
On set The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Argus was used for filming.
Photo: Dave Sherfield, OGL v1.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Chammsuri 357 (PKM 357) Real ship
Northern Limit Line (2015)
Directed by Kim Hak-soon
Starring Kim Mu-yeol, Jin Goo, Lee Hyun-woo
Recreates the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong of 29 June 2002, when North Korean patrol boats attacked the South Korean PKM 357, which sank with the loss of six men.
The Marea scene The crew of PKM 357 fire back from their shattered bridge as the boat burns.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Incheon invasion fleet and intelligence boats Real ship
Operation Chromite (2016)
Directed by John H. Lee
Starring Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo, Liam Neeson
South Korean naval intelligence men infiltrate Incheon to secure information before MacArthur's amphibious landing in September 1950.
The Marea scene Jang Hak-soo's team light the lighthouse on Palmido as the invasion fleet approaches.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Enterprise Real ship
Top Gun (1986)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards
The carrier is Maverick and Goose's base at sea, where the film opens and closes with dogfights against MiGs. Carrier deck operations define the film's look.
The Marea scene Deck crew launch an F-14 Tomcat from the catapult at sunset.
On set Filmed aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) with Carrier Air Wing Fifteen; USS Ranger (CV-61) also reportedly used.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Missouri Real ship
Under Siege (1992)
Directed by Andrew Davis
Starring Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Erika Eleniak
On her final voyage before decommissioning, the Missouri is seized by mercenaries who want her Tomahawk missiles. The ship's cook, a former SEAL, fights back.
The Marea scene Ryback fires the Missouri's main guns at the mercenaries' submarine.
On set Much was filmed aboard the museum battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) at Mobile, with footage of the real Missouri at sea; the museum submarine USS Drum (SS-228) portrayed the North Korean submarine.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Hoist (ARS-40) Real ship
Men of Honor (2000)
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Starring Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., Charlize Theron, Hal Holbrook
The story of Carl Brashear, the first African American Navy master diver. From the Hoist he takes part in the 1966 Palomares hydrogen bomb recovery, where he loses his leg.
The Marea scene Brashear in a Mark V helmet is lowered from the Hoist's deck as the chief watches.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Bonhomme Richard and special warfare boats Real ship
Act of Valor (2012)
Directed by Mouse McCoy, Scott Waugh
Starring active duty Navy SEALs, Roselyn Sánchez, Alex Veadov, Nestor Serrano
Real SEALs and Special Boat Team crews play themselves; riverine boats extract a SEAL team in a famous sequence.
The Marea scene Riverine assault boats roar in with miniguns blazing to pick up the SEALs from the riverbank.
On set Real Navy vessels and crews.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Missouri Real ship
Battleship (2012)
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Liam Neeson
After alien ships destroy the modern destroyers, the survivors and Second World War veterans bring the museum battleship back to sea to fight.
The Marea scene Veterans in their eighties join young sailors at the Missouri's guns as she steams out of Pearl Harbor.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Missouri, a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS John Paul Jones, USS Sampson and JS Myoko Real ship
Battleship (2012)
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Taylor Kitsch, Tadanobu Asano, Alexander Skarsgård
The destroyers are on RIMPAC exercise off Hawaii when alien ships arrive; they are trapped inside a force field and fight the invaders. Only the John Paul Jones survives the first battle.
The Marea scene Hopper and Nagata track the alien ships using tsunami buoys on the John Paul Jones's bridge.
On set Real destroyers USS John Paul Jones, USS Sampson and USS Benfold and the Japanese destroyer JS Myoko appear, with CGI.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Soviet Foxtrot submarine Fictional
Black Sea (2014)
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Starring Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall
A sacked submarine captain gathers a British and Russian crew aboard an old Soviet submarine to recover Nazi gold from a sunken U-boat in the Black Sea.
The Marea scene The rusty submarine settles beside the wreck of the U-boat in the dark.
On set Filmed aboard the ex Soviet Foxtrot class U-475 Black Widow moored on the River Medway at Strood, Kent.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Nathan James (DDG-151) Fictional
The Last Ship (2014)
Created by Hank Steinberg, Steven Kane
Starring Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Adam Baldwin, Charles Parnell
The crew of the Nathan James were in the Arctic when a pandemic devastated the world, and the destroyer must deliver a cure. The series ran for five seasons to 2018.
The Marea scene The Nathan James steams at speed with the Stars and Stripes flying over an empty ocean.
On set Played by the real destroyers USS Halsey and USS Dewey at San Diego. Based on the 1988 novel by William Brinkley.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Mikhail Somov (icebreaker) Real ship
The Icebreaker (Ledokol) (2016)
Directed by Nikolay Khomeriki
Starring Pyotr Fyodorov, Sergei Puskepalis, Aleksandr Pal
Based on the 1985 drift of the Mikhail Somov, trapped in Antarctic ice for 133 days. The crew struggle to keep ship and discipline together until rescue.
The Marea scene The ship lies frozen in with an iceberg towering over the bow.
On set Filmed aboard the nuclear icebreaker Lenin (1957), now a museum ship at Murmansk.
Photo: Insider, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
S21 and PNS Ghazi Real ship
The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Directed by Sankalp Reddy
Starring Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Taapsee Pannu
In 1971 the Indian submarine S21 hunts the Pakistani submarine Ghazi, sent to sink the carrier INS Vikrant. The duel is presented as a key episode of the 1971 war.
The Marea scene S21 lies silent on the seabed while the Ghazi passes overhead.
On set Studio sets; shot in Telugu and Hindi.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Arkansas Fictional
Hunter Killer (2018)
Directed by Donovan Marsh
Starring Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Michael Nyqvist
The Arkansas is sent under the Arctic ice to investigate the loss of another American submarine and must rescue the kidnapped Russian president.
The Marea scene The Arkansas creeps through a minefield in a Russian fjord guided by a Russian captain.
On set Gimballed interior sets at Ealing Studios based on Navy approved plans and exterior tank work at Pinewood.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
K-141 Kursk Real ship
Kursk (2018)
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux, Colin Firth, Max von Sydow
Dramatises the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk in the Barents Sea in August 2000 and the failed attempts to rescue survivors trapped in the stern.
The Marea scene Survivors in the flooded aft compartment tap on the hull, waiting for rescue.
On set Russian cooperation was withdrawn; filmed at the naval base in Toulon and in Brest, where the vessel Atlantic Tonjer stood in for the rescue ship Seaway Eagle, as well as in Belgium and Norway.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Titane and L'Effroyable Fictional
The Wolf's Call (Le Chant du loup) (2019)
Directed by Antonin Baudry
Starring François Civil, Omar Sy, Mathieu Kassovitz, Reda Kateb
A French sonar operator with an extraordinary ear misidentifies a contact, and the French missile submarine L'Effroyable is ordered to fire on an apparent attack. The attack submarine Titane must stop her.
The Marea scene Chanteraide listens with headphones in the dark sonar room as a contact grows louder.
On set Filmed at Toulon and Brest, with some scenes shot on actual French Navy submarines.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Carrier strike group Fictional
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm
The unnamed carrier launches the strike on an enemy uranium enrichment plant flown by Maverick's team of young pilots.
The Marea scene An F/A-18 is recovered on the carrier's deck after the mission, with the crew rushing out.
On set Filmed aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Genoa Maru Fictional
Across the Pacific (1942)
Directed by John Huston
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet
Rick Leland, posing as a cashiered army officer, sails on the Japanese ship from Halifax towards the Panama Canal. On board he uncovers a plot by the pro Japanese Dr Lorenz to attack the canal.
The Marea scene Bogart leaning on the rail of the Genoa Maru, sparring with Greenstreet in a deck chair.
On set Studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Warren Fictional
Stand By for Action (1942)
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Starring Robert Taylor, Charles Laughton, Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan
A Harvard educated officer is posted to the old destroyer USS Warren, recommissioned for war duty. The ship rescues survivors, including babies, and fights a Japanese battleship.
The Marea scene The destroyer's crew passing two rescued babies hand to hand along the deck.
Photo: Thomas Smith, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
PT boats and Midway garrison Real ship
The Battle of Midway (1942)
Directed by John Ford
Presented by Donald Crisp, Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell (narrators)
Ford's short documentary records the Japanese air attack on Midway atoll in June 1942 as it happened, including PT boats off Sand Island. It won one of the first Academy Awards for Best Documentary.
The Marea scene A PT boat circles off Sand Island as smoke rises from the burning oil tanks.
On set Real wartime 16mm footage shot by John Ford and Joseph August, who were both wounded.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Copperfin Fictional
Destination Tokyo (1943)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Starring Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale Sr., Dane Clark
The Copperfin slips into Tokyo Bay on a secret mission to gather weather information for the Doolittle Raid. Life aboard, including an emergency appendectomy, fills the long patrol.
The Marea scene Captain Cassidy watches the Doolittle raiders over Tokyo through the periscope while his crew wait below.
On set Studio sets and a model submarine that deliberately mixed equipment from several classes of American submarine; the cast trained at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Juneau Real ship
The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Starring Anne Baxter, Thomas Mitchell, Selena Royle, Ward Bond
The five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, serve together aboard the Juneau and are lost when she is sunk off the Solomon Islands in November 1942. The film closes with the launch of the destroyer USS The Sullivans named in their honour.
The Marea scene The five brothers stand together at the rail of the Juneau shortly before the fatal battle.
On set Studio sets and wartime footage. The destroyer USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is today a museum ship at Buffalo, New York.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Hornet Real ship
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum
The Hornet carries sixteen Army B-25 bombers towards Japan for the Doolittle Raid of April 1942. Ted Lawson's bomber, the Ruptured Duck, takes off from her deck early when the task force is spotted.
The Marea scene A B-25 bomber strains to lift off the pitching deck of the Hornet with Doolittle watching from the island.
On set No real carrier was available: the real Hornet had been sunk in October 1942, so MGM built 179 feet of carrier deck on Stage 15 holding three real B-25s, combined with matte paintings and newsreel footage.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
PT-41 and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three Real ship
They Were Expendable (1945)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Ward Bond
The squadron's plywood motor torpedo boats fight a losing battle in the Philippines in 1941 and 1942 and carry out the evacuation of senior commanders. The boats embody the film's theme of men and equipment sacrificed to buy time.
The Marea scene Two PT boats race side by side at full speed, bows high and machine gunners braced in their turrets.
On set Real PT boats were used: Elco 80 foot PT-139 and PT-141 and Higgins 78 foot PT-98, PT-100, PT-101 and PT-102, filmed around Key Biscayne and the Florida Keys.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Langley and later US carriers Real ship
Task Force (1949)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Starring Gary Cooper, Jane Wyatt, Walter Brennan
Gary Cooper plays a naval aviator whose career follows the growth of the American carrier from the first converted collier to the great fleet carriers of the Pacific war. Real footage of carriers in action is woven into the story.
The Marea scene A biplane landing on the wooden deck of the early carrier as officers watch sceptically.
On set Real US Navy carriers and wartime footage.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Thunderfish Fictional
Operation Pacific (1951)
Directed by George Waggner
Starring John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond
Duke Gifford's submarine struggles with the faulty Mark 14 torpedo and ends by locating the Japanese fleet before Leyte Gulf. The climax is inspired by the actions of USS Darter and USS Dace.
The Marea scene A dud torpedo clangs against a Japanese ship's hull as the Thunderfish crew watch in disbelief.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Eiko-maru and Bingo-maru Fictional
Godzilla (1954)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Starring Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura
The freighter Eiko-maru vanishes in a flash of light at sea, and the Bingo-maru sent to investigate is lost too. The sequence evokes the Lucky Dragon No. 5 fishing boat irradiated by the Bikini H-bomb test in March 1954.
The Marea scene The crew of the Eiko-maru stare at a blinding light rising from the sea on a calm night.
On set Studio miniatures by Eiji Tsuburaya's team, mostly at 1:25 scale. The real Daigo Fukuryu Maru is preserved in Tokyo.
Photo: carpkazu, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Caine Fictional
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Starring Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray
The rusty Caine gains a new captain, Queeg, whose erratic command ends in his officers relieving him during a typhoon. The court martial that follows decides whether it was mutiny.
The Marea scene Queeg on the bridge in the typhoon, rolling steel balls in his hand as Maryk takes command.
On set Filmed with the destroyer minesweepers USS Doyle (DMS-34) and USS Thompson (DMS-38) and USS Rodman, with the carrier USS Kearsarge (CV-33), at Pearl Harbor and San Francisco.
Photo: USN, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Reluctant (AK-601) Fictional
Mister Roberts (1955)
Directed by John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy
Starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon
The Reluctant is a backwater supply ship plying between dull Pacific islands, run by a petty captain. Lieutenant Roberts longs to be transferred to a combat ship while protecting the crew.
The Marea scene Ensign Pulver's firecracker explodes in the laundry and floods the Reluctant's deck with soap suds.
On set Played by the real USS Hewell (AG-145), filmed at Midway Island and off Hawaii in 1954.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Belinda (APA-22) Fictional
Away All Boats (1956)
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Starring Jeff Chandler, George Nader, Lex Barker, Julie Adams
The Belinda is an attack transport whose raw crew are trained into an efficient unit and land troops on Pacific beaches. The ship survives a kamikaze strike near the end.
The Marea scene The Belinda's landing craft are lowered into the sea full of Marines heading for the beach.
On set Filmed aboard the attack transport USS Randall (APA-224) during manoeuvres in the Caribbean and at Vieques in March 1955.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Nerka Fictional
Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Don Rickles
Commander Richardson takes over the Nerka determined to sink the Japanese destroyer that sank his previous boat. His drilling of the crew and tension with his executive officer drive the story.
The Marea scene The Nerka takes a down angle for a bow shot as the crew brace in the control room.
On set Exteriors used USS Redfish (SS-395), which had played the Nautilus in Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The real USS Nerka (SS-380) was cancelled in 1944.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Akikaze Fictional
Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter
The Akikaze guards the Bungo Strait and has sunk several American submarines. She is the Nerka's nemesis and the object of Richardson's obsession.
The Marea scene The Akikaze bears down on the Nerka's periscope at full speed with her bow wave rising.
On set Played in close ups and exteriors by the Fletcher class destroyer USS Kidd (DD-661), now a museum ship at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and by a model in a water tank.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Greyfish Fictional
Torpedo Run (1958)
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Starring Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Diane Brewster
Commander Doyle's submarine hunts the Japanese carrier Shinaru, which took part in Pearl Harbor. The target is screened by a transport, the Yoshida Maru, carrying American prisoners including Doyle's family.
The Marea scene Doyle hesitates at the periscope with the prison transport in the crosshairs in front of the carrier.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Sea Tiger Fictional
Operation Petticoat (1959)
Directed by Blake Edwards
Starring Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill
The damaged Sea Tiger is patched up with scrounged parts and, for lack of paint, ends up pink after red and white lead primers are mixed. She picks up a group of Army nurses and becomes the most unlikely submarine in the Pacific.
The Marea scene The pink Sea Tiger surfaces with nurses' underwear strung from the periscope shears.
On set Three real Balao class submarines: USS Queenfish (SS-393) for the opening and closing, USS Archerfish (SS-311) in grey and black, and USS Balao (SS-285) for all the pink scenes.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
American fleet submarine Fictional
Up Periscope (1959)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Starring James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr.
A Navy frogman is carried by submarine to a Japanese held island to steal a code book. The submarine's captain and the frogman clash over the mission.
The Marea scene The frogman slips from the submarine's deck into the dark sea off the enemy island.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Hiryu Real ship
Storm Over the Pacific (I Bombed Pearl Harbor) (1960)
Directed by Shūe Matsubayashi
Starring Yosuke Natsuki, Toshiro Mifune
A young pilot flies from the carrier Hiryu at Pearl Harbor and Midway under Admiral Yamaguchi, who goes down with the ship.
The Marea scene Admiral Yamaguchi stands alone on the burning Hiryu's bridge as she is abandoned.
On set Eiji Tsuburaya's team built 136 ship models, including carrier models of Akagi and USS Yorktown 11 and 13 metres long, filmed in a large tank.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
PT-109 Real ship
PT 109 (1963)
Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Starring Cliff Robertson, Ty Hardin, James Gregory, Robert Culp
The film tells how Lieutenant John F. Kennedy took command of the battered PT-109 in the Solomon Islands. After a Japanese destroyer rams and cuts the boat in two, Kennedy leads his crew to safety.
The Marea scene A Japanese destroyer looms out of the night and slices through the plywood PT-109.
On set Former US Army Air Forces 85 foot crash rescue boats were converted to look like Elco PT boats, since almost all real ones had been destroyed at the end of the war; filmed at Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys with support from Naval Station Key West.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Walter Eckland's launch Fictional
Father Goose (1964)
Directed by Ralph Nelson
Starring Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard
A beachcomber is forced by the Royal Australian Navy to act as a coast watcher on a Pacific island in 1942. His boat is damaged and he ends up with a teacher and schoolgirls in his care.
The Marea scene Eckland at the helm of his battered launch with schoolgirls crammed aboard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Cruiser and destroyer force (USS Cassiday and others) Fictional
In Harm's Way (1965)
Directed by Otto Preminger
Starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Henry Fonda
Captain Rock Torrey takes his cruiser to sea after Pearl Harbor and later leads a task force in a desperate night action against a much larger Japanese force. The ships carry the story from the day of the attack to the climactic battle.
The Marea scene Torrey stands on the bridge wing of his cruiser as it steams out of Pearl Harbor under attack.
On set Active Navy ships were used: the heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul (still in Second World War configuration), USS Boston, the destroyer USS Philip as USS Cassiday, destroyers Braine, O'Bannon, Renshaw and Walker, submarine USS Capitaine and transport USS Renville, with modern equipment hidden under dummy gun mounts.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Mikasa Real ship
Battle of the Japan Sea (Nihonkai Daikaisen) (1969)
Directed by Seiji Maruyama
Starring Toshiro Mifune
Mikasa is Admiral Togo's flagship in the Russo-Japanese War, leading the fleet to victory over the Russian Baltic Fleet at Tsushima in May 1905. Set before the First World War, it is grouped here with the Pacific naval epics.
The Marea scene Togo stands on Mikasa's open bridge as the Russian fleet appears on the horizon.
On set A 13 metre miniature of Mikasa, one of 107 miniature ships made by Eiji Tsuburaya's effects team. The real Mikasa is preserved as a museum ship at Yokosuka.
Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Akagi Real ship
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Sō Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takahiro Tamura, Martin Balsam
Akagi is Admiral Nagumo's flagship, from which the first wave of aircraft departs for Pearl Harbor. Fuchida's famous signal that gives the film its title is tied to the strike launched from her deck.
The Marea scene Zero fighters and torpedo bombers warm up on Akagi's deck at dawn as the deck crew wave their caps.
On set A full scale mock up of Akagi was built in Japan, with its island wrongly placed on the starboard side; take offs were filmed on the Essex class carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), fitted with a false bow, now a museum ship at Patriots Point, South Carolina.
Photo: Japanese Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Nagato Real ship
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Sō Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi, Eijirō Tōno, Takahiro Tamura
Nagato is Admiral Yamamoto's flagship, where the Combined Fleet plans and follows the attack on Pearl Harbor. Scenes on her decks frame Yamamoto's doubts about waking a sleeping giant.
The Marea scene Admiral Yamamoto stands on Nagato's quarterdeck in white uniform with his staff behind him.
On set A full scale mock up built from the waterline up in Japan, with about 90 feet of bow projecting over the sea on stilts. The real Nagato was sunk in the Bikini atomic tests of 1946.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Arizona and USS Nevada Real ship
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, Jason Robards, James Whitmore
The American battleships on Battleship Row are the targets of the Japanese attack, and the film's detailed recreation of the raid culminates in their destruction.
The Marea scene Sailors on the stern of a battleship scramble to the guns as the first aircraft come in low over the harbour.
On set A full scale shore set of a Standard type battleship stern with two triple gun turrets portrayed both Arizona and Nevada; the carrier USS Kearsarge (CV-33) portrayed an American carrier returning to port.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise Real ship
Midway (1976)
Directed by Jack Smight
Starring Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum
The American carriers launch the dive bomber strikes that sink four Japanese carriers in June 1942. Yorktown's own loss after being hit twice forms part of the climax.
The Marea scene A dive bomber is waved off the flight deck of an American carrier as the air group launches for the Japanese fleet.
On set Shipboard scenes were filmed aboard the Essex class carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) in the Gulf of Mexico; she is now a museum ship at Corpus Christi, Texas. Much combat footage came from Tora! Tora! Tora! and wartime film.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Nimitz Real ship
The Final Countdown (1980)
Directed by Don Taylor
Starring Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino
The modern supercarrier passes through a storm vortex and arrives on 6 December 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor. Her captain must decide whether to use his F-14s against the Japanese strike force.
The Marea scene F-14 Tomcats in formation with two Japanese Zeros over the Nimitz.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Nimitz (CVN-68) at sea and in dry dock in 1979, with her crew as extras.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Arizona Real ship
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr.
The battleship moored on Battleship Row is the centrepiece of the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. Her catastrophic magazine explosion is the defining image of the film's long attack sequence.
The Marea scene A bomb falls towards the forward turrets of the Arizona as sailors on deck look up at the incoming aircraft.
On set Recreated with large scale models and effects work at the Rosarito Beach water tanks in Baja California (the former Titanic facility); battleship deck scenes were shot aboard the museum battleship USS Texas near Houston. The real Arizona wreck remains a memorial at Pearl Harbor.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Oklahoma Real ship
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr.
The Oklahoma is hit by torpedoes and capsizes during the attack, trapping men inside her hull. The rolling of the ship is one of the most dramatic sequences of the film.
The Marea scene The Oklahoma rolls over as sailors slide down her exposed hull into the burning harbour.
On set A scale model of the Oklahoma's bow section was built and rolled at Rosarito Beach, Baja California. The real ship was raised and sank under tow in 1947.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Hornet (and Japanese carriers) Real ship
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight
The Hornet carries Doolittle's B-25 bombers towards Japan for the raid on Tokyo that closes the film. The same museum carrier also stood in for a Japanese carrier launching the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Marea scene A B-25 bomber lumbers off the short flight deck of the Hornet in heavy seas with deck crew cheering.
On set Played mainly by the Essex class museum carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) at Corpus Christi, Texas, the vessel most seen in the film; USS Constellation and the modern USS Hornet were also used for carrier sequences.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Yamato Real ship
Yamato (Otoko-tachi no Yamato) (2005)
Directed by Junya Satō
Starring Takashi Sorimachi, Kenichi Matsuyama, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yū Aoi
Framed by a present day voyage to the wreck, the film follows young crewmen of the giant battleship up to her sinking in Operation Ten-Go on 7 April 1945.
The Marea scene Young sailors man the portside anti aircraft guns of Yamato as waves of American aircraft attack.
On set A 1:1 scale set of the forward section and portside anti aircraft guns was built at a former Hitachi Zosen yard in Onomichi, Hiroshima, for about 600 million yen; it drew around one million visitors before closing in May 2006.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Iwo Jima invasion fleet Real ship
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Barry Pepper
The vast American fleet carries the Marines to Iwo Jima in February 1945 and bombards the island before the landings. The flag raising on Mount Suribachi follows.
The Marea scene A Marine falls overboard from a transport while the fleet steams on, underlining the scale of the armada.
On set Fleet created largely with visual effects; filming in Iceland and Southern California.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Combined Fleet flagship Real ship
Isoroku (2011)
Directed by Izuru Narushima
Starring Kōji Yakusho, Hiroshi Abe, Hiroshi Tamaki
The biography follows Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto from his opposition to war to the attack on Pearl Harbor and Midway, much of it on his flagship. It ends with his death when his aircraft is shot down in 1943.
The Marea scene Yamamoto seated at his desk in the flagship's day cabin, receiving news of the Pearl Harbor strike.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Essex class carrier target Fictional
The Eternal Zero (2013)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Junichi Okada, Haruma Miura, Mao Inoue
A young man researches his grandfather, a gifted Zero pilot who died as a kamikaze. The final attack on an American Essex class carrier closes the film.
The Marea scene A Zero dives through anti aircraft fire towards the deck of an American carrier.
On set Computer generated imagery overseen by Takashi Yamazaki.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Life rafts of the Green Hornet crew Real ship
Unbroken (2014)
Directed by Angelina Jolie
Starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock, Miyavi
After their B-24 crashes in the Pacific, Louis Zamperini and two crewmates drift for 47 days on rafts, strafed by a Japanese aircraft and circled by sharks. Japanese sailors finally capture the two survivors.
The Marea scene Zamperini and Phillips lie exhausted on the small raft under a blazing sun with a shark fin close by.
On set Raft scenes filmed at sea in Moreton Bay, Queensland; the capture by a Japanese warship was filmed in Sydney Harbour aboard MV Cape Don.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Indianapolis and Japanese submarine I-58 Real ship
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
Directed by Mario Van Peebles
Starring Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Matt Lanter
After delivering atomic bomb components to Tinian, the Indianapolis is torpedoed by I-58 in July 1945. Hundreds of survivors spend days in shark infested water before rescue, and Captain McVay is later court martialled.
The Marea scene Survivors in life jackets cling together in the open sea as a shark fin circles.
On set Filmed at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama: the battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) stood in for the Indianapolis and the submarine USS Drum (SS-228) for I-58.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Enterprise Real ship
Midway (2019)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson
Enterprise is home to dive bomber pilot Dick Best, whose squadron strikes the Japanese carriers at Midway. The film follows the carrier from Pearl Harbor to the decisive battle.
The Marea scene Dick Best's Dauntless dive bomber lands back aboard Enterprise with smoke trailing from the flight deck behind it.
On set Recreated largely with sets and visual effects by Scanline VFX, with filming in Honolulu and Montreal.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu Real ship
Midway (2019)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring Tadanobu Asano, Etsushi Toyokawa, Jun Kunimura, Ed Skrein
The four carriers of the Kido Butai are the targets of the American dive bombers; three are wrecked within minutes and Hiryu is caught later in the day.
The Marea scene An American dive bomber pulls out low over Kaga's burning flight deck, crowded with armed aircraft.
On set Computer generated imagery by Scanline VFX and Pixomondo.
Photo: Mr Fukami, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Yamato Real ship
The Great War of Archimedes (2019)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Masaki Suda, Hiroshi Tachi, Tasuku Emoto
A mathematics prodigy is drafted into the navy to expose the true cost of the proposed Yamato battleship. The film explores the politics behind her construction up to an inspection after Pearl Harbor.
The Marea scene The battleship Yamato fitting out at Kure, her great guns trained forward, while the young mathematician checks the numbers that decide her fate.
On set Computer generated imagery overseen by Takashi Yamazaki.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Shinsei Maru Fictional
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki
Former kamikaze pilot Shikishima takes a job clearing mines aboard the small Shinsei Maru. The crew have a terrifying encounter with Godzilla at sea and later join the civilian effort against the monster.
The Marea scene Godzilla's head rises behind the tiny Shinsei Maru as the crew drop a mine into its jaws.
On set Maritime scenes filmed at Lake Hamana and the Enshu Sea with boats modified by local businesses near the Tenryu River, plus visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Destroyers Yukikaze and Hibiki Real ship
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Minami Hamabe
The surviving demilitarised destroyers are crewed by veterans for Operation Wadatsumi, the plan to sink Godzilla with Freon gas in Sagami Bay. They are the last warships of the old navy to fight.
The Marea scene Yukikaze and Hibiki steam side by side towing cables as Godzilla surfaces between them.
On set The real Yukikaze went to the Republic of China and Hibiki to the Soviet Union after the war.
Photo: Shizuo Fukui, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Heavy cruiser Takao Real ship
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki
The cruiser Takao, being returned from Singapore, is sent to stop Godzilla and is destroyed by the monster's atomic breath.
The Marea scene Takao's main turrets fire at point blank range into Godzilla alongside.
On set Computer generated imagery.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Vietnam
USS Independence Real ship
Flight of the Intruder (1991)
Directed by John Milius
Starring Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson
A-6 Intruder crews fly from a carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. Frustrated by the rules of engagement, two airmen plan an unauthorised raid on Hanoi.
The Marea scene An A-6 Intruder being catapulted off the carrier deck at dusk.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Independence (CV-62).
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Age of Sail
Brig Pilgrim Real ship
Two Years Before the Mast (1946)
Directed by John Farrow
Starring Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy, William Bendix
A spoiled young man is shanghaied aboard the brig Pilgrim and suffers the cruelty of her captain on a voyage round Cape Horn. His experience leads Richard Henry Dana to campaign for sailors' rights.
The Marea scene Seamen flogged at the mast of the Pilgrim while Dana watches in horror.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Age of Sail
Pilgrim of Salem Fictional
The World in His Arms (1952)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Starring Gregory Peck, Ann Blyth, Anthony Quinn
A Salem sealing captain known as the Boston Man falls for a Russian countess in 1850s San Francisco. He races his rival Portugee's schooner to Russian Alaska to rescue her.
The Marea scene Two schooners racing neck and neck under full sail up the Pacific coast.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Age of Sail
Gerrymander Fictional
Fair Wind to Java (1953)
Directed by Joseph Kane
Starring Fred MacMurray, Vera Ralston, Victor McLaglen
A Yankee captain trades in the Dutch East Indies in 1883 and searches for a hidden temple of diamonds. The eruption of Krakatoa threatens his ship at the climax.
The Marea scene The Gerrymander fleeing across a boiling sea as Krakatoa erupts behind her.
On set Models and studio ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Nathan Ross Fictional
All the Brothers Were Valiant (1953)
Directed by Richard Thorpe
Starring Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Ann Blyth
Joel Shore takes command of a whaler to search the Pacific for his lost brother Mark. When he finds him, Mark wants to lead the crew in a mutiny to recover a hoard of pearls.
The Marea scene The whale boats being towed by a harpooned whale while the brothers fight over the ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Crusoe's ship Fictional
Robinson Crusoe (1954)
Directed by Luis Buñuel
Starring Dan O'Herlihy, Jaime Fernández
Crusoe's ship, sailing from Brazil to Africa to buy slaves, is wrecked in a storm in 1659. The hulk drifts onto an offshore rock and he salvages tools and provisions before it sinks.
The Marea scene Crusoe rafting supplies from the wreck stranded on the rock.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Pequod Fictional
Moby Dick (1956)
Directed by John Huston
Starring Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart, Leo Genn
The Nantucket whaler whose captain, Ahab, sails it round the world in pursuit of the white whale that took his leg. It is lost with all hands except Ishmael.
The Marea scene Ahab lashed to the flank of the white whale, beckoning the Pequod's crew onwards.
On set The schooner Ryelands (built in England in 1887), converted and renamed Moby Dick; destroyed by fire in 1970. Whale shots were mostly miniatures in the Shepperton tank.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Covenant Fictional
Kidnapped (1960)
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Starring Peter Finch, James MacArthur, Bernard Lee, Peter O'Toole
The brig of Captain Hoseason, on which David Balfour is shanghaied by his uncle to be sold into servitude. Alan Breck Stewart comes aboard after his boat is run down.
The Marea scene David Balfour and Alan Breck defending the Covenant's roundhouse against the crew.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
The Robinsons' ship and the pirates' ships Fictional
Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Directed by Ken Annakin
Starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk
The family's ship is driven onto rocks off an uninhabited island after a pirate attack. They salvage what they can and later defend the island against the pirates.
The Marea scene The family rafting animals ashore in barrels from the wreck grounded on the reef.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Brig Thetis (played by the Carthaginian) Fictional
Hawaii (1966)
Directed by George Roy Hill
Starring Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, Richard Harris, Gene Hackman
New England missionaries, including Reverend Abner Hale and his wife Jerusha, sail round Cape Horn to Hawaii in 1820. The long voyage opens the epic based on James Michener's novel.
The Marea scene The ship battling mountainous seas off Cape Horn with the missionaries clinging below decks.
On set The Carthaginian, a 1921 vessel converted into a square rigger for the film, later a museum ship at Lahaina.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
La Amistad Real ship
Amistad (1997)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Djimon Hounsou, Anthony Hopkins, Morgan Freeman, Matthew McConaughey
The Spanish schooner on which Mende captives led by Cinqué rose up in 1839 off Cuba. The ship's capture off Long Island leads to the Supreme Court case at the heart of the film.
The Marea scene Cinqué breaking free of his chains below decks during the storm before the uprising.
On set The Freedom Schooner Amistad replica built 1998 to 2000 at Mystic Seaport now sails from New Haven, Connecticut, under Discovering Amistad Inc.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Pequod Fictional
Moby Dick (1998)
Created by Franc Roddam
Starring Patrick Stewart, Henry Thomas, Gregory Peck, Ted Levine
A two part miniseries with Patrick Stewart as Ahab driving the Pequod after the white whale. Gregory Peck, the 1956 Ahab, plays Father Mapple.
The Marea scene Patrick Stewart's Ahab on the Pequod's quarterdeck nailing the gold doubloon to the mast.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Edinburgh Trader Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom
A merchant ship on which Elizabeth Swann travels in disguise while searching for Will. It is attacked by the Kraken.
The Marea scene Elizabeth Swann in a sailor's disguise on the deck of the merchant ship at sea.
On set The production used the 1960 Bounty replica built in Nova Scotia for MGM, which later sank off the Carolinas during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
Photo: Dan Kasberger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Pequod Fictional
Moby Dick (2011)
Created by Mike Barker
Starring William Hurt, Ethan Hawke, Charlie Cox, Gillian Anderson
A two part miniseries with William Hurt as Ahab and Ethan Hawke as Starbuck, who opposes Ahab's obsession aboard the Pequod.
The Marea scene Starbuck confronting Ahab with a musket in the captain's cabin.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Essex Real ship
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Directed by Ron Howard
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Tom Holland
The Nantucket whaler rammed and sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific in 1820, the true story behind Moby-Dick. Its crew endure months in open boats.
The Marea scene The great whale smashing into the Essex's bow as first mate Owen Chase watches from the whaleboat.
On set Deck built on a gimbal at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, plus location work on La Gomera and Lanzarote, Canary Islands; no sailing ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Artemis Fictional
Outlander (2017)
Created by Ronald D. Moore
Starring Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan
In season 3 Jamie and Claire sail on the Artemis to the West Indies in pursuit of young Ian, who has been kidnapped. Jamie suffers constant seasickness on the voyage.
The Marea scene Jamie Fraser seasick in his hammock while Claire tends him in the Artemis's cramped cabin.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Merchant and whaling ships
Influence Fictional
Taboo (2017)
Created by Steven Knight, Tom Hardy and Chips Hardy
Starring Tom Hardy, Jessie Buckley, Oona Chaplin, Jonathan Pryce
A slave ship, registered under a false name, whose sinking with its human cargo haunts James Delaney. Delaney later buys a ship at auction for his own plans.
The Marea scene Delaney's visions of the Influence going down with chained men below decks.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Napoleonic comedy
HMS Venus Fictional
Carry On Jack (1964)
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Starring Kenneth Williams, Bernard Cribbins, Juliet Mills, Charles Hawtrey
An inept midshipman joins the frigate Venus under the nervous Captain Fearless during the Napoleonic Wars. Mutiny, capture by pirates and misadventures in Spain follow.
The Marea scene Captain Fearless cowering on the quarterdeck of the Venus as cannon fire erupts.
On set Sets at Pinewood Studios.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Arabella (ex Cinco Llagas) Fictional
Captain Blood (1935)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Lionel Atwill
Peter Blood and his fellow convicts seize a Spanish man of war during an attack on Port Royal and turn pirate. The ship takes them into the final battle against the French.
The Marea scene Errol Flynn swinging from the rigging as Blood's crew boards the French flagship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Albatross Fictional
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Flora Robson
Geoffrey Thorpe's privateer, inspired by Francis Drake's raids on Spain. Thorpe captures a Spanish ambassador's ship with it before being betrayed and sent to the galleys.
The Marea scene Thorpe's crew swarming over the rail of the Spanish galleass through cannon smoke.
On set Warner Bros. studio ships and sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Black Swan Fictional
The Black Swan (1942)
Directed by Henry King
Starring Tyrone Power, Maureen O'Hara, Laird Cregar, George Sanders
The ship of the renegade pirate Billy Leech, who refuses to follow Henry Morgan into respectability. Jamie Waring in the Revenge hunts it down.
The Marea scene Tyrone Power leaping from the Revenge onto the Black Swan's deck in Technicolor sunlight.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
La Mouette Fictional
Frenchman's Creek (1944)
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
Starring Joan Fontaine, Arturo de Córdova, Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce
The ship of the French pirate Jean Benoit Aubrey, hidden in a Cornish creek near Lady Dona St Columb's house. She joins him on a raid. Adapted from Daphne du Maurier's 1941 novel; a TV film followed in 1998.
The Marea scene Dona in boy's clothes on La Mouette's deck as the pirates cut out a merchant ship at Fowey.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Mary Ann Fictional
The Princess and the Pirate (1944)
Directed by David Butler
Starring Bob Hope, Virginia Mayo, Walter Brennan, Walter Slezak
The ship carrying a fugitive princess and a cowardly actor, boarded in 1740 by the pirate the Hook, who wants the princess for ransom.
The Marea scene Bob Hope in disguise cowering as the Hook's pirates swarm over the rail of the Mary Ann.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Captain Kidd's ship and the Twelve Apostles Fictional
Captain Kidd (1945)
Directed by Rowland V. Lee
Starring Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton, John Carradine
Kidd sinks a ship off Madagascar and buries its treasure, then talks his way into a royal commission to escort a rich ship from India, crewed by his old pirates.
The Marea scene Charles Laughton's Kidd gloating over a treasure chest in the cabin while his crew scans the horizon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Hispaniola Fictional
Treasure Island (1950)
Directed by Byron Haskin
Starring Bobby Driscoll, Robert Newton, Basil Sydney, Finlay Currie
The schooner that carries Jim Hawkins, Squire Trelawney and a crew secretly led by Long John Silver to Flint's treasure island. Jim later recaptures her alone from Israel Hands.
The Marea scene Jim Hawkins up the mizzen shrouds with pistols as Israel Hands climbs after him with a dirk.
On set The Ryelands, a real 19th century schooner (built in England in 1887), which later became the Pequod in Moby Dick (1956) and was destroyed by fire in 1970. The Hispaniola set was reused as HMS Lydia in Captain Horatio Hornblower.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Sheba Queen Fictional
Anne of the Indies (1951)
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Starring Jean Peters, Louis Jourdan, Debra Paget, Thomas Gomez
The ship of the female pirate Captain Anne Providence, who takes a French officer as navigator and is betrayed. She dies in battle with her mentor Blackbeard.
The Marea scene Anne Providence in her captain's coat at the helm of the Sheba Queen as Blackbeard's ship closes in.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Captain Kidd's ship Fictional
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)
Directed by Charles Lamont
Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Charles Laughton, Hillary Brooke
Two bumbling waiters trade Kidd's treasure map for passage on his ship, which raids an English ship and sails to Skull Island. There Anne Bonney's crew defeats Kidd.
The Marea scene Lou Costello hiding in a barrel on deck while Charles Laughton's Kidd searches for the map.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Pirate ships of Madagascar and an English warship Fictional
Against All Flags (1952)
Directed by George Sherman
Starring Errol Flynn, Maureen O'Hara, Anthony Quinn
Set in 1700, a British officer joins the pirates of Madagascar as a spy to sabotage their harbour defences. An English warship finally takes the pirate fortress.
The Marea scene Errol Flynn and Maureen O'Hara duelling on deck as English merchant ships burn behind them.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Blackbeard's ship Fictional
Blackbeard the Pirate (1952)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Starring Robert Newton, Linda Darnell, Keith Andes, Torin Thatcher
Edward Maynard joins Blackbeard's ship as its surgeon to steal the log that proves Henry Morgan's guilt. Blackbeard buries his treasure but is finally buried up to the neck in sand by his crew.
The Marea scene Robert Newton's wild eyed Blackbeard on deck, surrounded by his crew and a chest of stolen gold.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Captain Vallo's pirate ship Fictional
The Crimson Pirate (1952)
Directed by Robert Siodmak
Starring Burt Lancaster, Nick Cravat, Eva Bartok
The ship of the acrobatic pirate Captain Vallo, who plans to play Spanish rulers and island rebels against each other for profit before switching sides.
The Marea scene Burt Lancaster somersaulting across the yards of the pirate ship while Ojo grins below.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Smugglers' boats Fictional
Moonfleet (1955)
Directed by Fritz Lang
Starring Stewart Granger, George Sanders, Joan Greenwood, Jon Whiteley
Jeremy Fox leads a Dorset smuggling ring in 18th century England, taking in the orphan John Mohune. They become fugitives hunting a hidden diamond.
The Marea scene Smugglers landing kegs from a lugger on a moonlit Dorset beach.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Pirate schooner Fictional
A High Wind in Jamaica (1965)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Starring Anthony Quinn, James Coburn, Deborah Baxter
English children sent home from Jamaica are accidentally taken by pirates when their ship is raided. The pirate captain grows fond of them, with tragic consequences.
The Marea scene The children playing in the rigging of the pirate schooner as the crew look on.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Confiance and Kent Real ship
Surcouf, le tigre des sept mers (The Sea Pirate) (1966)
Directed by Sergio Bergonzelli and Roy Rowland
Starring Gérard Barray, Antonella Lualdi, Terence Morgan
A French, Italian and Spanish adventure about the Saint-Malo corsair Robert Surcouf. His historical ship Confiance and his capture of the East Indiaman Kent (1800) are the famous episodes of his career.
The Marea scene Surcouf's boarders swarming up the side of the towering East Indiaman.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Blarney Cock Fictional
Swashbuckler (1976)
Directed by James Goldstone
Starring Robert Shaw, James Earl Jones, Peter Boyle, Geneviève Bujold
The ship of Captain Red Ned Lynch, who leads the resistance against the tyrannical Lord Durant in colonial Jamaica.
The Marea scene Robert Shaw's Ned Lynch standing on the bowsprit of the Blarney Cock with drawn sword.
On set The Golden Hinde, the 1973 replica of Drake's ship built at Appledore, Devon; berthed since 1996 at St Mary Overie Dock, Bankside, Southwark, London, open to the public.
Photo: Jose L. Marin, CC BY 2.5
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
MV Nezhin Fictional
Pirates of the 20th Century (1980)
Directed by Boris Durov
Starring Nikolai Yeremenko Jr., Pyotr Velyaminov, Talgat Nigmatulin
A Soviet freighter carrying medical opium to Vladivostok is seized by modern pirates in the Indian Ocean. It was the top Soviet box office film of 1980.
The Marea scene Talgat Nigmatulin's pirate facing the chief engineer on the freighter's deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Buccaneer descendants' pirate boats and USCGC New Hope Fictional
The Island (1980)
Directed by Michael Ritchie
Starring Michael Caine, David Warner
A journalist investigating disappearances in the Caribbean is captured by a hidden colony descended from 17th century buccaneers who still raid yachts. A coast guard cutter features in the climax.
The Marea scene The buccaneers in period dress swarming a modern yacht by night.
On set US Coast Guard cutter Dauntless stood in for the fictional USCGC New Hope; filmed on Antigua and Abaco.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Rona Fictional
Nate and Hayes (1983)
Directed by Ferdinand Fairfax
Starring Tommy Lee Jones, Michael O'Keefe, Jenny Seagrove, Max Phipps
The schooner of the real life South Seas trader and blackbirder Bully Hayes, who helps a young missionary rescue his fiancée from Ben Pease.
The Marea scene Tommy Lee Jones as Bully Hayes at the Rona's wheel, cannon run out against Pease's ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Pirate ships of The Pirates of Penzance Fictional
The Pirates of Penzance (1983)
Directed by Wilford Leach
Starring Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt, Angela Lansbury, Rex Smith
The pirates of Penzance, tenderhearted orphans led by the Pirate King, sail the Cornish coast in this film of Joseph Papp's Broadway staging of Gilbert and Sullivan.
The Marea scene Kevin Kline's Pirate King singing astride the ship's rail.
On set Studio set at Shepperton Studios.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Edith Fictional
Yellowbeard (1983)
Directed by Mel Damski
Starring Graham Chapman, Peter Boyle, Cheech Marin, Tommy Chong
Captain Yellowbeard's pirate ship, named after Graham Chapman's mother, in a comic race to find his buried treasure.
The Marea scene Graham Chapman's Yellowbeard bellowing orders on deck with Marty Feldman scuttling below.
On set Played by the Bounty replica from Mutiny on the Bounty (1962), which portrayed three different ships in the film; it sank in Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Photo: Dan Kasberger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Inferno Fictional
The Goonies (1985)
Directed by Richard Donner
Starring Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan
One-Eyed Willy's treasure ship, hidden for centuries in a sea cave beneath Astoria, Oregon. The children find it at the end of their quest and it sails free as they escape.
The Marea scene The Goonies on the Inferno's deck beside One-Eyed Willy's skeleton and his piles of treasure.
On set Full-size replica built under production designer J. Michael Riva on Stage 16 at Warner Bros., Burbank; scrapped after filming because no one wanted it.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Neptune Fictional
Pirates (1986)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Starring Walter Matthau, Cris Campion, Charlotte Lewis, Damien Thomas
The Spanish galleon carrying a golden Aztec throne, which Captain Red and his young companion Frog set out to seize. Much of the film's action takes place aboard her.
The Marea scene Captain Red and Frog on the galleon's high stern castle as the Spanish crew gathers below.
On set Full-scale galleon with a steel hull and 400 HP auxiliary engine, built at Port El Kantaoui, Tunisia; now permanently moored in the Porto Antico of Genoa, Italy, as a paid tourist attraction. Also played the Jolly Roger in the 2011 miniseries Neverland.
Photo: Zil, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Hispaniola Fictional
Treasure Island (1990)
Directed by Fraser Clarke Heston
Starring Charlton Heston, Christian Bale, Oliver Reed, Christopher Lee
The same schooner voyage to Flint's island, with Charlton Heston as Silver and Christian Bale as Jim Hawkins.
The Marea scene Long John Silver with his parrot at the rail as the Hispaniola anchors off Skeleton Island.
On set Played by the 1960 Bounty replica built in Nova Scotia for MGM, which later sank off the Carolinas during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Filmed in North Devon, Jamaica and Pinewood Studios.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Jolly Roger Fictional
Hook (1991)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins
Captain Hook's ship moored in the pirate town of Neverland, where Hook holds Peter Banning's children. It is the setting of the final battle with the Lost Boys.
The Marea scene Dustin Hoffman's Hook on the Jolly Roger's quarterdeck facing Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Morning Star Fictional
Cutthroat Island (1995)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring Geena Davis, Matthew Modine, Frank Langella
The ship of pirate captain Morgan Adams, who takes it in search of the treasure map her father's murder has scattered.
The Marea scene Geena Davis swinging on a line across the gap between the Morning Star and the Reaper.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Reaper Fictional
Cutthroat Island (1995)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring Frank Langella, Geena Davis, Matthew Modine
The ship of Morgan's villainous uncle Dawg Brown. In the final battle Morgan blows out its bottom and it sinks.
The Marea scene The Reaper exploding and settling by the stern as Morgan's crew cheers from the Morning Star.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Hispaniola Fictional
Muppet Treasure Island (1996)
Directed by Brian Henson
Starring Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop, Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy
Captain Smollett, played by Kermit, commands the Hispaniola with Muppet crew while Tim Curry's Long John Silver plots mutiny.
The Marea scene Kermit as Captain Smollett on the quarterdeck while Tim Curry's Silver sings in the rigging.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Acheron Fictional
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany
The heavily built French privateer that ambushes the Surprise and is pursued across the Pacific. Aubrey's obsessive chase drives the story to its final boarding action off the Galápagos.
The Marea scene The Acheron's bow looming out of the fog as its first broadside rakes the Surprise.
On set Computer model built from digital scans of USS Constitution.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Jolly Roger Fictional
Peter Pan (2003)
Directed by P. J. Hogan
Starring Jason Isaacs, Jeremy Sumpter, Rachel Hurd-Wood
Captain Hook's ship, where Wendy and the Lost Boys are held prisoner. After Hook's defeat the ship is covered in fairy dust and flown back to London.
The Marea scene The Jolly Roger sailing through the clouds over London, covered in fairy dust.
On set Studio sets at Village Roadshow Studios, Gold Coast, Queensland; the whole film was shot on stages.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Black Pearl Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom
Captain Barbossa's cursed pirate ship with black sails, crewed by undead pirates who cannot die. Jack Sparrow spends the film trying to win back the ship that was taken from him in a mutiny.
The Marea scene The Black Pearl under black sails emerging from the fog to raid Port Royal by moonlight.
On set Studio build: constructed on barges with CGI completing the upper structures, plus a deck set on the Spruce Goose stage for fog and lighting control; no surviving sailing ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Black Pearl Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Bill Nighy
Jack Sparrow's ship once more, now hunted because Jack owes his soul to Davy Jones. The Pearl is dragged under by the Kraken at the end of the film.
The Marea scene Jack Sparrow alone on the tilting deck of the Black Pearl as the Kraken rises beside it.
On set A functional, seaworthy Black Pearl built in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, over the hull of the Sunset, a former Gulf of Mexico oil derrick service vessel; the same hull was later rebuilt as Queen Anne's Revenge.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Flying Dutchman Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Bill Nighy, Stellan Skarsgård, Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom
Davy Jones's barnacle encrusted ship, able to sail beneath the waves, crewed by sailors bound to a century of service. It appears again in At World's End.
The Marea scene The Flying Dutchman bursting up from beneath the surface, Davy Jones at the helm with his crew of sea creature men.
On set Studio and CGI ship; design inspired by 17th century Dutch fluyts and the Swedish warship Vasa.
Photo: JavierKohen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Empress Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Chow Yun-fat, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush
The ship of Sao Feng, pirate lord of Singapore. After his death Elizabeth Swann becomes her captain and sails her to Shipwreck Cove.
The Marea scene Elizabeth Swann taking command of the Empress with her Chinese crew kneeling on deck.
On set Studio set and CGI; no surviving vessel recorded.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Queen Anne's Revenge Real ship
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush
Blackbeard's ship, fitted with blood red sails, fire weapons and skull decorations, and home to his collection of ships in bottles. It carries the hunt for the Fountain of Youth.
The Marea scene Blackbeard on the quarterdeck commanding the rigging to seize a mutineer, flames spurting from the bow.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Hispaniola Fictional
Treasure Island (2012)
Created by Steve Barron
Starring Eddie Izzard, Toby Regbo, Elijah Wood, Donald Sutherland
A two-part British and Irish adaptation with Eddie Izzard as Silver. The Hispaniola carries the treasure hunters and Silver's mutineers to the island.
The Marea scene Eddie Izzard's Silver leading the mutiny on the Hispaniola's deck.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Walrus Fictional
Black Sails (2014)
Created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine
Starring Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold, Hannah New, Zach McGowan
Captain Flint's ship, the flagship of his crew out of Nassau in this prequel to Treasure Island. It carries Flint and Silver through the hunt for the Urca de Lima's gold.
The Marea scene Flint on the Walrus's quarterdeck as his crew runs out the guns to take the Urca.
On set Full-size ship built on a gimbal at Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa; over 300 workers per ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Ranger Fictional
Black Sails (2014)
Created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine
Starring Zach McGowan, Clara Paget, Toby Schmitz
The ship of Charles Vane, and later associated with Jack Rackham and Anne Bonny. It is one of the main pirate vessels of Nassau.
The Marea scene Charles Vane standing on the bow of the Ranger as it slips out of Nassau harbour.
On set Built at Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Urca de Lima Real ship
Black Sails (2014)
Created by Jonathan E. Steinberg and Robert Levine
Starring Toby Stephens, Luke Arnold
The Spanish treasure galleon whose gold drives the first two seasons. It is based on the real Urca de Lima of the 1715 treasure fleet.
The Marea scene The Urca de Lima stranded on the beach with her treasure chests hauled ashore.
On set Built at Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa; the real Urca de Lima wreck lies off Florida.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
HMS Petrel and Blackbeard's fleet Fictional
Crossbones (2014)
Created by Neil Cross, James V. Hart, Amanda Welles
Starring John Malkovich, Richard Coyle, Claire Foy
In the pilot the pirates of Santa Compaña, led by the Commodore, a Blackbeard who faked his death, attack HMS Petrel to seize a chronometer.
The Marea scene Malkovich's Commodore stepping aboard the captured Petrel through the smoke.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Blackbeard's flying pirate ship Fictional
Pan (2015)
Directed by Joe Wright
Starring Hugh Jackman, Levi Miller, Garrett Hedlund, Rooney Mara
In this prequel, Blackbeard's pirates snatch orphans from London and fly them to Neverland to mine fairy dust.
The Marea scene Blackbeard's ship lifting out of the London night during the Blitz with orphans hanging from the rigging.
On set Studio and CGI.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Silent Mary Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
Starring Javier Bardem, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites
The ghostly warship of the undead Captain Salazar, a pirate hunter cursed in the Devil's Triangle. It hunts Jack Sparrow and destroys pirate ships across the Caribbean.
The Marea scene The Silent Mary rearing up, its skeletal bow opening like jaws over a smaller pirate ship.
On set Partial constructs in Queensland, Australia, some on a hydraulic rig, finished with CGI.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Dying Gull Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017)
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
Starring Johnny Depp, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario
The small, shabby ship that Jack Sparrow, Henry Turner and Carina Smyth use to search for the Trident of Poseidon.
The Marea scene Jack Sparrow at the helm of the tiny Dying Gull with Henry and Carina beside him.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Revenge Real ship
Our Flag Means Death (2022)
Created by David Jenkins
Starring Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Ewen Bremner, Samson Kayo
The ship of Stede Bonnet, the gentleman pirate, with its library and genteel cabin. Blackbeard joins its crew and falls for its captain.
The Marea scene Stede Bonnet reading aloud to his crew in the Revenge's cabin surrounded by books.
On set Season 1 filmed on a soundstage using StageCraft LED volume; season 2 filmed in New Zealand.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Pirates
Jolly Roger Fictional
Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
Directed by David Lowery
Starring Jude Law, Alexander Molony, Ever Anderson, Jim Gaffigan
Captain Hook's ship in Disney's live action remake, where Wendy and her brothers are held. The final confrontation between Hook and Peter plays out aboard it.
The Marea scene Jude Law's Hook duelling Peter Pan on the Jolly Roger's yards against a Neverland sky.
On set Visual effects model by Framestore and DNEG, nominated for Outstanding Model at the 22nd VES Awards; filmed in Vancouver, Newfoundland, the Faroe Islands and Ireland.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Bounty Real ship
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, Franchot Tone
The Royal Navy ship sent to Tahiti to collect breadfruit, where Captain Bligh's cruelty drives Fletcher Christian to lead a mutiny.
The Marea scene Bligh and his loyalists being lowered into the launch while Christian holds the rail above.
Photo: Dan Kasberger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Pandora Real ship
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Charles Laughton, Franchot Tone, Clark Gable
The frigate sent to hunt down the Bounty mutineers, with Bligh aboard in the film's version. Byam and other crew are taken prisoner and wrecked with her.
The Marea scene Pandora aground on the reef with prisoners chained below as the ship breaks up.
On set The replica Nanuk, sold between 1941 and 1946 to the Pacific National Shipping Company of Mexico, where her masts were removed.
Photo: Etching by Robert Batty (1789 to 1848), Public domain
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Victory Real ship
That Hamilton Woman (1941)
Directed by Alexander Korda
Starring Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Alan Mowbray
Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar, where Olivier's Nelson is mortally wounded in the film's great battle scene. The story is told through Emma Hamilton's love for him.
The Marea scene Nelson falling on the Victory's quarterdeck at Trafalgar, Hardy kneeling beside him.
On set Studio sets designed by Vincent Korda. The real HMS Victory is preserved at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, flagship of the First Sea Lord, under restoration 2022 to 2032.
Photo: Cimosteve, CC0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Lydia Fictional
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951)
Directed by Raoul Walsh
Starring Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo, Robert Beatty, Terence Morgan
Hornblower's frigate on a secret mission to the Pacific coast of Central America, where he captures and then must fight the Spanish two decker Natividad. Later he commands HMS Sutherland.
The Marea scene The little Lydia raking the larger Natividad at close quarters in a Pacific calm.
On set The Hispaniola set from Disney's Treasure Island (1950) reused as Lydia; the Italian brigantine Marcel B. Surdo doubled as Witch of Endor at sea, and HMS Victory was used during filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Avenger Fictional
Billy Budd (1962)
Directed by Peter Ustinov
Starring Terence Stamp, Robert Ryan, Peter Ustinov, Melvyn Douglas
The warship on which the innocent sailor Billy Budd, pressed from the merchant ship Rights of Man, is persecuted by the master at arms Claggart, with tragic results under Captain Vere.
The Marea scene Billy Budd striking Claggart in Captain Vere's cabin.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Defiant Fictional
Damn the Defiant! (1962)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Alec Guinness, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Quayle, Maurice Denham
A fictional frigate of 1797 in which the humane Captain Crawford clashes with his sadistic first lieutenant Scott-Padget, against the background of the Spithead mutinies.
The Marea scene Alec Guinness's Crawford on the quarterdeck as the crew rises to take the ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Bounty Real ship
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962)
Directed by Lewis Milestone
Starring Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard, Richard Harris, Hugh Griffith
The same breadfruit voyage retold in widescreen colour, with Brando's Christian set against Howard's Bligh. The mutineers finally burn the ship at Pitcairn.
The Marea scene The Bounty ablaze off Pitcairn Island as Christian tries to save the sextant.
On set Full-size replica built in Nova Scotia for 750,000 dollars; it survived the film after Marlon Brando protested plans to destroy it, then sank off the Carolinas during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.
Photo: Dan Kasberger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Bounty Real ship
The Bounty (1984)
Directed by Roger Donaldson
Starring Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Daniel Day-Lewis
A more sympathetic retelling of Bligh's voyage, framed by his court martial. The ship carries the story from England to Tahiti and the mutiny.
The Marea scene Christian confronting Bligh on the Bounty's deck at dawn, the breadfruit pots lining the waist.
On set A replica built in Whangarei, New Zealand for about 4 million dollars, described by Donaldson as the most expensive movie prop ever built; later reported to be in Hong Kong.
Photo: Dan Kasberger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Indefatigable Real ship
Hornblower (1998)
Created by Andrew Grieve (director)
Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann, Jamie Bamber
Sir Edward Pellew's frigate, on which young midshipman Horatio Hornblower learns his trade in the war with revolutionary France.
The Marea scene Pellew on the quarterdeck of the Indefatigable as Hornblower leads a cutting out party at dawn.
On set The Grand Turk, a 1997 replica frigate built in Marmaris, Turkey; sold in 2010 to Étoile Marine Croisières, renamed Étoile du Roy and moored in Dunkirk, France (registered Saint-Malo). The series also used HMS Victory for quarterdeck and gun deck scenes, the brig Phoenix of Dell Quay and the schooner Julia, plus 4.5 to 7 metre models.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Hotspur Fictional
Hornblower (2003)
Created by Andrew Grieve (director)
Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Paul McGann
Hornblower's first command in the later films of the series, blockading the French coast during the Napoleonic wars.
The Marea scene Hornblower at the Hotspur's rail watching the French coast through a telescope.
On set The Earl of Pembroke, a former civilian vessel converted for filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Surprise Real ship
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, Billy Boyd, James D'Arcy
Captain Jack Aubrey's small, ageing frigate, sent to intercept a French privateer off South America during the Napoleonic wars. The ship is the whole world of the film, from surgery on the gun deck to rounding Cape Horn.
The Marea scene Aubrey and Maturin playing violin and cello in the great cabin, or the crew hauling the Surprise off a lee shore at the Galápagos.
On set The replica HMS Rose (built 1970, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia), bought by Fox and altered to resemble Surprise; now a dockside exhibit at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. A gimballed full-scale replica in the tank at Baja Studios, Mexico, and a Weta scale model were also used.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Interceptor Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jack Davenport
The fastest ship in the Royal Navy in the Caribbean, which Jack Sparrow and Will Turner steal from Port Royal. It is later caught and sunk by the Black Pearl.
The Marea scene Jack Sparrow and Will Turner commandeering the Interceptor while the Dauntless crew is trapped aboard the other ship.
On set The full-scale replica brig Lady Washington from Aberdeen, Washington, repainted and sailed 40 days to the location; still operated by the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority, sailing the US Pacific coast (active as of 2019).
Photo: Miso Beno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Dauntless Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Jack Davenport, Jonathan Pryce, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush
Commodore Norrington's flagship and the most powerful warship in the Caribbean. It carries the navy's pursuit of the cursed pirates to Isla de Muerta.
The Marea scene Skeleton pirates climbing aboard the moonlit Dauntless during the night battle off Isla de Muerta.
On set Studio build: constructed on barges with CGI finishing the upper works; not a sailing ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Endeavour Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Tom Hollander, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Keira Knightley
Lord Cutler Beckett's flagship, leading the East India Trading Company's war on piracy. It is destroyed in the climactic battle after the maelstrom.
The Marea scene Beckett descending the stairs of the Endeavour as the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman fire into it from both sides.
On set Studio set and CGI; the maelstrom battle was shot in a former air hangar at Palmdale, California.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Providence Fictional
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Geoffrey Rush, Johnny Depp, Kevin McNally
The British ship commanded by Barbossa, now a privateer in the King's service, racing the Spanish to the Fountain of Youth.
The Marea scene Barbossa with his peg leg on the quarterdeck of the Providence as it sails for the Fountain.
On set The replica frigate HMS Surprise (ex Rose) of the Maritime Museum of San Diego; its scenes were filmed at Long Beach because the ship could not sail to Hawaii.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Porpoise Fictional
Outlander (2017)
Created by Ronald D. Moore
Starring Caitríona Balfe, Sam Heughan
Claire is taken aboard HMS Porpoise to treat a typhoid outbreak and separated from Jamie, whom the ship must then pursue.
The Marea scene Claire in a surgeon's apron in the Porpoise's sick berth below decks.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Erebus Real ship
The Terror (2018)
Created by David Kajganich and Soo Hugh
Starring Ciarán Hinds, Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Paul Ready
Sir John Franklin's flagship on the lost 1845 expedition to find the Northwest Passage. Trapped in the ice, its crew is stalked by a mysterious creature.
The Marea scene Erebus locked in pack ice under a polar night, lanterns glowing on the snow covered deck.
On set Sets at Origo Studios, Budapest, extended with heavy visual effects; the real wreck was found in 2014.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Royal Navy and the Napoleonic wars
HMS Terror Real ship
The Terror (2018)
Created by David Kajganich and Soo Hugh
Starring Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Paul Ready
Captain Francis Crozier's ship, the second vessel of the Franklin expedition. The crew abandon it and march south over the ice.
The Marea scene Crozier on the ice beside the frozen Terror, men hauling sledges away from the ship.
On set Sets at Origo Studios, Budapest, with extensive visual effects; the real wreck was found in 2016.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Slave ships
Lord Ligonier Real ship
Roots (1977)
Created by Marvin J. Chomsky, John Erman, David Greene, Gilbert Moses
Starring LeVar Burton, Ed Asner, Ralph Waite
Kunta Kinte is taken from the Gambia aboard the Lord Ligonier to Annapolis in 1767. Ed Asner plays Captain Thomas Davies, a man troubled by the trade he commands. Based on the book by Alex Haley.
The Marea scene Captain Davies alone on the quarterdeck of the Lord Ligonier at sea, the ship under full sail.
On set A sailing ship used for filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Slave ships
Madagascar Real ship
Amazing Grace (2006)
Directed by Michael Apted
Starring Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney, Benedict Cumberbatch, Romola Garai
The story of William Wilberforce's campaign to end the British slave trade. In one scene he takes society guests on a pleasure boat alongside a slaver in harbour so they can see and smell what the trade means; Albert Finney plays John Newton, a former slave ship captain.
The Marea scene A small pleasure boat full of guests in fine clothes drawn up beside a dark slave ship in a quiet harbour.
On set Tall ships Kaskelot, Earl of Pembroke, Johanna Lucretia and Phoenix were used for harbour scenes.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Slave ships
Brig Orleans Real ship
12 Years a Slave (2013)
Directed by Steve McQueen
Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, Benedict Cumberbatch
After being kidnapped in Washington in 1841, Solomon Northup is shipped south aboard the brig Orleans with other captives to be sold in New Orleans, where he plans an uprising with fellow prisoners that never takes place.
The Marea scene The brig at sea off the Virginia coast, the paddle of a small boat alongside.
On set A sailing vessel filmed in Louisiana.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Slave ships
Zong Real ship
Belle (2013)
Directed by Amma Asante
Starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson, Sam Reid, Emily Watson
Dido Elizabeth Belle, raised in the household of Lord Mansfield, becomes involved as he weighs the insurance case over the Zong, whose crew threw more than 130 enslaved Africans overboard in 1781. The ship is the subject of the court case rather than shown at sea.
The Marea scene A young clerk reading the Zong papers in Lord Mansfield's library at Kenwood House.
On set Not shown at sea; the real Zong was a Liverpool owned slaver.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Slave ships
Lord Ligonier Real ship
Roots (2016)
Created by Phillip Noyce, Mario Van Peebles, Thomas Carter, Bruce Beresford
Starring Malachi Kirby, Forest Whitaker, Anna Paquin
The remake follows Kunta Kinte across the Atlantic aboard the Lord Ligonier, including a failed rising by the captives, to his sale at Annapolis.
The Marea scene The ship under sail on an open Atlantic, sailors aloft in the rigging.
On set Ship and sets used for filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Sultana Fictional
The Buccaneers (1956)
Created by Hannah Weinstein and Sidney Cole
Starring Robert Shaw, Peter Hammond, Brian Rawlinson, Paul Hansard
The Sultana is the ship of Captain Dan Tempest, a reformed pirate who sails from Nassau in 1722 with a crew of former buccaneers on behalf of the Crown. Every one of the 39 episodes turns on her voyages.
The Marea scene Robert Shaw as Dan Tempest standing at the rail of the Sultana, cutlass in hand, as she closes on a pirate prize.
On set A real schooner based at Falmouth, Cornwall, with a reproduction of part of her built in a studio corner.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Ghost Fictional
Der Seewolf (1971)
Created by Wolfgang Staudte
Starring Raimund Harmstorf, Edward Meeks
The four part German television adaptation of Jack London's The Sea-Wolf puts the brutal Captain Wolf Larsen aboard his sealing schooner Ghost. It became one of the most famous German TV productions of its era.
The Marea scene Raimund Harmstorf's Wolf Larsen crushing a potato in his fist in the Ghost's galley.
On set Played by the Romanian motor schooner Speranța, converted in Brăila in 1970 from the 90 ton fishing vessel Jirlău; she sank at Constanța in winter 1980 and was scrapped in 1983.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Niobe Fictional
Graf Luckner (Die Abenteuer des Grafen Luckner) (1971)
Created by Theodor Grädler and others (German French co-production)
Starring Heinz Weiss
Loosely inspired by the real sea adventurer Felix Graf von Luckner, the series follows the captain on voyages between the two World Wars, from Hamburg to the Caribbean, South America and Australia, in his sailing ship Niobe.
The Marea scene Captain Luckner on the quarterdeck of the Niobe as she enters a Caribbean harbour under sail.
On set Played by the French barquentine Amphitrite, built in Southampton in 1887, then home ported at Port Grimaud.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Charlotte Rhodes Real ship
The Onedin Line (1971)
Created by Cyril Abraham
Starring Peter Gilmore, Anne Stallybrass, Howard Lang, Jessica Benton
The Charlotte Rhodes is James Onedin's first ship, the vessel with which the ambitious Liverpool captain founds his shipping line in the 1860s. She carries the early seasons of the BBC saga.
The Marea scene Captain James Onedin at the wheel of the Charlotte Rhodes as she beats out of the Mersey under full sail.
On set Played by a real schooner of the same name, built in 1904 at Fjellebroen, Denmark; she appeared from 1971 to 1976 and was destroyed by arson in the Netherlands in October 1979. Other real tall ships in the series included Søren Larsen, Christian Radich, Statsraad Lehmkuhl, Kathleen and May and Sagres.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Duncan Fictional
V poiskakh kapitana Granta (In Search of Captain Grant) (1986)
Created by Stanislav Govorukhin
Starring Nikolai Yeremenko Jr., Lembit Ulfsak, Vladimir Smirnov, Boris Khmelnitsky
The Soviet miniseries of Jules Verne's novel follows Lord Glenarvan's yacht Duncan around the world in search of the shipwrecked Captain Grant. Verne himself appears as a character framing the story.
The Marea scene Paganel peering through his telescope from the deck of the Duncan as the coast of Patagonia appears.
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Turtle ship (geobukseon) Real ship
Immortal Admiral Yi Sun-sin (Bulmyeolui Yi Sun-sin) (2004)
Created by Lee Sung-joo and Kim Jung-gyu (KBS1)
Starring Kim Myung-min, Choi Jae-sung, Lee Jae-ryong
The 104 episode KBS epic tells the life of Admiral Yi Sun-sin and his campaigns against the Japanese invasions of 1592 to 1598, in which his armoured turtle ships played a legendary part.
The Marea scene Admiral Yi on the deck of his flagship as the dragon headed turtle ship rams into the Japanese fleet.
Photo: Feth, GPL
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Television series
Queen Anne's Revenge Real ship
Blackbeard (2006)
Created by Kevin Connor
Starring Angus Macfadyen, Mark Umbers, Jessica Chastain, Richard Chamberlain
Blackbeard's flagship carries him through the Caribbean as he hunts for Captain Kidd's treasure, pursued by Lieutenant Robert Maynard. The miniseries tells the pirate's last years around New Providence.
The Marea scene Blackbeard, fuses smoking in his beard, standing on the deck of the Queen Anne's Revenge as Maynard's men close in.
On set Played by the brig replica Lady Washington (home port Aberdeen, Washington, still sailing), which also played Hook's Jolly Roger in Once Upon a Time and HMS Interceptor in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Photo: Miso Beno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pirates and the Age of Sail · Wreckers
Wrecked merchant ship Fictional
Jamaica Inn (1939)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O'Hara, Robert Newton
A gang of Cornish wreckers based at Jamaica Inn lure ships onto the rocks with false lights and murder the survivors. Mary Yellan discovers that their leader is the local squire.
The Marea scene The wreckers' false lantern on the cliff as a ship drives onto the rocks below.
On set Model ship and studio tank.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Cabral's fleet Real ship
O Descobrimento do Brasil (1936)
Directed by Humberto Mauro
Starring Alvaro Costa, Alfredo Silva, Manoel Rocha
The Brazilian film recreates Pedro Alvares Cabral's 1500 voyage and landfall in Brazil, following the letter of Pero Vaz de Caminha. It has a score by Heitor Villa-Lobos.
The Marea scene Cabral's ships at anchor as the first Mass is said on the Brazilian shore.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Cortes's fleet at Villa Rica Real ship
Captain from Castile (1947)
Directed by Henry King
Starring Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, Cesar Romero
Pedro de Vargas joins Hernan Cortes's expedition to Mexico. To stop any retreat, Cortes orders his ships burned at Villa Rica.
The Marea scene Cortes's ships blaze in the bay while his soldiers watch from the shore.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Santa Maria Real ship
Christopher Columbus (1949)
Directed by David MacDonald
Starring Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Francis L. Sullivan, James Robertson Justice
The Gainsborough biopic follows Columbus to the court of Ferdinand and Isabella and on his 1492 voyage. The Santa Maria carries him to the New World.
The Marea scene Columbus at the Santa Maria's rail as land is sighted.
On set Replicas of the Santa Maria and Nina built in Spain and brought to London in April 1948; in a Caribbean squall off Barbados the Santa Maria replica broke free and caught fire, costing some 100,000 pounds to rebuild.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Mayflower Real ship
Plymouth Adventure (1952)
Directed by Clarence Brown
Starring Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, Van Johnson, Leo Genn
Spencer Tracy's Captain Christopher Jones carries the Pilgrims across the Atlantic in 1620, amid a fictional love triangle with Dorothy Bradford. The film won the Academy Award for Best Effects.
The Marea scene Captain Jones on the Mayflower's quarterdeck as a storm breaks over the ship.
Photo: A. S. Burbank, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Aguirre's raft Fictional
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Ruy Guerra
A detachment of Gonzalo Pizarro's expedition drifts down the Amazon on rafts in search of El Dorado. Under Lope de Aguirre the survivors sink into madness, starvation and death.
The Marea scene Aguirre alone on the drifting raft, surrounded by corpses and hundreds of small monkeys.
On set Rafts built by local craftspeople in Peru; river filming on the Huallaga and Nanay rivers and the Urubamba valley. Floods destroyed early rafts, an event written into the film.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Mayflower Real ship
Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure (1979)
Directed by George Schaefer
Starring Anthony Hopkins, Richard Crenna, Jenny Agutter, Michael Beck
The CBS television film follows the 1620 crossing from Plymouth, England, to Cape Cod, with Anthony Hopkins as Captain Christopher Jones. Romance among the passengers drives the story.
The Marea scene Hopkins's Captain Jones at the helm in mid-Atlantic.
Photo: A. S. Burbank, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta Real ship
Christopher Columbus (1985)
Created by Alberto Lattuada
Starring Gabriel Byrne, Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow, Oliver Reed
The RAI and CBS miniseries follows Columbus from Genoa to his four voyages. The three ships carry the 1492 expedition, with Oliver Reed as Martin Pinzon.
The Marea scene Byrne's Columbus on the Santa Maria as the three ships sail west.
On set Ships built in Malta and floated in the 450 by 300 ft surface tank at Mediterranean Film Studios; also filmed in Spain and the Dominican Republic.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
HMS Endeavour Real ship
Captain James Cook (1987)
Created by Lawrence Gordon Clark
Starring Keith Michell, John Gregg
The Australian miniseries follows James Cook's life and voyages, including the Endeavour expedition that charted the east coast of Australia in 1770.
The Marea scene Cook and Joseph Banks on the Endeavour's deck as the Australian coast comes into view.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Ursua's brigantines Real ship
El Dorado (1988)
Directed by Carlos Saura
Starring Omero Antonutti, Lambert Wilson, Eusebio Poncela, Ines Sastre
Pedro de Ursua's 1560 expedition goes down the Amazon and Orinoco in search of El Dorado. Lope de Aguirre murders his way to command as the boats drift on.
The Marea scene Aguirre stands in the bow of a brigantine drifting down the brown river.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Narvaez expedition boats Real ship
Cabeza de Vaca (1991)
Directed by Nicolas Echevarria
Starring Juan Diego, Daniel Gimenez Cacho, Roberto Sosa, Carlos Castanon
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is one of four survivors of the wrecked Narvaez expedition of 1527. The film follows his years among the peoples of the Gulf coast, based on his account Naufragios.
The Marea scene Cabeza de Vaca and a few survivors wash ashore from a wrecked boat on the Gulf coast.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Santa Maria Real ship
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Gerard Depardieu, Sigourney Weaver, Armand Assante, Michael Wincott
Columbus's flagship carries him across the Atlantic in 1492, against the doubts of his crew and the Pinzon brothers. The film marked the 500th anniversary of the voyage.
The Marea scene Columbus climbs the rigging of the Santa Maria as the crew sight land.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Nina and Pinta Real ship
1492: Conquest of Paradise (1992)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Gerard Depardieu, Tcheky Karyo, Sigourney Weaver, Armand Assante
The two caravels sail with the Santa Maria, the Pinta under Martin Alonso Pinzon, played by Tcheky Karyo. They complete Columbus's small fleet.
The Marea scene The three ships in line ahead leaving Palos at dawn.
On set Replicas built at Isla Cristina, now at the Wharf of the Caravels, Palos de la Frontera, Spain.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Santa Maria Real ship
Carry On Columbus (1992)
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Starring Jim Dale, Bernard Cribbins, Leslie Phillips, Rik Mayall
The last Carry On film sends Jim Dale's Columbus and a crew of misfits across the Atlantic. It was rushed out for the 1992 quincentenary.
The Marea scene Jim Dale's Columbus peers through a telescope from the Santa Maria's poop deck.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Santa Maria, Nina and Pinta Real ship
Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992)
Directed by John Glen
Starring Georges Corraface, Tom Selleck, Rachel Ward, Marlon Brando
The Salkind production follows Columbus from his struggle for royal backing to the landfall of 1492. The three ships carry the expedition and a near mutiny on the crossing.
The Marea scene Columbus faces his mutinous crew on the deck of the Santa Maria days before landfall.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Susan Constant Real ship
Pocahontas (1995)
Created by Mike Gabriel and Eric Goldberg
Starring Irene Bedard, Mel Gibson, David Ogden Stiers, Christian Bale
The Susan Constant carries John Smith, Governor Ratcliffe and the Virginia Company settlers from London to the New World. In a storm Thomas is washed overboard and Smith dives in on a rope to save him.
The Marea scene John Smith swings down the side of the storm-tossed Susan Constant on a rope to rescue Thomas.
On set Hand-drawn animation; no physical ship.
Photo: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery Real ship
The New World (2005)
Directed by Terrence Malick
Starring Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer
The three ships of the Virginia Company arrive in Chesapeake Bay in 1607 under Christopher Newport. Their arrival, seen from the shore by the Powhatan, opens the film.
The Marea scene The three ships glide up the river into the forest as Powhatan people watch from the reeds.
On set Replicas of Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery were used. Filmed in Virginia.
Photo: Warfieldian, CC BY-SA 3.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Spanish ships off the Yucatan coast Fictional
Apocalypto (2006)
Directed by Mel Gibson
Starring Rudy Youngblood, Raoul Trujillo, Dalia Hernandez, Jonathan Brewer
In the final scene Jaguar Paw and his two remaining pursuers reach the shore and see Spanish ships at anchor and conquistadors rowing ashore. The pursuers walk towards the strangers while Jaguar Paw returns for his family and disappears into the forest.
The Marea scene Jaguar Paw and the Maya raiders stop dead on the beach as the Spanish ships ride at anchor and a boat with a friar holding a cross comes ashore.
On set Filmed in Veracruz state, Mexico; armourer Simon Atherton cameos as the cross-bearing friar.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Muslim pilgrim ship burned by Vasco da Gama Real ship
Urumi (2011)
Directed by Santosh Sivan
Starring Prithviraj Sukumaran, Prabhu Deva, Genelia D'Souza, Arya
The film opens with Vasco da Gama's Portuguese capturing a ship full of Muslim pilgrims, locking the passengers in the hold and setting it alight. The hero's father dies in the attack, driving his revenge.
The Marea scene Da Gama's men torch the pilgrim ship while Chirakkal envoys look on from a small boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Kon-Tiki Real ship
Kon-Tiki (2012)
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
Starring Pål Sverre Hagen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Tobias Santelmann, Gustaf Skarsgård
Thor Heyerdahl and five companions drift 101 days across the Pacific from Peru to Polynesia in 1947 on a balsa raft to prove his theory of ancient migration.
The Marea scene The crew huddle on the raft as a whale shark circles beneath the logs.
On set A new balsa raft built for the film using traditional techniques; ocean scenes shot on open sea, with filming in Norway, Malta, Bulgaria, Thailand, Sweden and the Maldives. The original raft is in the Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo.
Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Mayflower Real ship
Saints & Strangers (2015)
Created by Paul A. Edwards
Starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent Kartheiser, Anna Camp, Ron Livingston
The National Geographic miniseries follows the Mayflower passengers' crossing and the first year at Plymouth Colony, including the alliance with the Wampanoag.
The Marea scene Passengers crowd the Mayflower's deck as the coast of Cape Cod comes into view.
Photo: A. S. Burbank, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Victoria, Trinidad, San Antonio, Concepcion and Santiago Real ship
Elcano & Magellan: The First Voyage Around the World (2019)
Created by Angel Alonso
Starring Kiko Jauregui, Inaki Beraetxe (Spanish voices)
Young Elcano signs on with Magellan's five ship expedition from Seville in 1519 to escape debt. After Magellan's death he takes command and completes the first circumnavigation.
The Marea scene Elcano at the Victoria's helm rounding the Cape of Good Hope on the way home.
On set Animated; no physical ships.
Photo: Gnsin, CC BY-SA 3.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Cortes's fleet Real ship
Hernan (2019)
Created by Norberto Lopez Amado and Julian de Tavira
Starring Oscar Jaenada, Dagoberto Gama, Ishbel Bautista, Michel Brown
The series follows Hernan Cortes from his arrival on the Mexican coast in 1519 to the fall of Tenochtitlan. Made for the 500th anniversary of the conquest.
The Marea scene Cortes's ships anchored off the Veracruz coast as the Spanish land.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Victoria and Trinidad Real ship
Boundless (Sin limites) (2022)
Created by Simon West
Starring Rodrigo Santoro, Alvaro Morte, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Barbara Goenaga
The Amazon and RTVE miniseries dramatises Magellan and Elcano's 1519 to 1522 circumnavigation, putting both men on the same ship for drama. Of five ships and some 239 men, only the Victoria and 18 men returned.
The Marea scene Elcano brings the battered Victoria home up the Guadalquivir with the last 18 survivors on deck.
On set The production reconstructed the Victoria and Trinidad and used the Nao Victoria replica; sea scenes at Pinewood Dominican Republic Studios, with locations in Navarre, the Basque Country and Seville.
Photo: Gnsin, CC BY-SA 3.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Age of discovery
Victoria (Magellan's fleet) Real ship
Magellan (2025)
Directed by Lav Diaz
Starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Ronnie Lazaro, Amado Arjay Babon
Lav Diaz's slow cinema epic follows Ferdinand Magellan's expedition to the Spice Islands and its violent end in the Philippines. The ships carry the colonisers into first contact with the islands.
The Marea scene Magellan's ship at anchor off a Philippine shore as boats take the Spaniards to the beach.
On set Filmed in Quezon province (Philippines), southern Portugal and Cadiz.
Photo: Gnsin, CC BY-SA 3.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Cleopatra's royal barge Real ship
Cleopatra (1934)
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Starring Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon
Cleopatra receives Mark Antony aboard her barge and seduces him in DeMille's most famous set piece. The film ends with the naval defeat at Actium, shown in a montage.
The Marea scene Cleopatra reclines on her couch before a vast arch of ostrich plumes as Antony comes aboard.
On set Studio set at Paramount; the plume arch used 600 ostrich feathers, 20 ft tall and 30 ft wide. Actium was a montage by Gordon Jennings and William Cameron Menzies.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Ulysses's ship Fictional
Ulysses (1954)
Directed by Mario Camerini
Starring Kirk Douglas, Silvana Mangano, Anthony Quinn
Ulysses and his crew sail home from Troy through the adventures of the Odyssey. Their ship carries them to the island of the Cyclops Polyphemus and past the Sirens.
The Marea scene Ulysses, bound to the mast, strains against the ropes while his crew row on with their ears stopped against the Sirens.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Paris's ship Fictional
Helen of Troy (1956)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Rossana Podesta, Jacques Sernas, Cedric Hardwicke, Stanley Baker
Paris sails to Sparta on a peace mission, but his ship is wrecked in a storm and he is washed ashore, where he meets Helen. Their flight together by sea brings the Greek fleet to Troy.
The Marea scene Paris, washed up on the Spartan shore beside the wreck of his ship, is found by Helen.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Sinbad's ship Fictional
The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
Directed by Nathan Juran
Starring Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher, Richard Eyer
Sinbad sails to the island of Colossa to find a cure for Princess Parisa, shrunk by the sorcerer Sokurah. His ship carries the crew into encounters with Ray Harryhausen's Cyclops and roc.
The Marea scene Sinbad's crew row frantically back to the ship as the Cyclops wades into the surf after them.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Flagship galley of Consul Quintus Arrius Fictional
Ben-Hur (1959)
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd, Haya Harareet
Judah Ben-Hur rows as galley slave number 41 aboard the flagship of Quintus Arrius. During a battle with Macedonian pirates the galley is rammed and sunk, and Judah rescues Arrius, which wins him his freedom and adoption.
The Marea scene The hortator beats ramming speed while Arrius watches the chained rowers, Judah among them, strain at the oars.
On set Two seaworthy 175 ft galleys built from museum plans and floated on an artificial lake with wave machines at Cinecitta, Rome; more than 40 miniature ships shot in a tank at MGM Culver City.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Cleopatra's royal barge Real ship
Cleopatra (1963)
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall
Cleopatra sails to Tarsus in a gilded barge to meet Mark Antony and bind him to Egypt. The barge arrival is one of the most lavish images in a film that became the most expensive ever made at the time.
The Marea scene The golden barge glides into Tarsus with Cleopatra enthroned beneath a canopy as Antony waits on the quay.
On set Barge built for the production; the Tarsus scene was completed on 23 June 1962, Taylor's last day of principal photography.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Egyptian and Roman fleets at Actium Real ship
Cleopatra (1963)
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall
Antony and Cleopatra's combined fleet meets Octavian at the Battle of Actium. Cleopatra's flagship withdraws when she believes Antony dead, and Antony follows, sealing their defeat.
The Marea scene Antony stands on the deck of his burning galley watching Cleopatra's flagship turn away from the battle.
Photo: Mark Landon, CC BY 4.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Argo Fictional
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Directed by Don Chaffey
Starring Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond, Laurence Naismith
Jason and his crew sail the Argo in search of the Golden Fleece, guided by the goddess Hera, whose face forms the ship's figurehead. Ray Harryhausen's stop motion creatures attack the ship on its voyage.
The Marea scene The bronze giant Talos straddles the harbour mouth and lifts the Argo out of the water as the crew scatter.
On set Several scales of model: a tiny Argo for Talos, a larger miniature for the Clashing Rocks in a tank, and a full-size deck section on stage at Shepperton Studios.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Antony's fleet at Actium Real ship
Antony and Cleopatra (1972)
Directed by Charlton Heston
Starring Charlton Heston, Hildegard Neil, Eric Porter, John Castle
Heston's adaptation of Shakespeare stages the Battle of Actium, where Antony's fleet is beaten by Octavius. The sea battle uses superimposed shots and, reportedly, leftover galley footage from Ben-Hur (1959).
The Marea scene Antony watches from his galley as Cleopatra's ships flee the line at Actium.
On set Reportedly reused footage from Ben-Hur (1959).
Photo: Mark Landon, CC BY 4.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Sinbad's ship with siren figurehead Fictional
The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
Directed by Gordon Hessler
Starring John Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker
Sinbad races the sorcerer Koura to the Fountain of Destiny. Koura brings the ship's wooden siren figurehead to life to steal Sinbad's map.
The Marea scene The carved figurehead wrenches itself free of the bow and attacks the crew on deck.
On set Filmed in Madrid and Mallorca; Harryhausen admitted a dhow would not really carry a figurehead.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Sinbad's ship Fictional
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Directed by Sam Wanamaker
Starring Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Jane Seymour, Patrick Troughton
Sinbad sails north to Hyperborea to break a curse that has turned Prince Kassim into a baboon. His ship is pursued by the sorceress Zenobia.
The Marea scene Sinbad's ship under full sail in icy northern waters.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Zenobia's boat rowed by the Minoton Fictional
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Directed by Sam Wanamaker
Starring Margaret Whiting, Patrick Wayne, Peter Mayhew, Jane Seymour
The sorceress Zenobia chases Sinbad in a boat rowed by the Minoton, a bronze bull-headed automaton she created. It is one of Harryhausen's most memorable creature and vessel combinations.
The Marea scene The bronze Minoton pulls at the great oar while Zenobia stands at the stern.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Odysseus's ship Fictional
The Odyssey (1997)
Created by Andrei Konchalovsky
Starring Armand Assante, Greta Scacchi, Isabella Rossellini, Vanessa Williams
Odysseus's ship carries him and his men on the long voyage home from Troy to Ithaca. It takes them to the islands of the Cyclops, Circe and Calypso, and is lost along the way.
The Marea scene Odysseus lashed to the mast as the Sirens call from the rocks.
On set Purpose-built ship, later reused for Jason and the Argonauts (2000). Filmed in Malta, Turkey and England.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Argo Fictional
Jason and the Argonauts (2000)
Created by Nick Willing
Starring Jason London, Frank Langella, Jolene Blalock, Dennis Hopper
In this NBC miniseries Jason gathers a crew of heroes aboard the Argo to fetch the Golden Fleece from Colchis. The ship carries them past the dangers of the myth to King Aeetes and Medea.
The Marea scene Jason stands at the Argo's steering oar as the crew row between the clashing rocks.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
The Greek fleet (Achilles's Myrmidon ship with black sail) Fictional
Troy (2004)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Diane Kruger
A thousand Greek ships carry Agamemnon's army to Troy to recover Helen. Achilles's Myrmidons, marked out by the only black sail in the fleet, race ahead and storm the beach first.
The Marea scene Achilles leaps from the bow of his black-sailed ship onto the Trojan beach ahead of the fleet.
On set Two functional 40-yard steel ships with wood cladding built in Malta for sea scenes, plus wooden ships (full and half hulls) for the Greek beach camp in Mexico; the rest of the 1,000-ship armada was CGI by Framestore CFC.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Evan's ark Fictional
Evan Almighty (2007)
Directed by Tom Shadyac
Starring Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman
A newly elected congressman is told by God to build an ark in his suburban neighbourhood. When a dam bursts, the ark carries his family, neighbours and animals down the flood to Washington.
The Marea scene Evan in his robe and beard stands on the ark's deck as the animals file up the ramp.
On set Full-size ark built at Old Trail, Crozet, Virginia; dismantled within two weeks after filming and the timber donated to Habitat for Humanity.
Photo: Edward Hicks, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Themistocles's Greek triremes Real ship
300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
Directed by Noam Murro
Starring Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, Rodrigo Santoro
The Athenian general Themistocles leads a smaller Greek fleet against the Persian navy at Artemisium and Salamis. His triremes use speed and ramming tactics against the larger enemy ships.
The Marea scene Themistocles rides his horse across the decks of rammed ships in the middle of the sea battle.
On set Partial ship sets on gimbals at Nu Boyana Film Studios, Sofia, Bulgaria; the ocean, fleets and destruction were CGI (Scanline VFX and others).
Photo: Tungsten, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Artemisia's Persian flagship and fleet Real ship
300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
Directed by Noam Murro
Starring Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton, Rodrigo Santoro, Lena Headey
Artemisia commands the Persian navy for Xerxes and pits her far larger ships against Themistocles. Her fleet is destroyed in a night fire battle and finally at Salamis.
The Marea scene Artemisia stands at the prow of her towering flagship, sword drawn, as it bears down on the Greek line.
On set Only about a third of the huge Persian ships could fit on stage as gimbal sets at Nu Boyana, Sofia; the rest was CGI.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Noah's Ark Fictional
Noah (2014)
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson
Noah builds the ark with the help of the Watchers to save his family and the animals from the Flood. Much of the drama takes place inside the sealed ark as it drifts on the waters.
The Marea scene Noah stands on the ark's roof as the rain begins and the crowds rush the doors.
On set Full-scale ark set built at Planting Fields Arboretum, Upper Brookville, New York; other filming in Iceland.
Photo: Edward Hicks, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Roman galley Fictional
Ben-Hur (2016)
Directed by Timur Bekmambetov
Starring Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman, Rodrigo Santoro
Judah is enslaved as a galley rower in the Roman fleet. His galley is destroyed in a naval engagement in the Ionian Sea, and he survives by clinging to a mast before being found by Sheik Ilderim.
The Marea scene Judah clings to a floating mast amid the wreckage of the sunken galley.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Ancient and mythic
Odysseus's warship Fictional
The Odyssey (2026)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Matt Damon, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson
Odysseus commands his crew on the ten-year voyage home from Troy to Ithaca. Nolan filmed on real seas to show how hard such journeys were.
The Marea scene Odysseus at the steering oar as his crew row through heavy seas.
On set Draken Harald Harfagre, the largest modern Viking longship (built in Norway), doubled as the Greek warship and was sailed to each filming location in six countries.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Archaeology
Sutton Hoo ship burial Real ship
The Dig (2021)
Directed by Simon Stone
Starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn
In 1939 the landowner Edith Pretty hires the local excavator Basil Brown to dig the mounds on her Suffolk estate. He uncovers the imprint of a great Anglo-Saxon ship.
The Marea scene Basil Brown standing in the trench among the rows of iron rivets that trace the buried ship's hull.
On set The real Sutton Hoo ship survives only as rivets and an imprint; finds are in the British Museum.
Photo: Alex Healing, CC BY 2.0
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Sakr-el-Bahr's corsair galley and Spanish ships Fictional
The Sea Hawk (1924)
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Milton Sills, Enid Bennett, Lloyd Hughes, Wallace Beery
An English nobleman sold into slavery rows in a Spanish galley, escapes and becomes the Barbary corsair Sakr-el-Bahr. Based on Rafael Sabatini's novel.
The Marea scene Oliver Tressilian, chained at the oar, looks up as the Barbary corsairs board the Spanish galley.
On set Full-sized ships rather than miniatures, designed by Fred Gabourie by dressing existing wooden vessels, costing 200,000 dollars; filmed off Catalina Island. Warner Bros. later reused them, and footage appeared in Captain Blood (1935) and The Sea Hawk (1940).
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Spanish Armada and English fireships Real ship
Fire Over England (1937)
Directed by William K. Howard
Starring Flora Robson, Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, Raymond Massey
Michael Ingolby, an English spy at the court of Philip II, returns with the Armada's plans. The English defeat the Armada with a night fireship attack on the fleet massed off the coast.
The Marea scene Ingolby steers a blazing fireship into the anchored Armada at night.
On set Model ships in a large water tank at Denham Studios; the footage was reused in the 1939 propaganda film The Lion Has Wings.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Spanish galleass with galley slaves Fictional
The Sea Hawk (1940)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, Claude Rains, Alan Hale
Captured in Panama, Thorpe and his men are chained as rowers in a Spanish galley. They break free and take the ship, sailing home to warn the Queen.
The Marea scene Thorpe and the chained rowers turn on their overseer below decks.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Raleigh's ship Fictional
The Virgin Queen (1955)
Directed by Henry Koster
Starring Bette Davis, Richard Todd, Joan Collins
Elizabeth grants Walter Raleigh one ship rather than the three he wants, and he sets about refitting her for the New World. The film ends with Raleigh and Beth Throckmorton sailing away.
The Marea scene Raleigh and Beth at the rail as the ship leaves for the New World.
Photo: Desconhecido, Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Golden Hind Real ship
Sir Francis Drake (1961)
Created by Anthony Bushell; directors Clive Donner and Harry Booth
Starring Terence Morgan, Jean Kent, Michael Crawford, Roger Delgado
Terence Morgan plays Drake across 26 episodes of sea battles, sword fights and intrigue at Elizabeth's court. The Golden Hind is his ship throughout.
The Marea scene Drake and his crew clear the Golden Hind's deck for action.
On set A replica built for the series for 25,000 pounds, filmed near Torbay and Dartmouth, later a tourist attraction in Brixham harbour; wrecked in a storm in 1987 and replaced by the current Brixham replica.
Photo: Jose L. Marin, CC BY 2.5
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Golden Hind Real ship
Seven Seas to Calais (1962)
Directed by Rudolph Mate and Primo Zeglio
Starring Rod Taylor, Keith Michell, Irene Worth, Edy Vessel
Rod Taylor's Francis Drake raids Spanish treasure and circles the globe, then faces the Armada. The Italian-made MGM film ends with the fight in the Channel.
The Marea scene Drake on the Golden Hind's quarterdeck as a Spanish treasure ship strikes her colours.
Photo: Jose L. Marin, CC BY 2.5
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Golden Hind Real ship
Drake's Venture (1980)
Directed by Lawrence Gordon Clark
Starring John Thaw, Paul Darrow, Charlotte Cornwell
John Thaw plays Drake on his 1577 to 1580 circumnavigation, including the trial and execution of Thomas Doughty.
The Marea scene Drake confronts Doughty on the Golden Hind's deck before the crew.
On set A full-scale replica of the Golden Hind; sea scenes shot in the English Channel over three months.
Photo: Jose L. Marin, CC BY 2.5
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Erasmus Fictional
Shogun (1980)
Created by Jerry London
Starring Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Shimada
The Dutch ship Erasmus, piloted by John Blackthorne, is wrecked on the coast of Japan in 1600. Blackthorne becomes drawn into the power struggle of Lord Toranaga. Based on James Clavell's novel, inspired by William Adams and De Liefde.
The Marea scene The battered Erasmus lies at anchor in Anjiro harbour as Japanese soldiers board her.
On set The Golden Hinde replica (built 1973) played the Erasmus; it is now on display at St Mary Overie Dock, Southwark, London.
Photo: Jose L. Marin, CC BY 2.5
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Spanish Armada and English fireships Real ship
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Directed by Shekhar Kapur
Starring Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Abbie Cornish
The Armada sails against England and is broken by fireships and storm. The film gives Walter Raleigh an unhistorical leading role in the battle, largely leaving out Drake.
The Marea scene Raleigh leaps from a burning fireship as it drifts into the Spanish fleet.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Cao Cao's chained fleet Real ship
Red Cliff (2008)
Directed by John Woo
Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhang Fengyi, Zhao Wei
Cao Cao's great fleet is chained together with iron beams to steady it on the Yangtze. When the southeast wind rises, the allies send fire ships into it at the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208.
The Marea scene Blazing fire ships crash into the chained fleet under a night sky.
On set Naval warfare staged at two working reservoirs in Hebei province, with visual effects by Modus FX, The Orphanage and Frantic Films.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Yi Sun-sin's flagship and the 12 ships Real ship
The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)
Directed by Kim Han-min
Starring Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong
In 1597 Admiral Yi Sun-sin faces 133 Japanese ships at Myeongnyang with only 12 ships. His flagship holds the strait almost alone in a 61 minute battle sequence.
The Marea scene Yi's flagship alone in the whirling currents, surrounded by Japanese ships.
Photo: Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
De Zeven Provincien and the Dutch fleet Real ship
Admiral (Michiel de Ruyter) (2015)
Directed by Roel Reine
Starring Frank Lammers, Barry Atsma, Charles Dance
The film follows Michiel de Ruyter's campaigns in the Anglo-Dutch wars, including the Raid on the Medway. Critics singled out its shots of booming, towering ships.
The Marea scene De Ruyter on his flagship's quarterdeck as the English fleet opens fire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Turtle ship Real ship
Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022)
Directed by Kim Han-min
Starring Park Hae-il, Byun Yo-han
Admiral Yi's armoured turtle ship, with a dragon's head on its bow, is improved and becomes decisive at the Battle of Hansan in 1592.
The Marea scene The turtle ship breaks into the Japanese line, smoke pouring from its dragon head.
On set Naval battle set built at the Gangneung Speed Skating Stadium (2018 Winter Olympics venue) with no water, completed by visual effects; land sets at Yeosu.
Photo: Feth, GPL
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
British ships at Toulon Real ship
Napoleon (2023)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim
At the Siege of Toulon in 1793 the young Bonaparte takes the fort and turns his artillery on the British ships in the harbour. It is his first great success.
The Marea scene Napoleon's guns fire across the harbour as a British ship of the line explodes.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Joseon and Ming fleets Real ship
Noryang: Deadly Sea (2023)
Directed by Kim Han-min
Starring Kim Yoon-seok, Baek Yoon-sik, Jung Jae-young
In the 1598 Battle of Noryang, Yi Sun-sin and the Ming admiral Chen Lin trap the withdrawing Japanese fleet in a night battle. Yi is fatally shot on his flagship.
The Marea scene Yi, struck by a bullet, orders his drum kept beating on the flagship's deck.
Photo: Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Armadas and empires
Erasmus Fictional
Shogun (2024)
Created by Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks
Starring Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano
The FX series retells Clavell's story: pilot John Blackthorne's Erasmus arrives wrecked in Japan and becomes a prize in the struggle between Toranaga and the regents.
The Marea scene Blackthorne's starving crew cling to the Erasmus's rail as she drifts into the Japanese bay.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Jules Verne and French literature
Nautilus Fictional
Mysterious Island (1961)
Directed by Cy Endfield
Starring Michael Craig, Herbert Lom, Joan Greenwood, Gary Merrill
Union prisoners escape by balloon and land on an island inhabited by giant creatures. Captain Nemo, whose Nautilus is hidden in a cave, helps them raise a sunken pirate ship to escape as the volcano erupts.
The Marea scene Nemo in his shell diving suit leading the castaways underwater to the Nautilus.
On set Models and effects by Ray Harryhausen.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Jules Verne and French literature
Duncan Fictional
In Search of the Castaways (1962)
Directed by Robert Stevenson
Starring Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, George Sanders
Lord Glenarvan's yacht carries Mary and Robert Grant around the world to search for their father after a message in a bottle is found. The voyage takes them to South America and New Zealand.
The Marea scene The children on the deck of the Duncan reading the torn message from the bottle.
On set Studio sets and models.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Jules Verne and French literature
Nautilus Fictional
Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969)
Directed by James Hill
Starring Robert Ryan, Chuck Connors, Nanette Newman
Shipwreck survivors are rescued by Captain Nemo and taken to his underwater city of Templemer. The Nautilus has a new design for this film.
The Marea scene The Nautilus gliding into the domed underwater city.
On set Models.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
English invasion fleet at Southampton Real ship
Henry V (1944)
Directed by Laurence Olivier
Starring Laurence Olivier, Renee Asherson, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks
Henry's army embarks at Southampton and crosses to France to begin the campaign that leads to Harfleur and Agincourt. The film used stylised sets inspired by the Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry.
The Marea scene Henry's fleet, painted sails full, prepares to leave Southampton harbour.
Photo: VollwertBIT, CC BY-SA 2.5
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Ragnar's and Einar's longships Fictional
The Vikings (1958)
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, Janet Leigh
Longships carry Ragnar's raiders to Northumbria and later the Viking assault on King Aella's castle. Rival half brothers Einar and Eric race each other across the sea for Princess Morgana.
The Marea scene At the end, Einar's body lies on a longship pushed out on the fjord as flaming arrows set it ablaze.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Rolfe's longship Fictional
The Long Ships (1964)
Directed by Jack Cardiff
Starring Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, Russ Tamblyn, Rosanna Schiaffino
Shipwrecked Viking Rolfe is captured by the Moorish king Aly Mansuh, who wants the legendary golden bell, the Mother of Voices. The Vikings take a longship south in search of it past the Pillars of Hercules.
The Marea scene Rolfe's longship, crewed by bearded Vikings, beaches beside a Moorish shore with the great golden bell in view.
On set Sets were later reused for a 1965 Swedish film.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Thorvald's longships Fictional
The Norseman (1978)
Directed by Charles B. Pierce
Starring Lee Majors, Cornel Wilde, Mel Ferrer, Jack Elam
An 11th century Viking prince sails to North America to rescue his father, captured by Native Americans on an earlier expedition.
The Marea scene Thorvald's longship grounds on a North American shore as his men leap into the shallows.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Erik's longship Fictional
Erik the Viking (1989)
Directed by Terry Jones
Starring Tim Robbins, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eartha Kitt
Erik, a Viking who doubts the point of rape and pillage, sails to Hy-Brasil to find the Horn Resounding and end the age of Ragnarok. The longship even sails off the edge of the world and on to Asgard.
The Marea scene The crew row as the longship tips over the edge of the flat world.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
King Hygelak's funeral ship and Buliwyf's longship Fictional
The 13th Warrior (1999)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Antonio Banderas, Vladimir Kulich, Dennis Storhoi, Omar Sharif
The Arab envoy Ahmad ibn Fadlan witnesses a Norse ship funeral and is then taken north by Buliwyf's band as the thirteenth warrior. Based on Michael Crichton's Eaters of the Dead.
The Marea scene The dead king lies on his pyre aboard a ship set ablaze and pushed out onto the water.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Balian's ship to the Holy Land Fictional
Kingdom of Heaven (2005)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Orlando Bloom, Eva Green, Jeremy Irons, Liam Neeson
Balian sails from Messina for the Holy Land, but his ship runs aground in a storm and he is the lone survivor. He walks through the desert to Jerusalem.
The Marea scene Balian drags himself from the surf beside the broken wreck of his ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Beowulf's ship Fictional
Beowulf (2007)
Created by Robert Zemeckis
Starring Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich
Beowulf and his Geats cross a stormy sea to Denmark to rid King Hrothgar's mead hall of the monster Grendel. The film was made entirely in performance capture animation.
The Marea scene Beowulf stands at the prow of his longship through towering storm waves as the Danish coast appears.
On set Computer animation (Sony Pictures Imageworks); no physical ship.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Crusader Norsemen's ship Fictional
Valhalla Rising (2009)
Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Maarten Stevenson
The mute warrior One-Eye and a boy join Christian Norsemen sailing for the Holy Land. Lost for days in fog, the ship reaches an unknown land, implied to be North America.
The Marea scene The becalmed ship sits motionless in thick fog while the crew sit silent at the oars.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
French invasion landing boats Fictional
Robin Hood (2010)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong
A French invasion fleet lands troops on the English coast, and the English under King John and Robin meet them on the beach.
The Marea scene French soldiers pour from a landing boat's ramp into the surf as English archers loose from the cliffs.
On set Eight practical boats with 500 extras on Freshwater West beach, Pembrokeshire, Wales, in 2009, extended with about 200 CGI ships and 6,000 digital soldiers.
Photo: Wikipedia
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Ragnar Lothbrok's longships Fictional
Vikings (2013)
Created by Michael Hirst
Starring Travis Fimmel, Katheryn Winnick, Clive Standen, Gustaf Skarsgard
Ragnar defies his earl by sailing west in a new longship built by Floki, reaching England and raiding Lindisfarne in 793. Longships carry every later raid on England, France and beyond.
The Marea scene Ragnar stands at the prow as the longship noses onto the beach below Lindisfarne monastery.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Danish Viking longships Fictional
The Last Kingdom (2015)
Created by Stephen Butchard (developer)
Starring Alexander Dreymon, David Dawson, Emily Cox, Tobias Santelmann
Uhtred, a Saxon raised by Danes, is caught between the Viking armies and King Alfred's Wessex. Danish longships bring the great heathen army and later raids to English shores.
The Marea scene Uhtred stands at the bow of a Danish longship rowing up an English river.
On set Sea scenes used the Viking ship reconstruction Havhingsten fra Glendalough (Sea Stallion from Glendalough), based at the Viking Ship Museum, Roskilde; main filming in Hungary and Wales.
Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Bruce's escape boats Real ship
Outlaw King (2018)
Directed by David Mackenzie
Starring Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Billy Howle
After defeat, Robert the Bruce's party is attacked while crossing Loch Ryan and some escape in boats. It is a brief moment in a largely land-based film.
The Marea scene Bruce's men push off from the loch shore under attack.
Photo: Public domain
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Slave ship to Iceland Fictional
The Northman (2022)
Directed by Robert Eggers
Starring Alexander Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke
Amleth escapes his homeland by boat as a boy after his father's murder. Years later he disguises himself as a slave and boards a ship carrying thralls to Iceland, where his uncle now lives.
The Marea scene Amleth, branded and chained among the slaves, stares ahead from the open hull as the ship crosses to Iceland.
Explorers, Armadas and Ancient Ships · Vikings and the Middle Ages
Leif Erikson's longships Fictional
Vikings: Valhalla (2022)
Created by Jeb Stuart
Starring Sam Corlett, Frida Gustavsson, Leo Suter
Set a century after Vikings, the series follows Leif Erikson, Freydis and Harald Sigurdsson. Longships carry them to Kattegat, England, down the Dnieper to Constantinople and finally west to new lands.
The Marea scene Leif stands at the steering oar as his longship heads west into unknown waters.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Island schooner (unnamed) and war canoe Fictional
The Hurricane (1937)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Dorothy Lamour, Jon Hall, Mary Astor, Raymond Massey
Terangi, first mate of an island schooner, is jailed unjustly in Tahiti and escapes home by canoe. The governor commandeers the schooner to pursue him as a hurricane destroys the island.
The Marea scene Terangi paddles his canoe towards the reef as the hurricane builds.
On set Hurricane effects by James Basevi; location filming in Pago Pago, American Samoa.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Mary Deare Fictional
The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston, Michael Redgrave, Virginia McKenna
Salvager John Sands finds the steamer Mary Deare drifting in the English Channel with only her first officer, Gideon Patch, aboard. A courtroom inquiry and a dive on the wreck on the Minkies reef reveal an insurance fraud.
The Marea scene Sands climbs aboard the abandoned, smoke stained steamer in a storm to find Patch alone.
On set Studio sets and models at MGM.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Sea Witch Fictional
The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1959)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring Charlton Heston, Richard Harris
John Sands's salvage boat, which comes across the drifting Mary Deare in the Channel.
The Marea scene The small salvage boat plunges through heavy seas beside the towering derelict.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Batavia Queen Fictional
Krakatoa, East of Java (1969)
Directed by Bernard L. Kowalski
Starring Maximilian Schell, Brian Keith, Diane Baker
Captain Hanson's steamer sails to the Krakatoa area in 1883 to salvage a sunken ship carrying pearls, with a hold of convicts and a crew of divers. The eruption of the volcano and its tidal wave climax the voyage.
The Marea scene The Batavia Queen riding up the face of the great tidal wave as Krakatoa explodes.
On set A full size ship and models were built.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Albatross Real ship
White Squall (1996)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Starring Jeff Bridges, Scott Wolf, Jeremy Sisto, Ryan Phillippe
Captain Christopher Sheldon runs a sail training school at sea for teenage boys aboard the Albatross. The ship is knocked down and sunk by a sudden white squall on 2 May 1961, killing six.
The Marea scene The Albatross heels over under full sail as the squall hits and water pours through the hatches.
On set The brigantine Eye of the Wind (built 1911), still in service from Germany with FORUM train and sail.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Andrea Gail Real ship
The Perfect Storm (2000)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Diane Lane, John C. Reilly
The Gloucester swordfishing boat Andrea Gail heads out late in the season to the Flemish Cap and is caught in the 1991 perfect storm. The real boat was lost with all six crew.
The Marea scene The Andrea Gail climbs a colossal wave at night, her lights tiny against the wall of water.
On set A similar boat, Lady Grace, was used during filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
SS Mont-Blanc and SS Imo Real ship
Shattered City: The Halifax Explosion (2003)
Created by Bruce Pittman (writer Keith Ross Leckie)
Starring Vincent Walsh, Ted Dykstra, Mary-Colin Chisholm
Canadian television miniseries on the Halifax Explosion of 6 December 1917, when the munitions ship Mont-Blanc collided with Imo in the Narrows, caught fire and exploded, killing nearly 2,000 people. It was criticised for historical liberties.
The Marea scene The two ships approaching each other in the Narrows on a clear December morning, harbour tugs nearby.
On set Studio models and sets; Mont-Blanc was destroyed; the anchor shaft lies at Armdale.
Photo: Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Odessa Fictional
The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal, Emmy Rossum, Ian Holm
A Russian tanker that drifts down a flooded Fifth Avenue and freezes into place outside the New York Public Library. Sam and his friends leave the library to search it for medicine and are hunted by escaped wolves.
The Marea scene The huge tanker frozen in the ice between Manhattan's buildings, snow falling around it.
On set Visual effects and sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Fishing trawler and HH-60J Jayhawk Fictional
The Guardian (2006)
Directed by Andrew Davis
Starring Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher, Neal McDonough, Sela Ward
A veteran Coast Guard rescue swimmer trains recruits at A School after losing his crew. The rescues of sinking fishing vessels off Alaska frame the story.
The Marea scene A rescue swimmer dangles from the helicopter's hoist above a sinking trawler in a storm.
On set Wave tank scenes at the Louisiana Wave Studio, Shreveport; Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Genesis arks Fictional
2012 (2009)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt
Enormous arks built in secret in the Himalayas to carry selected people and animals through a global flood. Jackson Curtis and his family stow away, and a jammed gate threatens one ark as a wave drives it towards Everest.
The Marea scene The ark's gate jammed open by a wrench while the ark drifts towards the Himalayas and Jackson dives to free it.
On set Created with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
USS John F. Kennedy Real ship
2012 (2009)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover
A giant tsunami carries the carrier USS John F. Kennedy inland over Washington and drops it onto the White House. It is one of the film's most famous destruction images.
The Marea scene The aircraft carrier crashing down on the White House lawn on the crest of the wave.
On set Visual effects depiction of the real carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), since decommissioned.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
MV Rozen Fictional
A Hijacking (Kapringen) (2012)
Directed by Tobias Lindholm
Starring Pilou Asbæk, Søren Malling, Dar Salim
Somali pirates seize a Danish cargo ship in the Indian Ocean. The film follows the ship's cook aboard and the company chief executive negotiating in Copenhagen.
The Marea scene The cook stands on the sunlit deck with a pirate's rifle at his back.
On set A real ship, shot on location.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Breki Fictional
The Deep (Djúpið) (2012)
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Starring Ólafur Darri Ólafsson, Jóhann G. Jóhannsson
Based on Guðlaugur Friðþórsson, who survived six hours in freezing water after his boat capsized off south Iceland in March 1984 and then walked ashore. The trawler's loss opens the film.
The Marea scene The trawler rolls over as her trawl snags, throwing the crew into the icy sea.
On set Real Icelandic trawler used; real boat was Hellisey.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
MV Maersk Alabama Real ship
Captain Phillips (2013)
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Catherine Keener
Somali pirates hijack the unarmed container ship off the Horn of Africa in April 2009. Captain Richard Phillips offers himself as a hostage to protect his crew.
The Marea scene Pirates climb a ladder hooked on the high side of the container ship from their skiff.
On set The identical container ship Alexander Maersk, filmed for nine weeks off Malta.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Maersk Alabama lifeboat Real ship
Captain Phillips (2013)
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi
The pirates flee in the ship's orange lifeboat with Phillips hostage, and are shadowed by the destroyer USS Bainbridge until Navy SEALs end the standoff.
The Marea scene The orange lifeboat bobs on the swell with a US destroyer looming nearby.
On set A replica of the real lifeboat, which is displayed at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum, Fort Pierce, Florida; USS Truxtun played Bainbridge.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
CPMS Leegood Fictional
San Andreas (2015)
Directed by Brad Peyton
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Paul Giamatti
When a tsunami strikes San Francisco after the great earthquake, a container ship is carried into the Golden Gate Bridge. Ray and Emma, in a small motor boat, only just clear the wave as the ship is thrown against the bridge.
The Marea scene The container ship crushed against the Golden Gate Bridge while the small boat climbs the wave.
On set Visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Deepwater Horizon Real ship
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich, Gina Rodriguez
The story of the blowout and explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico on 20 April 2010, which killed eleven workers and caused a massive oil spill.
The Marea scene Workers leap from the burning rig into the fiery sea below.
On set A 70 foot tall, 85 per cent scale rig set built at the former Six Flags New Orleans, over a two million gallon tank.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
Damon B. Bankston Real ship
Deepwater Horizon (2016)
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Mark Wahlberg, Gina Rodriguez
The supply vessel alongside the rig at the time of the blowout. She takes aboard the survivors from the lifeboats and the water.
The Marea scene Survivors climb from a lifeboat onto the Bankston's deck, the rig burning behind.
On set Depicted in the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
RMS Augusta Fictional
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
Directed by Tim Burton
Starring Eva Green, Asa Butterfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Ella Purnell
A sunken liner that Emma, who can control air, raises from the seabed by blowing the water out of its hull. The peculiar children then sail the rusting ship to Blackpool to rescue Miss Peregrine.
The Marea scene The rusty liner rising from the sea off the Welsh island with the children on its deck.
On set Visual effects and sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
CG 36500 Real ship
The Finest Hours (2016)
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Eric Bana
In February 1952 Bernie Webber and three crewmen take a small motor lifeboat over the Chatham bar in a nor'easter to rescue the crew of the broken tanker Pendleton. They save 32 of 33 men aboard a boat built for 12.
The Marea scene The lifeboat crests a huge breaking wave over the Chatham bar, its searchlight cutting the snow.
On set The real CG 36500 was not used in the film; she survives as a museum boat at Rock Harbor, Orleans, Massachusetts.
Photo: Jerry Johnson, CC BY-SA 3.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
SS Pendleton Real ship
The Finest Hours (2016)
Directed by Craig Gillespie
Starring Casey Affleck, Chris Pine
The tanker splits in two in the nor'easter of 18 February 1952 off Cape Cod. Engineer Ray Sybert keeps the stern section afloat until the Coast Guard arrives; the sister tanker Fort Mercer suffers the same fate nearby.
The Marea scene Crewmen descend a Jacob's ladder from the broken stern of the Pendleton into the pitching lifeboat.
On set Visual effects and sets; interiors partly filmed aboard USS Salem at Quincy.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Disasters
MS Estonia Real ship
Estonia (2023)
Created by Miikko Oikkonen; Måns Månsson and Juuso Syrjä (directors)
Starring Jussi Nikkilä, Claes Hartelius, Seidi Haarla, Kaspar Velberg
A Finnish Swedish Estonian drama about the sinking of the ferry Estonia on 28 September 1994, in which 852 people died, and the investigation that followed. At about 15 million euros it was the most expensive Finnish drama series made.
The Marea scene Passengers struggle up the steeply tilted stairwell as the ferry heels over in the storm.
On set Sea scenes filmed at water studios in Belgium; sets in Finland, Sweden and Estonia.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Hijackings
MS Achille Lauro Real ship
Voyage of Terror: The Achille Lauro Affair (1990)
Directed by Alberto Negrin
Starring Burt Lancaster, Eva Marie Saint, Robert Culp, Rebecca Schaeffer
Television film about the October 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship by members of the Palestine Liberation Front, and the murder of the passenger Leon Klinghoffer. Burt Lancaster plays Klinghoffer and Eva Marie Saint his wife Marilyn.
The Marea scene The white cruise liner at sea off the Egyptian coast on a clear October day, passengers on the sun deck.
On set A cruise ship used for filming; the real Achille Lauro caught fire and sank off Somalia in 1994.
Photo: D. R. Walker, CC BY-SA 3.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Hijackings
MS Achille Lauro Real ship
The Death of Klinghoffer (2003)
Directed by Penny Woolcock
Starring Sanford Sylvan, Yvonne Howard
Film version for Channel 4 of the John Adams opera about the 1985 hijacking and the killing of passenger Leon Klinghoffer, filmed partly aboard a ship at sea.
The Marea scene The cruise ship at anchor off Port Said, passengers gathered on the open deck.
On set A ship at sea used for filming.
Photo: D. R. Walker, CC BY-SA 3.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Ark Fictional
Noah's Ark (1928)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Dolores Costello, George O'Brien, Noah Beery
A part talking epic that parallels a train wreck and the First World War with the Biblical flood. In the flood sequence the ark rides out the deluge as the waters engulf the city.
The Marea scene The ark floating above the drowning city as the flood waters pour through the temple.
On set Studio built ark; the flood scenes were notoriously dangerous to film.
Photo: Edward Hicks, Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
SS Crescent Star lifeboat Fictional
Abandon Ship! (Seven Waves Away) (1957)
Directed by Richard Sale
Starring Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan, Stephen Boyd
After the liner Crescent Star hits a mine, her executive officer takes charge of an overcrowded lifeboat and decides who must go overboard so that others can live. It is based on the 1841 sinking of the William Brown.
The Marea scene Alec Holmes stands at the tiller of the overloaded lifeboat as a storm approaches.
On set Studio tank; real basis was the ship William Brown.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Lord Loam's yacht Fictional
The Admirable Crichton (1957)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Diane Cilento, Cecil Parker, Sally Ann Howes
Lord Loam's family and servants are shipwrecked on a desert island when the yacht is lost. The resourceful butler Crichton becomes the leader of the castaways until rescue arrives.
The Marea scene The family and servants scrambling ashore from the wreck with Crichton directing them.
On set Unnamed yacht.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Santiago's skiff Fictional
The Old Man and the Sea (1958)
Directed by John Sturges
Starring Spencer Tracy, Felipe Pazos Jr., Harry Bellaver
An old Cuban fisherman goes far out in his skiff and hooks a giant marlin, fighting it for days. Sharks strip the carcass lashed alongside on the way home.
The Marea scene Santiago braces in his skiff, the line over his shoulder, as the marlin leaps.
On set Early bluescreen compositing; marlin footage of Alfred Glassell's record catch off Cabo Blanco, Peru.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Private yacht and dinghy Fictional
Swept Away (Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto) (1974)
Directed by Lina Wertmüller
Starring Giancarlo Giannini, Mariangela Melato
A wealthy woman and a communist deckhand are stranded on a Mediterranean island after a dinghy trip from a chartered yacht. Their roles reverse on the island.
The Marea scene The pair drift in the broken down dinghy under a scorching sun.
On set The J-class yacht Shamrock V, then named Quadrifoglio, filmed off eastern Sardinia; Shamrock V is still sailing.
Photo: CC BY 3.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Stayton yacht Fictional
Overboard (1987)
Directed by Garry Marshall
Starring Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Edward Herrmann, Roddy McDowall
A spoilt heiress falls from her yacht and loses her memory. The carpenter she cheated claims her as his wife. The yacht frames the beginning and end of the story.
The Marea scene Joanna in her evening gown topples from the yacht's deck into the night sea.
On set Filmed at Raleigh Studios, Fort Bragg and Mendocino, California, and Newport, Oregon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Saracen Fictional
Dead Calm (1989)
Directed by Phillip Noyce
Starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, Billy Zane
A grieving couple on their yacht in the Pacific take aboard a stranger rowing from a sinking schooner. Rae must fight him alone on the Saracen as her husband is trapped on the other boat.
The Marea scene Rae stands at the wheel of the Saracen as Hughie emerges from below.
On set Real yacht filmed in Queensland's Whitsunday Islands.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Orpheus Fictional
Dead Calm (1989)
Directed by Phillip Noyce
Starring Sam Neill, Billy Zane
The sinking schooner Hughie claims to have fled. John rows over to find the crew murdered and becomes trapped aboard as she fills with water.
The Marea scene John pumps desperately in the flooded, half sunk schooner.
On set Real schooner filmed in the Whitsundays.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Santiago's skiff Fictional
The Old Man and the Sea (1990)
Directed by Jud Taylor
Starring Anthony Quinn, Gary Cole, Patricia Clarkson
An NBC television adaptation of Hemingway's novella with Anthony Quinn as Santiago, adding a frame story of an American writer.
The Marea scene Santiago rows out alone at dawn in his small skiff.
On set Filmed in Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Wanderer Fictional
Captain Ron (1992)
Directed by Thom Eberhardt
Starring Kurt Russell, Martin Short, Mary Kay Place
A Chicago family inherits a Caribbean yacht once owned by Clark Gable and hires the eccentric Captain Ron to sail it to Miami. The run down boat and Ron's mishaps drive the comedy.
The Marea scene Captain Ron lounges at the wheel of the Wanderer with an eye patch as the family clings on.
On set Filmed mostly in and around Puerto Rico.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Chuck Noland's raft Fictional
Cast Away (2000)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Starring Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy
A FedEx systems engineer survives a plane crash and spends four years on an uninhabited island. He builds a raft, using a washed up portable toilet panel as a sail, to get past the surf.
The Marea scene Chuck on his raft reaches for Wilson the volleyball drifting away in the open ocean.
On set Prop raft; island scenes filmed on Monuriki, Fiji.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Endurance Real ship
Shackleton (2002)
Created by Charles Sturridge
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Kevin McNally, Embeth Davidtz, Robert Hardy
A Channel 4 drama of Shackleton's Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. Endurance is trapped and crushed in the Weddell Sea pack ice, and the men survive on the ice before reaching Elephant Island.
The Marea scene Endurance lies heeled over in the pack ice as the crew watch her timbers crack.
Photo: Frank Hurley, Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
James Caird Real ship
Shackleton (2002)
Created by Charles Sturridge
Starring Kenneth Branagh
The ship's boat in which Shackleton and five men sail 800 nautical miles from Elephant Island to South Georgia to fetch rescue. In the series Robert Hardy also plays Sir James Caird, the sponsor it was named after.
The Marea scene Six men in the tiny James Caird crest a huge Southern Ocean wave.
On set The original James Caird is preserved at Dulwich College, London.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Yacht and dinghy Fictional
Swept Away (2002)
Directed by Guy Ritchie
Starring Madonna, Adriano Giannini, Bruce Greenwood
A remake of Wertmüller's film in which a spoilt American and a deckhand are stranded on an island after a dinghy trip from a private cruise between Greece and Italy.
The Marea scene Amber and Giuseppe drift in the stranded dinghy.
On set Filmed in Sardinia and Malta.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Dive boat (unnamed) Fictional
Open Water (2003)
Directed by Chris Kentis
Starring Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis
A miscount by the crew leaves an American couple behind when their dive boat returns to shore. They drift for hours among sharks. Loosely based on the disappearance of Tom and Eileen Lonergan in 1998.
The Marea scene Two divers bob in the empty sea as the dive boat vanishes over the horizon.
On set Filmed in the Bahamas, US Virgin Islands, Grenadines and Mexico.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Lifeboat Fictional
Life of Pi (2012)
Directed by Ang Lee
Starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall
After the freighter sinks, the teenage Pi is left in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker. For 227 days he survives by building a raft tethered to the boat.
The Marea scene Pi sits on his small raft at the end of a rope, watching the tiger in the lifeboat on a glassy sea.
On set Filmed in a purpose built wave tank at a disused airport in Taichung, Taiwan.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Virginia Jean Fictional
All Is Lost (2013)
Directed by J. C. Chandor
Starring Robert Redford
A lone sailor in the Indian Ocean wakes to find his yacht holed by a drifting shipping container. Storms and failing equipment force him into a liferaft as he tries to reach the shipping lanes.
The Marea scene The yacht's hull is pierced by the corner of a floating shipping container.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Hazaña Real ship
Adrift (2018)
Directed by Baltasar Kormákur
Starring Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin
Tami Oldham and her fiancé Richard Sharp agree to sail a yacht from Tahiti to San Diego and are caught by Hurricane Raymond in 1983. Tami sails the dismasted boat alone for weeks to Hawaii. Based on her memoir Red Sky in Mourning.
The Marea scene Tami rigs a jury mast on the dismasted yacht with Richard injured in the cockpit.
On set Filmed in Fiji over five weeks in 2017.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Lost at sea and survival
Unnamed Beneteau sailing yacht Fictional
The Boat (2018)
Directed by Winston Azzopardi
Starring Joe Azzopardi
A Maltese thriller in which a lone fisherman boards an apparently abandoned yacht in fog and becomes trapped aboard as it seems to act against him.
The Marea scene The sailor stands on the deserted yacht's deck in dense fog, his own boat gone.
On set Two identical Beneteau First 45F5 yachts used in Malta.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Lusitania Real ship
The Sinking of the Lusitania (1918)
Created by Winsor McCay
A 12 minute silent animated film, made as war propaganda, recreating the torpedoing of the Lusitania by U-20 in May 1915. It is the earliest surviving animated documentary and was added to the US National Film Registry in 2017.
The Marea scene The torpedo's track streaks towards the liner's hull as the four funnelled ship steams off the Irish coast.
On set Hand drawn animation, about 25,000 drawings on cels.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Atlantic Fictional
Atlantic (1929)
Directed by Ewald André Dupont
Starring Franklin Dyall, Madeleine Carroll, John Stuart, Ellaline Terriss
An early British talkie that fictionalises the Titanic disaster aboard a liner called the Atlantic. Adapted from Ernest Raymond's play The Berg, it follows passengers as the ship strikes an iceberg and slowly sinks. It was shot in English, German and French language versions.
The Marea scene Passengers gather in the saloon to sing 'Nearer, My God, to Thee' as the listing Atlantic settles by the head.
On set Studio sets and miniatures; fictional ship.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic (1943)
Directed by Herbert Selpin (completed uncredited by Werner Klingler)
Starring Sybille Schmitz, Hans Nielsen
A Nazi propaganda version of the sinking in which the fictional German First Officer Petersen warns in vain against the greed of British owners. Director Selpin was arrested during production and the film was completed by Werner Klingler.
The Marea scene First Officer Petersen argues on the bridge for the Titanic to slow down as she races through the ice field.
On set Exterior scenes shot aboard the liner SS Cap Arcona at Gotenhafen (Gdynia) in 1942; Cap Arcona was sunk by the RAF on 3 May 1945 while carrying some 5,500 concentration camp prisoners.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Golden Fleece Fictional
The Captain's Paradise (1953)
Directed by Anthony Kimmins
Starring Alec Guinness, Celia Johnson, Yvonne De Carlo
Captain Henry St James commands a ferry on the two day run between Gibraltar and Spanish Morocco. He keeps a respectable English wife at one end of the route and a fiery lover at the other, until the arrangement collapses.
The Marea scene The captain on the bridge of the Golden Fleece, swapping his photographs of wife and lover as the ship changes port.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic (1953)
Directed by Jean Negulesco
Starring Clifton Webb, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Wagner, Audrey Dalton
A 20th Century Fox melodrama in which an estranged couple's family drama plays out on the maiden voyage. The liner's collision with the iceberg and sinking provide the climax, and the film won the Oscar for its screenplay.
The Marea scene Richard Sturges and his son stand together on the tilting deck singing a hymn as the lifeboats pull away.
On set A 28 foot studio model, now at the Marine Museum at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Lotus Fictional
Doctor at Sea (1955)
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Starring Dirk Bogarde, Brigitte Bardot, James Robertson Justice, Brenda De Banzie
Dr Simon Sparrow signs on as ship's doctor aboard the cargo ship Lotus to escape an unwanted engagement. He clashes with the bullying Captain Hogg and falls for the French singer Hélène on the voyage to South America.
The Marea scene Captain Hogg glaring down from the bridge wing of the Lotus at the young doctor.
On set Filmed aboard the real ship Agamemnon in January 1955, then at Pinewood Studios.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Constitution Real ship
An Affair to Remember (1957)
Directed by Leo McCarey
Starring Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Richard Denning
A playboy and a nightclub singer fall in love aboard a transatlantic liner bound for New York and agree to meet on top of the Empire State Building six months later. The shipboard romance is the heart of the film.
The Marea scene Nickie and Terry meet at the ship's rail on the promenade deck.
On set SS Constitution named in the film; mostly Fox studio sets.
Photo: Trenor, CC BY 4.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
A Night to Remember (1958)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring Kenneth More, Michael Goodliffe, Laurence Naismith, David McCallum
Based on Walter Lord's book, this is widely regarded as the most historically faithful Titanic film. It follows Second Officer Charles Lightoller and many real passengers and crew through the night of 14 to 15 April 1912.
The Marea scene Lightoller supervises the loading of a lifeboat on the boat deck as rockets burst overhead.
On set Starboard side of the liner RMS Asturias, then being scrapped at Faslane, painted in White Star colours; about thirty sets at Pinewood Studios built from the builders' plans.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Carpathia Real ship
A Night to Remember (1958)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring Anthony Bushell (Captain Rostron), Kenneth More
The Cunard liner that answers Titanic's distress calls. Captain Arthur Rostron turns his ship around and races through the ice to pick up the survivors from the lifeboats at dawn.
The Marea scene Carpathia's crew haul survivors up the ship's side from a lifeboat in the grey dawn among the ice.
On set Studio sets and models; the real Carpathia was torpedoed in 1918.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Californian Real ship
A Night to Remember (1958)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring Russell Napier (Captain Lord)
The nearby steamer that stops for the night because of ice. Her wireless operator has gone to bed and her officers see rockets but do not act, a failure the film presents unflinchingly.
The Marea scene Officers on Californian's bridge watch distant white rockets and puzzle over what they mean.
On set Studio sets; the real Californian was sunk in 1915.
Photo: Louis Ogden, Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Fat Annie Fictional
Ferry to Hong Kong (1959)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Curt Jürgens, Orson Welles, Sylvia Syms
A drunken drifter is refused entry by both Hong Kong and Macau and has to live aboard the old ferry that runs between them. He ends up defending the ship against pirates in a typhoon.
The Marea scene Orson Welles's pompous captain on the bridge of the battered ferry as pirates close in.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Claridon Fictional
The Last Voyage (1960)
Directed by Andrew L. Stone
Starring Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, George Sanders, Edmond O'Brien
A boiler explosion dooms the liner Claridon, and a husband fights to free his wife trapped under wreckage in their cabin as the ship floods. It is famous because a real liner was partially sunk to make it.
The Marea scene The forward funnel crashes onto the deckhouse as passengers flee along the listing promenade.
On set The French liner SS Ile de France, already sold for scrap, was flooded, blown up and partially sunk for the film before being raised and towed to Japanese breakers.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Happy Wanderer Fictional
Carry On Cruising (1962)
Directed by Gerald Thomas
Starring Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Liz Fraser
Captain Crowther's cruise liner sets off on a Mediterranean cruise with a largely new and incompetent crew. The comedy follows the mishaps of the crew and passengers on the voyage.
The Marea scene Captain Crowther on the bridge surveying his hopeless new officers.
On set Sets at Pinewood Studios.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic and Lifeboat 6 Real ship
The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964)
Directed by Charles Walters
Starring Debbie Reynolds, Harve Presnell
The musical biography of Margaret Brown ends with her surviving the sinking of the Titanic. She takes charge in her lifeboat, keeping the survivors rowing through the night.
The Marea scene Molly Brown standing in the lifeboat with an oar, rallying the freezing survivors.
On set Studio tank sets; the real Titanic sank in 1912.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
German passenger liner (unnamed in film) Fictional
Ship of Fools (1965)
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Starring Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Lee Marvin
A German liner sails from Veracruz to Bremerhaven in 1933, carrying a cross section of society as Nazism rises. The ship is an allegory of the world heading towards catastrophe.
The Marea scene The ship's doctor and the Countess talk quietly at the rail of the dimly lit deck.
On set Studio sets at Columbia; fictional ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Poseidon Fictional
The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
Directed by Ronald Neame
Starring Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons
On her last voyage before scrapping, the ageing liner Poseidon is capsized by a tsunami on New Year's Eve. The Reverend Scott leads a small group upwards through the upside down hull towards the propeller shaft. Paul Gallico's novel was inspired by a 1937 crossing on the Queen Mary.
The Marea scene Survivors climb a Christmas tree towards the upturned floor of the dining saloon as water rushes in below.
On set Parts filmed aboard RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach, California; dining room set at Fox built to Queen Mary's specifications and turned upside down; miniature for the capsize.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Britannic Fictional
Juggernaut (1974)
Directed by Richard Lester
Starring Richard Harris, Omar Sharif, Anthony Hopkins, David Hemmings
An extortionist calling himself Juggernaut plants drums of explosive aboard the liner Britannic in the North Atlantic. A bomb disposal team led by Fallon is parachuted aboard to defuse them in heavy seas.
The Marea scene Bomb disposal experts drop by parachute into the grey Atlantic beside the liner's hull.
On set The German cruise ship TS Hamburg, just sold to the Soviet Black Sea Shipping Company and later renamed Maxim Gorkiy.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
MS St. Louis Real ship
Voyage of the Damned (1976)
Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Starring Faye Dunaway, Max von Sydow, Oskar Werner, Malcolm McDowell
The true story of 937 Jewish refugees who sailed from Hamburg to Havana in 1939, only to be refused entry by Cuba and the United States. Max von Sydow plays Captain Gustav Schröder, who tried to protect his passengers.
The Marea scene Passengers crowd the rails of the St. Louis at anchor off Havana, watching boats of relatives circle below.
On set The Italian liner Irpinia, fitted with two false funnels to resemble St. Louis.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Pacific Princess Real ship
The Love Boat (1977)
Created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes
Starring Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, Fred Grandy, Ted Lange
Captain Stubing and his crew welcome new guests each week on a real Princess Cruises liner, with light romantic stories. The show ran on ABC from 1977 to 1986 and made cruising popular.
The Marea scene Captain Stubing greets arriving passengers at the gangway under the Princess seawitch logo.
On set The real Pacific Princess (renamed MS Pacific, scrapped at Aliağa, Turkey, 2013) and sister Island Princess (later MV Discovery, scrapped at Alang, India, 2015).
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Karnak Fictional
Death on the Nile (1978)
Directed by John Guillermin
Starring Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis, Mia Farrow, David Niven
Hercule Poirot investigates the murder of heiress Linnet Doyle aboard a Nile cruise steamer. The closed world of the boat keeps all the suspects together.
The Marea scene Poirot confronts the suspects gathered in the steamer's saloon as it glides past the temples.
On set Four weeks filmed aboard the historic steamer SS Memnon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Poseidon Fictional
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Directed by Irwin Allen
Starring Michael Caine, Sally Field, Telly Savalas, Karl Malden
A sequel in which a salvage crew and a rival party board the upturned Poseidon in search of loot and survivors. The capsized hull becomes a flooding maze before its final explosion.
The Marea scene Salvagers cut through the upturned hull plating of the Poseidon as she wallows in the swell.
On set Interior sets at The Burbank Studios modelled on RMS Queen Mary; location work off California and Catalina Island.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Jenny Fictional
Beyond the Poseidon Adventure (1979)
Directed by Irwin Allen
Starring Michael Caine, Sally Field, Karl Malden
Mike Turner's small tug, whose crew spot the capsized Poseidon and decide to salvage her. It is the escape vessel for the survivors at the end.
The Marea scene The little tug Jenny noses alongside the vast upturned hull of the Poseidon.
On set Real tug used on location off California.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
S.O.S. Titanic (1979)
Directed by William Hale (Billy Hale)
Starring David Janssen, Cloris Leachman, Ian Holm, Helen Mirren, David Warner
A British American television film telling the story through first, second and third class passengers, with Lawrence Beesley as a central figure. It aired on ABC and was released theatrically in Europe.
The Marea scene Lawrence Beesley helps a young teacher into a lifeboat on the dark boat deck.
On set Exterior deck and wheelhouse scenes filmed aboard RMS Queen Mary at Long Beach, California (now a hotel ship there).
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
Raise the Titanic (1980)
Directed by Jerry Jameson
Starring Jason Robards, Richard Jordan, Anne Archer, Alec Guinness
Dirk Pitt leads an effort to raise the wreck of the Titanic from the North Atlantic floor to recover a rare mineral, byzanium, said to be in her hold. The film was a notorious box office failure but its ascent scene is memorable.
The Marea scene The rusted Titanic bursts to the surface in a storm of spray with salvage vessels standing by.
On set A 50 foot, ten tonne model costing about 7 million dollars, filmed in a purpose built tank in Malta, where the corroded model still lies at the Mediterranean Film Studios.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic (1996)
Created by Robert Lieberman
Starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Peter Gallagher, George C. Scott, Tim Curry
A two part CBS miniseries mixing fictional passengers with Captain Smith and other real figures. It was the first screen version to show the ship breaking in two before sinking.
The Marea scene The stern rises and the hull splits between the funnels as passengers cling to the rails.
On set Studio sets and effects; fictional passengers.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Seabourn Legend Real ship
Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997)
Directed by Jan de Bont
Starring Sandra Bullock, Jason Patric, Willem Dafoe
A disgruntled software designer hijacks the cruise ship's computer and sends her on a collision course. The ship finally ploughs into the harbour town of Marigot on Saint Martin.
The Marea scene The cruise ship's bow smashes through the waterfront buildings of Marigot.
On set The real MV Seabourn Legend chartered for six weeks; a 150 foot, 300 tonne bow mock up on an underwater track for the crash.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic (1997)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
A love story between third class artist Jack Dawson and first class passenger Rose DeWitt Bukater unfolds against the maiden voyage and sinking. The film won eleven Academy Awards and became the highest grossing film of its time.
The Marea scene Jack and Rose stand at the very tip of the bow, arms outstretched, as the liner steams into the sunset.
On set Near full scale starboard side replica built at Fox Baja Studios, Rosarito, Mexico, in a 17 million gallon tank, plus a 1:8 scale stern model; the set was later dismantled.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Argonautica Fictional
Deep Rising (1998)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, Anthony Heald, Kevin J. O'Connor
Mercenaries board a luxury cruise ship on her maiden voyage in the South China Sea, only to find it overrun by a giant sea creature. Captain Finnegan's boat brings the raiders aboard.
The Marea scene Finnegan's speedboat races away as the Argonautica sinks behind it.
On set A 38 foot model for ocean shots and a 110 foot model for the sinking, effects by ILM.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS Virginian Fictional
The Legend of 1900 (1998)
Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore
Starring Tim Roth, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Mélanie Thierry
A foundling is raised aboard the liner Virginian, becomes a piano prodigy and never sets foot on land. The ship is his entire world, from the stokehold to the first class ballroom.
The Marea scene 1900 plays the grand piano as it slides freely across the ballroom in a storm.
On set Interiors built at Cinecittà; ship patterned after RMS Lusitania and RMS Mauretania; fictional.
Photo: Sedgwick, Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
HMHS Britannic Real ship
Britannic (2000)
Directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith
Starring Edward Atterton, Amanda Ryan, Jacqueline Bisset, John Rhys-Davies
A fictionalised thriller aboard Titanic's sister ship serving as a hospital ship in 1916, in which a German spy is aboard. The real Britannic struck a mine in the Aegean and sank on 21 November 1916.
The Marea scene Nurses and wounded soldiers crowd the lifeboats as the white hospital ship with its red crosses lists heavily.
On set Studio sets at Bray Film Studios and Kempton Park Pumping Station; the real wreck lies off Kea, Greece.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
MS Antonia Graza Fictional
Ghost Ship (2002)
Directed by Steve Beck
Starring Julianna Margulies, Gabriel Byrne, Karl Urban, Desmond Harrington
A salvage crew finds the Italian liner Antonia Graza, missing since 1962, drifting in the Bering Sea. The ship is haunted by the passengers massacred aboard her.
The Marea scene A wire snaps across the ballroom dance floor in the famous opening scene.
On set Design modelled on SS Andrea Doria; 1:20 scale 35 foot model by Photon VFX; full scale bow built at Newstead, Queensland.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Arctic Warrior Fictional
Ghost Ship (2002)
Directed by Steve Beck
Starring Gabriel Byrne, Julianna Margulies
The salvage crew's tug that tows them out to the derelict liner and is later blown up, stranding them aboard.
The Marea scene The small tug lies alongside the rusting black hull of the Antonia Graza.
On set Real tug used during filming off Queensland.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Karnak (played by PS Sudan) Fictional
Agatha Christie's Poirot: Death on the Nile (2004)
Created by Andy Wilson
Starring David Suchet, Emily Blunt, JJ Feild
The ITV Poirot adaptation of Christie's novel, with David Suchet investigating the murder of Linnet Doyle aboard a Nile cruise steamer.
The Marea scene Poirot sits on the steamer's shaded deck as the boat passes Abu Simbel.
On set Scenes filmed aboard PS Sudan, a historic paddle steamer still cruising the Nile.
Photo: Karelj, Public domain
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Poseidon Fictional
Poseidon (2006)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum
A loose remake of the 1972 film in which a rogue wave overturns a modern transatlantic cruise ship on New Year's Eve. A small group climbs through the inverted hull to escape.
The Marea scene A towering rogue wave rears over the brightly lit Poseidon as the New Year countdown begins in the ballroom.
On set Computer generated exteriors by ILM; upright and inverted sets at Warner Bros. Burbank; ballroom inspired by RMS Queen Mary 2.
Photo: Oceanhistory46, CC BY-SA 4.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Lusitania Real ship
Sinking of the Lusitania: Terror at Sea (2007)
Directed by Christopher Spencer (writer Sarah Williams)
Starring Kenneth Cranham, Florian Panzner, John Hannah
A docudrama for BBC One and the Discovery Channel that follows Captain William Turner of the Lusitania and Kapitänleutnant Walther Schwieger of U-20 in parallel. It builds to the torpedo strike and the rapid sinking off Old Head of Kinsale.
The Marea scene Captain Turner stands on the listing bridge as passengers crowd the tilted boat deck.
On set Full scale ship sections filmed off South Africa; U-boat scenes at Bavaria Studios, Munich, using refurbished Das Boot props.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Aeolus Fictional
Triangle (2009)
Directed by Christopher Smith
Starring Melissa George, Michael Dorman, Liam Hemsworth
After their yacht capsizes, a group of friends board the seemingly deserted liner Aeolus. A time loop traps Jess aboard, repeating the same events.
The Marea scene Jess, soaked, climbs the side ladder of the Aeolus from the upturned yacht.
On set Studio sets and effects in Queensland, Australia.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Triangle Fictional
Triangle (2009)
Directed by Christopher Smith
Starring Melissa George, Michael Dorman
Greg's yacht, named Triangle, takes the friends out for a day's sailing before a sudden storm capsizes her near the Aeolus.
The Marea scene The friends cling to the overturned hull of the yacht in a flat calm.
On set Real yacht filmed off the Gold Coast, Queensland.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic (2012)
Created by Julian Fellowes (writer); Jon Jones (director)
Starring Linus Roache, Geraldine Somerville, Toby Jones, Jenna-Louise Coleman
A four part ITV drama made for the centenary, following passengers and crew of every class. Each episode retells the voyage from a different point of view, converging on the sinking.
The Marea scene The Earl of Manton's family and their servants meet on the crowded boat deck as the last lifeboats are lowered.
On set Two tier deck sets and a 900 square metre water tank at Stern Studios, Budapest.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Titanic (under construction) Real ship
Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012)
Created by Ciaran Donnelly
Starring Kevin Zegers, Liam Cunningham, Derek Jacobi, Neve Campbell
The 12 part drama tells the story of the building of the Titanic at Harland and Wolff in Belfast, through the lives of the shipyard workers and financiers, rather than the sinking.
The Marea scene Riveters on the Arrol Gantry high above the half plated hull of the Titanic in Belfast.
On set Recreated with sets and visual effects; filmed partly in Serbia.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
S.S. Karnak Fictional
Death on the Nile (2022)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Starring Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Emma Mackey
Branagh's Poirot investigates the shooting of heiress Linnet Ridgeway-Doyle on her honeymoon cruise aboard the Karnak.
The Marea scene Poirot stands on the upper deck as the Karnak passes the colossi of Abu Simbel.
On set A recreated boat and Abu Simbel built at Longcross Studios, Surrey.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Ocean liners and cruise ships
Ocean liner cruise to Lisbon and Alexandria Fictional
Poor Things (2023)
Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Willem Dafoe, Ramy Youssef
Bella Baxter and Duncan Wedderburn continue their journey on a luxury liner, where Bella discovers philosophy through two passengers while Duncan gambles. At Alexandria she sees poverty for the first time, and they are put ashore at Marseille penniless.
The Marea scene Bella on the stylised sunlit deck of the liner, reading, under a painted sky.
On set Unnamed; studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Racing and solo sailing
Geronimo (and America's Cup 12 metre yachts) Fictional
Wind (1992)
Directed by Carroll Ballard
Starring Matthew Modine, Jennifer Grey, Cliff Robertson, Stellan Skarsgård
A young sailor loses the America's Cup for the United States and builds a new yacht, Geronimo, to win it back off Fremantle, loosely based on the 1987 Cup.
The Marea scene Geronimo heels hard in the Fremantle Doctor, crew hiked out on the rail.
On set America II syndicate boats US 42 and US 46 repainted as Geronimo and rivals; American Eagle (US 21) also used.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Racing and solo sailing
Teignmouth Electron Real ship
Deep Water (2006)
Directed by Jerry Rothwell and Louise Osmond
Presented by Tilda Swinton (narrator), Robin Knox-Johnston, Clare Crowhurst
A documentary reconstructing Crowhurst's voyage from his own tapes and cine film. It also follows rivals Bernard Moitessier and Robin Knox-Johnston.
The Marea scene The abandoned trimaran found drifting with the cabin empty and the logbooks on the chart table.
On set Real archive footage; original wreck on Cayman Brac.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Racing and solo sailing
Morning Light Real ship
Morning Light (2008)
Directed by Mark Monroe
A crew of young sailors is selected and trained to race a TP52 in the 44th Transpacific Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Hawaii.
The Marea scene Morning Light surfing downwind under spinnaker at night.
On set The real TP52 Morning Light.
Photo: Lopo Pizarro, CC BY-SA 3.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Racing and solo sailing
Teignmouth Electron Real ship
Crowhurst (2017)
Directed by Simon Rumley
Starring Justin Salinger, Amy Loughton
A low budget British drama about Crowhurst's Golden Globe voyage and mental unravelling, released in the same period as The Mercy.
The Marea scene Crowhurst adrift in the doldrums on the silent trimaran.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Racing and solo sailing
Teignmouth Electron Real ship
The Mercy (2017)
Directed by James Marsh
Starring Colin Firth, Rachel Weisz, David Thewlis, Ken Stott
Amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst enters the 1968 Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in an untested trimaran, falsifies his position reports and disappears at sea. His boat was found drifting in July 1969.
The Marea scene Crowhurst alone in the trimaran's cramped cabin, writing his false log by lamplight.
On set Full scale replica built by Heritage Marine, now stored in Malta; the original wreck lies on Cayman Brac.
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Racing and solo sailing
Maiden Real ship
Maiden (2018)
Directed by Alex Holmes
Presented by Tracy Edwards and crew
Tracy Edwards and the first all woman crew race a refitted second hand yacht in the 1989 to 1990 Whitbread Round the World Race and win two legs.
The Marea scene Maiden, spray flying, finishes a leg with her crew waving from the deck.
On set The real yacht Maiden (built 1979), restored and sailing with The Maiden Factor, which raced the 2023 to 2024 Ocean Globe Race.
Photo: Addshore, CC BY-SA 4.0
Liners, Disasters and Survival · Refugee ships and boats
Exodus (fictional smaller ship) Fictional
Exodus (1960)
Directed by Otto Preminger
Starring Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Ralph Richardson, Sal Mineo
Haganah officer Ari Ben Canaan smuggles 611 Jewish refugees from British internment camps on Cyprus aboard a cargo ship renamed Exodus. When the British blockade the harbour, the refugees begin a hunger strike aboard. The voyage was inspired by the real Exodus 1947.
The Marea scene Refugees crowding the deck of the Exodus in Famagusta harbour under a hand painted banner.
On set A ship filmed on location in Cyprus and at Haifa.
Photo: Fritz Cohen, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Adventure
USS Montana Fictional
The Abyss (1989)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
A US Navy ballistic missile submarine which sinks near the edge of the Cayman Trough after an encounter with an unknown underwater craft. The crew of the nearby Deep Core drilling rig are sent to search the wreck for survivors.
The Marea scene Bud Brigman's divers in the flooded control room of the Montana surrounded by drowned crew.
On set Fictional boat; filmed with models and in the giant tanks at Gaffney, South Carolina.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Adventure
Deep Core rig, Benthic Explorer and the mini subs Flatbed and Cab One Fictional
The Abyss (1989)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn
Deep Core is an experimental underwater drilling platform tethered to the surface ship Benthic Explorer. When a hurricane breaks the link, Bud Brigman's crew and a team of Navy SEALs are trapped on the seabed with the mini subs Flatbed and Cab One.
The Marea scene The two mini subs, Flatbed and Cab One, chasing each other through the dark past the wreck of the Montana.
On set Mini subs were working craft built by Can-Dive Services; Deep Core was a set in a tank at Gaffney, South Carolina.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Adventure
Nile riverboat Fictional
The Mummy (1999)
Directed by Stephen Sommers
Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo
Rick, Evelyn and Jonathan travel up the Nile towards Hamunaptra on a passenger riverboat. Medjai warriors attack it at night, set it on fire, and the travellers jump into the river with the horses.
The Marea scene Rick firing two revolvers on the burning deck as the horses leap into the Nile.
On set Unnamed; set and location work in Morocco.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Adventure
Endurance Fictional
Tomb Raider (2018)
Directed by Roar Uthaug
Starring Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu
Lu Ren's boat, which Lara Croft hires in Hong Kong to search for her missing father's route to the island of Yamatai. The Endurance capsizes in a violent storm off the island and Lara washes ashore.
The Marea scene Lara clinging to the rigging of the Endurance as a huge wave rolls the boat over in the storm.
On set Fictional name.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Adventure
Wreck of the Sevastopol and USS Ohio Real ship
Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning (2025)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg
Ethan Hunt is taken aboard the submarine USS Ohio to dive to the wreck of the Russian submarine Sevastopol in the Bering Sea and recover the Podkova module. The dive inside the rolling wreck is the centrepiece of the film.
The Marea scene Ethan in a pressure suit edging through the tumbling torpedo room of the Sevastopol wreck.
On set USS Ohio (SSGN-726) is a real submarine; the Sevastopol is fictional and was built as sets.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Adventure
USS George H. W. Bush Real ship
Mission: Impossible The Final Reckoning (2025)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg
Ethan joins the aircraft carrier in the northern Pacific as part of his mission to reach the wreck of the Sevastopol. The carrier's deck and hangars appear in the naval section of the film.
The Marea scene Ethan arriving on the flight deck of the carrier in the cold grey North Pacific.
On set The real carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), in US Navy service.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Children's television
Titmouse and Teasel Fictional
Swallows and Amazons Forever! (1984)
Created by Andrew Morgan
Starring Henry Dimbleby, Richard Walton, Caroline Downer, Rosemary Leach
The BBC adaptation of Arthur Ransome's Coot Club and The Big Six follows the Coot Club children on the Norfolk Broads in the 1930s, with the Callums learning to sail in Tom Dudgeon's dinghy Titmouse alongside Mrs Barrable's yacht Teasel.
The Marea scene Tom casting off the Teasel at night on the River Bure to hide her from the Hullabaloos' motor cruiser Margoletta.
On set Period boats on the Norfolk Broads around Horning.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Comedy
Russian submarine Spruth Fictional
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966)
Directed by Norman Jewison
Starring Carl Reiner, Alan Arkin, Eva Marie Saint, Brian Keith
A Soviet submarine runs aground off a small New England island when its captain wants a closer look at America. The crew's landing party causes panic among the islanders before both sides join to rescue a child.
The Marea scene The submarine's crew and the islanders side by side on the quay as the submarine sails out escorted by the town's boats.
On set Studio built submarine.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Comedy
SS Essess Fictional
Hot Shots! (1991)
Directed by Jim Abrahams
Starring Charlie Sheen, Cary Elwes, Valeria Golino, Lloyd Bridges
The carrier from which Topper Harley and his squadron fly their mission in this parody of Top Gun. Admiral Benson commands from its deck in a string of slapstick gags.
The Marea scene Admiral Benson on the carrier's flight deck as a jet lands badly behind him.
On set Footage of real US Navy carriers and sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Comedy
Dot Calm Fictional
Johnny English Strikes Again (2018)
Directed by David Kerr
Starring Rowan Atkinson, Ben Miller, Olga Kurylenko, Jake Lacy
The luxury yacht of tech billionaire Jason Volta, which Johnny English and Bough infiltrate to find the source of a cyber attack on Britain. The villain's scheme later threatens the Royal Navy warship HMS Vengeance.
The Marea scene Johnny English in disguise creeping along the deck of Volta's yacht on the Côte d'Azur.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Crime and noir
Sea Queen Fictional
The Breaking Point (1950)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring John Garfield, Patricia Neal, Phyllis Thaxter, Juano Hernandez
Harry Morgan's charter boat, which he can no longer make pay, pushing him to smuggle people and then carry gangsters after a racetrack robbery. The film is the more faithful adaptation of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not.
The Marea scene Harry at the wheel of the Sea Queen with the gunmen aboard as the gunfight breaks out in the cockpit.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Crime and noir
Ferry to Ashecliffe Hospital Fictional
Shutter Island (2010)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Williams
US Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule arrive on Shutter Island by ferry through the fog to investigate a missing patient. The ferry is their only link to the mainland, and it does not return during the storm.
The Marea scene Teddy seasick at the ferry's rail as the island looms out of the fog.
On set Unnamed ferry.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Family fantasy
Wonkatania Fictional
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
Directed by Mel Stuart
Starring Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum
A pink boat rowed by Oompa Loompas that carries the tour party along the chocolate river. It enters a tunnel where Wonka recites his nightmarish poem as disturbing images flash across the walls.
The Marea scene Wonka seated in the Wonkatania chanting his poem as the boat speeds into the psychedelic tunnel.
On set Studio prop built in Munich.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Family fantasy
Cargo ship from Peru Fictional
Paddington (2014)
Directed by Paul King
Starring Ben Whishaw (voice), Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Nicole Kidman
Paddington stows away on a cargo ship from Peru to London, living on marmalade in a lifeboat for the voyage. He arrives at the docks and makes his way to Paddington station.
The Marea scene Paddington in the lifeboat under the tarpaulin surrounded by empty marmalade jars.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Boat chase in From Russia with Love Fictional
From Russia with Love (1963)
Directed by Terence Young
Starring Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Robert Shaw
Bond and Tatiana escape by speedboat and are pursued by SPECTRE boats. Bond sets the sea alight with fuel drums.
The Marea scene SPECTRE boats in flames while Bond and Tatiana watch from their boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Disco Volante Fictional
Thunderball (1965)
Directed by Terence Young
Starring Sean Connery, Adolfo Celi, Claudine Auger
Emilio Largo's yacht carries the stolen atomic bombs for SPECTRE. The rear hull separates to become a fast hydrofoil for the final escape.
The Marea scene The Disco Volante's cocoon casting off as the hydrofoil section surges away, Bond fighting Largo on the bridge.
On set A hydrofoil bought in Puerto Rico for 10,000 dollars joined to a catamaran hull; blown up at the end of filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Ning-Po Fictional
You Only Live Twice (1967)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Sean Connery, Akiko Wakabayashi, Tetsurō Tamba, Donald Pleasence
An Osato Chemicals freighter which Bond and Aki watch loading at Kobe docks, a clue leading to SPECTRE's volcano base. Bond fights off Osato's men on the dockside around the ship.
The Marea scene The aerial shot of Bond fighting his way across the Kobe dock rooftops beside the moored freighter.
On set Fictional name.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Glastron GT-150 Real ship
Live and Let Die (1973)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Starring Roger Moore, Jane Seymour, Yaphet Kotto
After escaping the crocodile farm, Bond flees across the Louisiana bayous in a Glastron speedboat, pursued by Kananga's men and Sheriff J.W. Pepper. A jump across a road set a world record.
The Marea scene The Glastron in mid-air over the road as Sheriff Pepper's car is showered with spray.
On set Twenty six Glastron boats were supplied; the jump of about 110 to 120 ft on Irish Bayou, Louisiana, entered Guinness World Records.
Photo: MKFI, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
RMS Queen Elizabeth (wreck), MI6 Far East base Real ship
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Starring Roger Moore, Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland, Maud Adams
The partly submerged wreck of the great Cunard liner in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, serves as a secret MI6 base where Bond meets M and Q. Scaramanga's Chinese junk later carries Bond and Goodnight away at the end of the film.
The Marea scene Bond stepping from a launch into the tilted, listing interior of the wrecked Queen Elizabeth where M sits behind a desk at an angle.
On set The real wreck of RMS Queen Elizabeth (as Seawise University), which burned and capsized in Hong Kong harbour in 1972 and was later scrapped in place.
Photo: Wolfgang Fricke, CC BY 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Liparus Fictional
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Roger Moore, Barbara Bach, Curt Jurgens, Richard Kiel
Karl Stromberg's supertanker opens its bow to swallow nuclear submarines. Bond leads the captured crews in a battle inside the tanker.
The Marea scene The Liparus bow doors opening to swallow a submarine.
On set Interior built on the purpose built 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios; miniatures used for exteriors.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Wet Nellie Fictional
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Roger Moore, Barbara Bach
Chased by a helicopter in Sardinia, Bond drives his Lotus Esprit off a pier and it turns into a submarine. It reaches Stromberg's Atlantis base.
The Marea scene The white Lotus Esprit driving up a beach in front of astonished sunbathers.
On set Seven different models were used; one working submarine version built with a Perry Submarines engine.
Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Q-Boat Fictional
Moonraker (1979)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Roger Moore, Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Richard Kiel
Bond escapes Jaws on the Amazon in a Q-branch speedboat that drops mines and torpedoes. He escapes the Iguazu Falls by hang glider from its roof.
The Marea scene Bond sailing away beneath the hang glider as the empty boat plunges over Iguazu Falls.
On set A Glastron boat.
Photo: MKFI, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
St Georges Fictional
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Directed by John Glen
Starring Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Julian Glover
A British spy ship carrying the ATAC submarine command system strikes an old mine and sinks off Albania. Bond and Melina dive to the wreck to recover the ATAC before the Soviets can.
The Marea scene Bond and Melina in diving suits entering the sunken wreck of the St Georges while a diver in an armoured suit attacks.
On set Filmed with models and underwater sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Flying Saucer Fictional
Never Say Never Again (1983)
Directed by Irvin Kershner
Starring Sean Connery, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Kim Basinger
Maximillian Largo's superyacht is the floating headquarters for SPECTRE's plot.
The Marea scene Largo and Domino dancing on the Flying Saucer's deck at sunset.
On set Adnan Khashoggi's superyacht Nabila (Benetti, 1980), later Trump Princess and now Kingdom 5KR.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Wavekrest Fictional
Licence to Kill (1989)
Directed by John Glen
Starring Timothy Dalton, Robert Davi, Carey Lowell, Talisa Soto
Milton Krest's research ship is the floating base for Franz Sanchez's cocaine operation. Bond boards her, sabotages a drug shipment and steals five million dollars, then plants the money aboard to frame Krest.
The Marea scene Bond being towed on a line behind a seaplane, then water skiing barefoot behind it in the Florida Keys.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Manticore Fictional
GoldenEye (1995)
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Famke Janssen, Izabella Scorupco
In Monte Carlo, Xenia Onatopp and General Ourumov use the Manticore to steal a Tiger helicopter. Xenia also races a Riva Aquarama.
The Marea scene The Tiger helicopter lifting off the Manticore's deck in Monte Carlo harbour.
On set Played by the 43 m Swedish built aluminium yacht Northern Cross.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Riva Aquarama Special Real ship
GoldenEye (1995)
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Famke Janssen, Pierce Brosnan
Xenia Onatopp pilots a Riva Aquarama Special in the Monte Carlo sequence.
The Marea scene Xenia at the wheel of the Aquarama, cutting across the harbour.
On set A real Riva Aquarama Special.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Carver's stealth ship Fictional
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher
Media baron Elliot Carver uses a radar invisible stealth ship to sink a Royal Navy frigate and provoke war between Britain and China. Bond and Wai Lin board the vessel for the final battle as Carver prepares to fire a stolen cruise missile at Beijing.
The Marea scene Bond and Wai Lin creeping across the faceted black deck of the stealth ship at night in the South China Sea.
On set Built as a large model and partial set.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
HMS Devonshire Fictional
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Judi Dench
A Royal Navy frigate lured off course into Chinese waters by Carver's tampered GPS signal. She is cut open by the stealth ship's sea drill and sunk, the incident that sets the plot in motion.
The Marea scene The sea drill boring through the frigate's hull as the crew fight to abandon ship in the dark.
On set Fictional ship using the name of earlier Royal Navy vessels; filmed with models and sets.
Photo: Royal Navy, OGL v1.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Q Boat Fictional
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Directed by Michael Apted
Starring Pierce Brosnan, Sophie Marceau, Robert Carlyle, Denise Richards
In the pre title sequence Bond takes Q's fishing boat from MI6 and chases an assassin down the Thames, ending at the Millennium Dome.
The Marea scene The Q Boat leaping out of the Thames and through the streets of Docklands.
On set Fifteen 4.6 m jet boats with 300 hp V8 engines, reported as built by Riddle Marine of Idaho.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Spirit 54 Real ship
Casino Royale (2006)
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen
Bond and Vesper sail into Venice on a classic style yacht after he resigns. Vesper's betrayal follows.
The Marea scene Bond and Vesper at the helm sailing up the Grand Canal.
On set Spirit Yachts' Spirit 54 Soufrière (16.4 m); described as the first sailing yacht up the Grand Canal in 300 years.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Le Chiffre's yacht Fictional
Casino Royale (2006)
Directed by Martin Campbell
Starring Mads Mikkelsen, Daniel Craig
Le Chiffre's motor yacht, where he entertains clients in the Bahamas.
The Marea scene Le Chiffre at the rail of his yacht, inhaler in hand.
On set A real Sunseeker Predator 108 (32.9 m).
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Harbour chase boats Fictional
Quantum of Solace (2008)
Directed by Marc Forster
Starring Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric
In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Bond rescues Camille by boat from a speedboat. The director said he could only shoot in that harbour.
The Marea scene Bond's boat hooking the hostile craft with a grappling anchor and flipping it.
On set Filmed in Panama, which stood in for Haiti.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Severine's yacht Fictional
Skyfall (2012)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Daniel Craig, Bérénice Marlohe, Javier Bardem
Severine takes Bond by yacht from Macau to Raoul Silva's abandoned island lair.
The Marea scene Bond and Severine on the yacht approaching the crumbling island.
On set Island inspired by Hashima, Japan; principal scenes built as sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Thames speedboat Fictional
Spectre (2015)
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Daniel Craig, Léa Seydoux, Christoph Waltz
In the climax Bond and Madeleine chase Blofeld's helicopter along the Thames by speedboat. Bond shoots it down onto Westminster Bridge.
The Marea scene Bond firing from the speedboat as the helicopter spins down to Westminster Bridge.
On set Filmed at night on the Thames near Westminster Bridge on 17 May 2015.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · James Bond
Spirit 46 and fishing trawler Real ship
No Time to Die (2021)
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
Starring Daniel Craig, Lashana Lynch, Léa Seydoux, Rami Malek
Retired in Jamaica, Bond keeps a sailing yacht. Later he interrogates Obruchev on a trawler that is blown up.
The Marea scene Bond at the helm of his yacht off Jamaica before Felix Leiter's visit.
On set Spirit 46 (14 m), built in Ipswich by Spirit Yachts.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Esther Fictional
North Sea Hijack (1980)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Starring Roger Moore, James Mason, Anthony Perkins
Terrorists disguised as reporters hijack the supply ship Esther and threaten to blow up the oil rigs Jennifer and Ruth. The eccentric counter terrorist ffolkes and his frogmen retake the ship.
The Marea scene ffolkes and his frogmen climbing the side of the Esther from the dark sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Bantu Wind Fictional
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, George Harris
Captain Katanga's tramp steamer carries Indiana Jones, Marion and the Ark from Egypt until a U-boat stops her.
The Marea scene Indy on the U-boat's conning tower as the Bantu Wind lies stopped behind.
On set An Egyptian boat found in an Irish port; the U-boat was borrowed from Das Boot and filmed at La Rochelle.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Steamship in the storm Fictional
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, River Phoenix
In 1938 Indy recovers the Cross of Coronado aboard a ship off Portugal and escapes as it explodes.
The Marea scene Indy clinging to the storm swept deck as the ship blows up.
On set Deck set on gimbals at Elstree with dump tanks.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Venice speedboats Fictional
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Harrison Ford, Alison Doody
Indy and Elsa escape in Venice by speedboat, pursued by the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword.
The Marea scene Indy's boat squeezing between two ships as the pursuing boat is crushed.
On set Filmed on the Grand Canal on 8 August 1988; propeller scene in an Elstree tank.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Alba Varden Fictional
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989)
Directed by Richard Donner
Starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Joss Ackland
The ship on which the South African diplomat Arjen Rudd plans to escape from Los Angeles with his drug money. The final shootout takes place on board, where Rudd claims diplomatic immunity and Murtaugh revokes it.
The Marea scene Murtaugh on the deck of the Alba Varden raising his pistol and saying the diplomatic immunity has just been revoked.
On set Fictional name; filmed in the port of Los Angeles.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
MS Forest Swan Fictional
Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Irons
Simon Gruber's gang loads the gold stolen from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York onto the freighter to escape. John McClane boards her, and Simon blows up the ship with McClane still aboard.
The Marea scene McClane in the flooded hold of the freighter as the gold trucks are winched aboard.
On set Fictional name.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Drug freighter in San Pedro harbour Fictional
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Directed by Bryan Singer
Starring Kevin Spacey, Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Benicio del Toro
The five criminals are hired to attack a ship moored in San Pedro, supposedly carrying drugs. The massacre and fire aboard the ship open the film and are the event Verbal Kint is interrogated about.
The Marea scene Keaton sitting wounded on the burning deck as a figure lights a cigarette and fires.
On set Filmed in San Pedro harbour.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
The Mariner's trimaran Fictional
Waterworld (1995)
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Starring Kevin Costner, Dennis Hopper, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tina Majorino
The Mariner's home on a flooded Earth, with a windmill rig that unfolds into full sail.
The Marea scene The Mariner hauling a line as the trimaran's rig unfolds.
On set Designed by Marc Van Peteghem and Vincent Lauriot-Prevost; built in France by Lagoon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Deez (Exxon Valdez) Fictional
Waterworld (1995)
Directed by Kevin Reynolds
Starring Dennis Hopper, Kevin Costner
The Deacon's Smokers' base in the rusting Exxon Valdez.
The Marea scene The Deacon on the tanker's bow addressing his Smokers.
On set Sets and miniatures.
Photo: NOAA, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Italian fishing trawler Fictional
The Bourne Identity (2002)
Directed by Doug Liman
Starring Matt Damon, Franka Potente, Chris Cooper, Clive Owen
Italian fishermen pull an unconscious man with two bullets in his back out of the Mediterranean. Aboard the trawler he wakes with no memory, and a device in his hip gives the first clue to his identity as Jason Bourne.
The Marea scene The trawler crew hauling Bourne's floating body over the side at night in a storm lit by deck lamps.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Radio Rock Fictional
The Boat That Rocked (2009)
Directed by Richard Curtis
Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost
A 1966 pirate radio ship in the North Sea sinks when the government outlaws offshore broadcasting.
The Marea scene The DJs on the sinking bow as fans' boats arrive.
On set Former Dutch hospital ship Timor Challenger (ex De Hoop) in Portland Harbour, Dorset.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Merchant ship used as a club Fictional
Pacific Rim (2013)
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Starring Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi
In the battle for Hong Kong the Jaeger Gipsy Danger drags a large cargo ship out of the harbour and swings it like a club against the kaiju. Earlier, Gipsy Danger rescues Captain Merrit's fishing boat in the middle of a fight off Alaska.
The Marea scene Gipsy Danger dragging the ship through the streets of Hong Kong and swinging it at the kaiju.
On set Created with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Lemurian Star Fictional
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Frank Grillo
Batroc's pirates hijack a SHIELD ship in the Indian Ocean; Captain America retakes it.
The Marea scene Captain America dropping from a plane onto the Lemurian Star's deck.
On set Filmed on the Sea Launch Commander at Long Beach, California.
Photo: Kebbins00, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Russian nuclear submarine Fictional
The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Directed by F. Gary Gray
Starring Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Charlize Theron
The cyberterrorist Cipher hijacks a Russian nuclear submarine at a naval base in the Arctic to start a nuclear war. The submarine bursts through the ice and chases Dom's crew across the frozen sea until it is destroyed by its own missile.
The Marea scene The black submarine smashing up through the ice behind a fleet of racing cars.
On set Filmed on ice at Mývatn, Iceland, with a full size prop and visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Russian submarine Fictional
Aquaman (2018)
Directed by James Wan
Starring Jason Momoa, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Michael Beach
Pirates hijack a Russian submarine; Arthur Curry frees the crew and leaves Jesse Kane to die.
The Marea scene Aquaman bursting through the hull with pirates scattering.
On set Sets and CGI.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Sea Dragon Fictional
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Stephen Lang
The RDA's whaling ship hunts tulkun off Pandora and is attacked by Jake Sully and the Metkayina.
The Marea scene A tulkun ramming the Sea Dragon's hull.
On set Computer generated.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Matador Fictional
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Stephen Lang
The RDA's harpoon hunter boat pursues tulkun.
The Marea scene The Matador harpooning a tulkun.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Magellan's ships Fictional
Uncharted (2022)
Directed by Ruben Fleischer
Starring Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Tati Gabrielle
Nate and Sully find two of Magellan's ships hidden in a cave. Jo Braddock lifts them out by helicopter.
The Marea scene Nate firing a ship's cannon while the ships swing under helicopters.
On set Built and shot with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Renaldo's diving boat Fictional
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023)
Directed by James Mangold
Starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas
Frogman Renaldo helps Indy dive in the Aegean for part of the Antikythera dial.
The Marea scene Indy and Helena on the deck in wetsuits as Renaldo checks the gear.
On set Mediterranean locations and Pinewood tanks.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Modern blockbusters
Sevastopol Fictional
Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One (2023)
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg
The film opens aboard the submarine Sevastopol, whose AI tricks the crew into sinking her.
The Marea scene The captain turning the cruciform key as a torpedo curves back towards the hull.
On set Studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Empusa Fictional
Nosferatu (1922)
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Starring Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Count Orlok's coffins full of earth are loaded aboard the schooner Empusa for the voyage to Wisburg. Rats pour from the coffins, the crew die one by one, and the ghost ship drifts into harbour carrying the plague.
The Marea scene Orlok rising stiffly upright from his coffin on the Empusa's deck as the terrified mate looks on.
On set Real sailing vessel filmed on location; port scenes shot in Lubeck.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Venture Fictional
King Kong (1933)
Directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack
Starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
Carl Denham's film expedition sails from New York aboard the Venture, under Captain Englehorn, to the uncharted Skull Island. The ship later carries the captured Kong back to New York.
The Marea scene The Venture lying at anchor in the fog off Skull Island as the landing party rows ashore towards the great wall.
On set Studio sets and miniatures; ocean voyage built from layered glass paintings by Mario Larrinaga and Byron L. Crabbe composited behind the ship.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Rita Fictional
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Directed by Jack Arnold
Starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno
The Rita, skippered by the crusty Captain Lucas, carries a scientific expedition up the Amazon to the Black Lagoon in search of fossils. The Gill-man stalks the boat, and the crew are trapped when he blocks the lagoon's exit.
The Marea scene Kay swimming alone off the Rita's stern while the Gill-man mirrors her strokes just beneath the surface.
On set Surface scenes shot on Park Lake on the Universal back lot; underwater scenes at Wakulla Springs, Florida.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Skiff Fictional
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Directed by Charles Laughton
Starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Billy Chapin
John and Pearl escape the murderous preacher Harry Powell by drifting down the Ohio River at night in their father's small johnboat. The dreamlike river journey, watched by frogs, owls and spiders, is one of the film's most famous sequences.
The Marea scene The two children asleep in the drifting skiff under a starry sky, with a frog in the foreground.
On set Studio set and river footage.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Two canoes Fictional
Deliverance (1972)
Directed by John Boorman
Starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox
Four Atlanta businessmen take two canoes down a wild river in Georgia before it is dammed. When the canoes are separated, the trip turns into a fight for survival.
The Marea scene The two canoes pulled up on the bank as the duelling banjo is played from the porch.
On set Canoe sequences shot on the Chattooga River and in Tallulah Gorge, Rabun County, Georgia.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Orca Fictional
Jaws (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Quint's battered fishing boat carries Brody, Hooper and Quint out to sea to hunt the great white shark terrorising Amity Island. Named after the only natural enemy of the white shark, she is slowly smashed apart and sinks during the final battle.
The Marea scene Quint, Brody and Hooper at the stern of the Orca as the shark rises behind the transom and Brody backs away saying they need a bigger boat.
On set Two identical 42 ft boats were built for filming; the second (Orca II) had no motor and was designed to sink on command. Fictional name.
Photo: Roger Kastel, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Ben Gardner's boat Fictional
Jaws (1975)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider
The half sunken fishing boat of local fisherman Ben Gardner is found at night by Hooper and Brody. Diving beneath it, Hooper finds a great white's tooth embedded in the hull and Gardner's body.
The Marea scene Hooper, torch in hand, pulling a huge shark tooth from the holed hull as Ben Gardner's head appears in the broken planking.
On set Studio prop boat.
Photo: Roger Kastel, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Bumpo Fictional
Orca (1977)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, Bo Derek
Captain Nolan's fishing boat, from which he tries to capture a killer whale for an aquarium and kills a pregnant female. The bereaved male orca pursues Nolan and his boat from Newfoundland into the Arctic ice.
The Marea scene The Bumpo heading into the ice floes with the male orca surfacing alongside her bow.
On set Location filming at Petty Harbour, near St. John's, Newfoundland, with further scenes in Malta.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Brody's police launch and the teenagers' sailing dinghies Fictional
Jaws 2 (1978)
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Starring Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton
A flotilla of teenagers' sailing boats, including Brody's sons, is attacked by a second great white off Amity. Chief Brody takes a police boat out alone to find them stranded near Cable Junction, a floating power cable barge.
The Marea scene Brody in his launch jamming a live underwater power cable into the shark's jaws as the capsized sailboats drift beside Cable Junction.
On set Production boats; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Elizabeth Dane Fictional
The Fog (1980)
Directed by John Carpenter
Starring Adrienne Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Hal Holbrook, Janet Leigh
In 1880 the founders of Antonio Bay lured the clipper Elizabeth Dane, carrying the wealthy leper Blake, onto the rocks. A century later the drowned crew return in a glowing fog, first finding a fishing trawler whose crew are found dead.
The Marea scene The ghostly Elizabeth Dane looming out of the glowing fog beside the small fishing trawler.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Leviathan Fictional
Leviathan (1989)
Directed by George P. Cosmatos
Starring Peter Weller, Richard Crenna, Amanda Pays, Ernie Hudson
Undersea miners discover the wreck of a Soviet ship called Leviathan and salvage its safe. The captain's video log reveals a genetic experiment that turns the miners into a mutating creature.
The Marea scene Two divers in hard hat suits prising open the safe on the dark deck of the sunken Leviathan.
On set Studio sets and miniatures.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Houseboat Fictional
Cape Fear (1991)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
The Bowden family flee to their houseboat on the Cape Fear River, but Max Cady has clung beneath their car and boards. He cuts the anchor rope and the boat is torn apart in a storm during the final confrontation.
The Marea scene Cady handcuffed to the wreck of the disintegrating houseboat as it sinks in the storm, staring at Bowden.
On set Studio and location boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Demeter Fictional
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins, Keanu Reeves
The ship that carries Dracula and his boxes of earth from Varna to England, killing the crew one by one on the voyage. She is driven ashore at Whitby in a storm as Mina and Lucy run through the rain.
The Marea scene The Demeter driven into Whitby harbour in the storm with the dead captain lashed to the wheel.
On set Studio set and models.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
SS Anne B Fictional
Jurassic Park (1993)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
The supply ship that serves Isla Nublar, due to leave the east dock for the mainland as a tropical storm approaches. Dennis Nedry shuts down the park's security to smuggle stolen dinosaur embryos to the boat before it sails.
The Marea scene Nedry's jeep sliding off the muddy road in the rain as the supply boat waits at the east dock.
On set Fictional supply ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
SS Venture Fictional
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite
The ship carrying a captured male Tyrannosaurus to San Diego arrives with its crew dead and crashes into the docks, releasing the dinosaur into the city. Its name is a homage to the ship in King Kong.
The Marea scene The Venture ploughing into the San Diego dock at night as the T. rex hold's hatch bursts open.
On set Dock sequence shot mainly in Burbank, California; ship name from the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
USS Utah Fictional
Godzilla (1998)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno, Maria Pitillo, Hank Azaria
US Navy submarines, including the USS Utah, hunt the creature in the rivers around Manhattan. Their torpedoes miss and strike the other submarine instead, before Godzilla is believed dead.
The Marea scene The submarine firing torpedoes at the creature in the dark Hudson River.
On set Filmed with models.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
The spacecraft and the Habitat Fictional
Sphere (1998)
Directed by Barry Levinson
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson
A team of experts is sent to a Navy habitat on the Pacific seabed to investigate a craft that appears to have been lying there for 300 years. Inside they find a mysterious sphere that makes their fears real. Navy support ships wait on the surface.
The Marea scene The divers walking across the seabed towards the fin of the huge buried spacecraft.
On set Studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Aquatica Fictional
Deep Blue Sea (1999)
Directed by Renny Harlin
Starring Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, Samuel L. Jackson, LL Cool J
An isolated research station where scientists genetically modify mako sharks for Alzheimer's research. A storm cripples the facility and the sharks hunt the staff as it floods.
The Marea scene The storm lashing the pens of Aquatica as a helicopter tries to lift a stretcher off the platform.
On set Sets built above the water tanks at Fox Baja Studios, Rosarito, constructed for Titanic (1997).
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Sea Star and Akademik Vladislav Volkov Fictional
Virus (1999)
Directed by John Bruno
Starring Jamie Lee Curtis, William Baldwin, Donald Sutherland
The crew of the storm damaged salvage tug Sea Star find the drifting Russian satellite tracking ship Akademik Vladislav Volkov, apparently abandoned. An alien electrical life form aboard has taken over the ship and is building machines from the crew.
The Marea scene Jamie Lee Curtis and the tug crew climbing aboard the dark, towering hull of the silent research ship in the rain.
On set The retired missile tracking ship USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg played the Volkov; she was scuttled as an artificial reef off Key West in 2009.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Dino-Soar parasail boat Fictional
Jurassic Park III (2001)
Directed by Joe Johnston
Starring Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola
A tour boat takes young Eric Kirby and his mother's boyfriend parasailing past Isla Sorna. The crew vanish in the mist, the boat crashes into rocks and the two are left to glide down onto the island.
The Marea scene Eric and Ben hanging under the parasail as the empty boat, its tow line still attached, runs into the rocks.
On set Filmed off Hawaii.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
SS Venture Fictional
King Kong (2005)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann
Captain Englehorn's rusting steamer takes Carl Denham's film crew towards Skull Island in 1933, running aground on the rocks in fog. It then transports Kong, chained in the hold, back to New York.
The Marea scene The Venture grinding onto the Skull Island reef at night while the crew fight to haul her off.
On set Full scale deck built in the car park at Camperdown Studio, Wellington, shot against green screen with the ocean added digitally.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
USS Saratoga Fictional
Godzilla (2014)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston
A US Navy carrier leading the task force that tracks Godzilla across the Pacific towards Hawaii and San Francisco. Godzilla swims beneath the fleet, dwarfing the carrier and its escorts.
The Marea scene Godzilla's dorsal plates slicing through the sea alongside the carrier and its destroyers.
On set Fictional carrier name; created with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Athena Fictional
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, John Goodman
The Athena carries the 1973 Monarch and US Army expedition to Skull Island, from which the helicopters launch through the storm wall. Stranded survivors later race by river boat to the rendezvous point.
The Marea scene Helicopters lifting off the Athena's deck in formation towards the storm front around Skull Island.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Grey Fox Fictional
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Starring John C. Reilly, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson
Hank Marlow, a Second World War pilot marooned on the island for decades, has built a boat from the wreckage of downed aircraft. The survivors use it to travel down the river towards their extraction point.
The Marea scene Marlow at the tiller of his patched together boat as Kong looms over the river behind them.
On set Boat name as given in the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
SS Arcadia Fictional
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
Directed by J. A. Bayona
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, James Cromwell
The ship on which mercenaries carry the captured dinosaurs away from Isla Nublar as the volcano erupts. Owen and Claire stow away aboard, leaving a Brachiosaurus stranded on the pier behind them.
The Marea scene The lone Brachiosaurus on the burning pier, silhouetted against the lava, as the Arcadia sails away.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Mana One and submersible Fictional
The Meg (2018)
Directed by Jon Turteltaub
Starring Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Rainn Wilson, Cliff Curtis
Mana One is a billionaire funded research station off China whose submersible becomes trapped in the Mariana Trench. Rescue diver Jonas Taylor is recruited and the rescue releases a prehistoric megalodon.
The Marea scene Jonas in a small shark cage lowered from Mana One's platform as a vast shape rises from below.
On set Climactic beach sequence set in Sanya Bay, China.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Submersibles and mining station Fictional
Meg 2: The Trench (2023)
Directed by Ben Wheatley
Starring Jason Statham, Wu Jing, Sophia Cai, Cliff Curtis
A routine submersible dive into the Mariana Trench uncovers an illegal ocean mining operation. The explorers must walk the seabed in exosuits as megalodons escape to the surface.
The Marea scene Jonas in an exosuit on the trench floor with a submersible's lights behind him.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Demeter Fictional
The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023)
Directed by André Øvredal
Starring Corey Hawkins, Aisling Franciosi, Liam Cunningham, David Dastmalchian
Based on a chapter of Bram Stoker's Dracula, the film follows Captain Eliot's merchant ship carrying crates from Carpathia to England. Dracula emerges from the cargo and kills the crew during the voyage.
The Marea scene Captain Eliot lashed to the Demeter's wheel as a storm breaks and a winged shape moves in the rigging.
On set Filmed in Berlin and Malta in 2021.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Empusa Fictional
Nosferatu (2024)
Directed by Robert Eggers
Starring Bill Skarsgård, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Count Orlok travels to Wisburg hidden in his coffin aboard a plague ship, whose crew are wiped out. The ship runs aground and releases infected rats into the city.
The Marea scene The dead ship drifting into Wisburg harbour at night, rats streaming from the hatches.
On set Built and shot practically, emphasising in camera effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Essex Fictional
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Starring Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend
Duncan Kincaid's boat carries the covert expedition to an island to collect dinosaur DNA, and picks up the Delgado family after a Mosasaurus capsizes their sailboat. The Essex is attacked by marine reptiles on the way.
The Marea scene The Essex surrounded by Spinosaurus in the surf as the crew fire from the deck.
On set Filmed in Thailand, Malta and the UK.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Monsters and thrillers
Delgado family sailboat Fictional
Jurassic World Rebirth (2025)
Directed by Gareth Edwards
Starring Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, Audrina Miranda
Reuben Delgado's family are sailing across the Atlantic when a Mosasaurus overturns their boat. They are rescued by the Essex and drawn into the expedition.
The Marea scene The capsized sailboat lifted from below by the Mosasaurus as the family cling to the hull.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
African Queen Fictional
The African Queen (1951)
Directed by John Huston
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley
Charlie Allnut's battered little steam launch carries him and missionary Rose Sayer down a dangerous river in German East Africa in 1914. They turn her into a torpedo boat to attack a German gunboat on the lake.
The Marea scene Charlie hauling the African Queen through reeds and leeches while Rose steers from the stern.
On set Real steam launch built 1912 by Lytham Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. (ex L.S. Livingstone), restored and now at Key Largo, Florida; a second boat used in the film is in Jinja, Uganda.
Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
Königin Luise Fictional
The African Queen (1951)
Directed by John Huston
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, Peter Bull
The German gunboat dominates the great lake and is the target of Charlie and Rose's improvised torpedo. She is inspired by the real First World War gunboat Graf Goetzen.
The Marea scene The Königin Luise steaming across the lake towards the half sunk African Queen, torpedoes still rigged at her bow.
On set Played by the steam tug Buganda on Lake Victoria.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
PBR Street Gang Fictional
Apocalypse Now (1979)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Martin Sheen, Albert Hall, Frederic Forrest, Laurence Fishburne
A US Navy river patrol boat, radio call sign Street Gang, carries Captain Willard and a young crew up the Nung River into Cambodia to find Colonel Kurtz. The boat's journey structures the entire film.
The Marea scene Lance water skiing behind the PBR as Hueys fly overhead after the Valkyries attack.
On set Filmed in the Philippines from March 1976.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
Molly Aida Fictional
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy
Fitzcarraldo, who dreams of building an opera house in the jungle, buys the river steamer Molly Aida to reach rubber lands. With the help of local people he hauls the ship over a mountain between two rivers.
The Marea scene The Molly Aida halfway up the jungle hillside, cables straining, with Fitzcarraldo watching from the ridge.
On set A real 320 ton steamship was hauled up a 40 degree slope using pulleys and the ship's anchor windlass; no models were used for the hauling scenes.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
River barge and family boats Fictional
The Mosquito Coast (1986)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, River Phoenix
Inventor Allie Fox takes his family to Central America, travelling by barge and river boat to the settlement of Jeronimo. When disaster strikes they flee downriver and live on a houseboat Allie builds on the beach.
The Marea scene Allie at the stern of the family's boat pushing upriver into the jungle, the children watching from the bow.
On set Filmed in Belize in 1986.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
Whitewater raft Fictional
The River Wild (1994)
Directed by Curtis Hanson
Starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, Joseph Mazzello
A former river guide takes her family rafting, but two armed robbers join the trip and force her to run the deadly Gauntlet rapid.
The Marea scene Gail steering the raft into the Gauntlet with the family and the robbers clinging on.
On set Filmed on the Kootenai River, Montana, the Rogue River, Oregon, and other rivers.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
Riverboat Fictional
Anaconda (1997)
Directed by Luis Llosa
Starring Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube, Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz
A documentary crew travels up the Amazon by riverboat searching for the Shirishama tribe. They pick up Paraguayan snake hunter Paul Serone, who takes over the boat to capture a giant anaconda.
The Marea scene The anaconda coiled around the riverboat's upper deck as Terri and Danny fight back.
On set Shot on location in Brazil and at the Los Angeles County Arboretum lagoon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
Missouri Belle Fictional
Ozark (2017)
Created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams
Starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner
The Byrde family launder cartel money through a riverboat casino on the Lake of the Ozarks. The Missouri Belle becomes central to their scheme, alongside the Blue Cat Lodge.
The Marea scene Marty and Wendy on the Missouri Belle's gangway as the casino lights come on over the lake.
On set Filmed mostly in Georgia, on Lake Allatoona and Lake Lanier.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
La Quila Fictional
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons
Frank Wolff's ramshackle riverboat, named after Mama Killa of Incan mythology, takes Dr Lily Houghton and her brother up the Amazon in search of the Tree of Life. Prince Joachim pursues them in a German U-boat.
The Marea scene La Quila racing down the rapids with Prince Joachim's submarine surfacing behind her.
On set Based on the Disney theme park attraction.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · River adventures
Prince Joachim's U-boat Fictional
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra
Starring Jesse Plemons, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt
The German prince pursues La Quila up the Amazon in a U-boat, seeking the Tree of Life for Germany's war effort.
The Marea scene The U-boat breaching in the middle of the river as La Quila's crew duck torpedoes.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Goliath wreck and dive boat Fictional
The Deep (1977)
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset, Nick Nolte, Louis Gossett Jr.
Divers off Bermuda find a morphine ampoule from the Second World War wreck Goliath, lying over a Spanish galleon. Treasure hunter Romer Treece helps them while a drug gang wants the cargo.
The Marea scene Gail and David surfacing beside their dive boat holding the ampoule and the medallion.
On set The wreck of RMS Rhone in the British Virgin Islands served as the main underwater location; an underwater set was built in Bermuda.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Chris-Craft Sportsman (Thayer IV) Fictional
On Golden Pond (1981)
Directed by Mark Rydell
Starring Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Doug McKeon
Norman Thayer's old wooden motorboat takes him fishing with young Billy for the legendary trout Walter. They crash on the rocks of Purgatory Cove.
The Marea scene Norman and Billy in the Thayer IV among the rocks of Purgatory Cove, fishing rods raised.
On set A real 1950 Chris-Craft Sportsman, so sturdy it bounced off the rocks undamaged; filmed on Squam Lake, New Hampshire.
Photo: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Jenny Fictional
Forrest Gump (1994)
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Starring Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Robin Wright
Forrest buys a shrimp boat in Bayou La Batre to keep his promise to Bubba, and names it after Jenny. It is the only boat to survive Hurricane Carmen, founding the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company.
The Marea scene Lieutenant Dan lashed to the Jenny's mast, shouting at the storm.
On set Filmed near Beaufort, South Carolina.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Speedboats in the harbour chase Fictional
Face/Off (1997)
Directed by John Woo
Starring John Travolta, Nicolas Cage
The film ends with Archer and Castor Troy each commandeering a speedboat for a chase through the harbour. Archer forces Castor ashore in a collision.
The Marea scene Two speedboats crashing together in a burst of spray, both men thrown clear.
On set Filmed at San Pedro, Los Angeles.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Riva Aquarama (Ocean's Twelve) Real ship
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Vincent Cassel, Catherine Zeta-Jones
The Night Fox, Francois Toulour, pilots a Riva Aquarama Special on Lake Como near his villa. The boat underlines his wealth and style.
The Marea scene Toulour at the helm of the Aquarama cutting across Lake Como in front of Villa Erba.
On set A real Riva Aquarama Special; filmed at Villa Erba, Cernobbio, Lake Como.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Zephyr and dive boat Fictional
Into the Blue (2005)
Directed by John Stockwell
Starring Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Josh Brolin
Divers in the Bahamas discover the wreck of a legendary pirate ship, the Zephyr, near a sunken drug plane. Criminals connected to the cocaine cargo put them in danger.
The Marea scene Jared and Sam on the seabed brushing sand from the Zephyr's timbers.
On set Filmed in the Bahamas with live sharks.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Go-fast smuggling boats Real ship
Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
Directed by Billy Corben
Presented by Jon Roberts, Mickey Munday
A documentary on the cocaine trade in 1970s and 1980s Miami, told by former smugglers and police. Smugglers moved cocaine by aircraft and by boat.
The Marea scene A go-fast boat running without lights to a Florida canal at night.
On set Real smuggling boats in archive footage.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Speedboats and motorboats
Go-fast boats Fictional
Miami Vice (2006)
Directed by Michael Mann
Starring Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx, Gong Li
Crockett and Tubbs pose as drug smugglers running cocaine by go-fast boat from the Caribbean to infiltrate a Colombian cartel.
The Marea scene Crockett and Isabella racing across the Caribbean to Havana in a go-fast boat.
On set Real offshore powerboats.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Superhero blockbusters
Gotham evacuation ferries (civilian ferry and prisoner ferry) Fictional
The Dark Knight (2008)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman
During the evacuation of Gotham the Joker rigs two ferries with explosives, one carrying civilians and the other prisoners, and gives each boat the detonator for the other. The passengers on both ferries refuse to kill each other, undoing the Joker's social experiment.
The Marea scene A convict on the prison ferry taking the detonator from the warden and throwing it out of the window into the dark harbour.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Superhero blockbusters
Sebastian Shaw's submarine and the Cuban blockade fleets Fictional
X-Men: First Class (2011)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon
During the Cuban Missile Crisis Shaw follows the Soviet fleet in a submarine to force the missiles through the US blockade. Erik lifts the submarine out of the sea and drops it on the beach, and both fleets then open fire on the mutants.
The Marea scene Magneto, arms outstretched, hanging hundreds of missiles in the air over the beach in front of the two fleets.
On set Fictional submarine; fleets created with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Superhero blockbusters
Debbie Sue Fictional
Man of Steel (2013)
Directed by Zack Snyder
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner
The young Clark Kent works as a deckhand on a crab fishing boat while drifting anonymously around the world. From it he sees a burning oil rig and dives off to save the trapped rig workers.
The Marea scene Clark holding up the collapsing burning oil rig while a helicopter lifts the survivors away.
On set Filmed around Vancouver's North Shore.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Superhero blockbusters
Staten Island Ferry Real ship
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Directed by Jon Watts
Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Zendaya
Peter Parker captures the arms buyer Mac Gargan aboard the Staten Island Ferry, but a malfunctioning alien weapon slices the ferry in half. Spider-Man tries to hold the two halves together with his webs until Iron Man arrives.
The Marea scene Spider-Man stretched between the two split halves of the orange ferry, webs straining.
On set A full size replica section built in Atlanta that could split and flood; the real ferry fleet is operated by New York City.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Narcissus Fictional
The Adventures of Tugboat Annie (1957)
Created by Norman Reilly Raine (original stories)
Starring Minerva Urecal, Walter Sande
Annie Brennan, a tough but kind hearted tug skipper, runs the Narcissus for the Severn Tugboat Company and gets into comic scrapes helping people in trouble. The character was inspired by the real tug operator Thea Foss.
The Marea scene Tugboat Annie at the wheel of the Narcissus, shouting across the water at her rival Bullwinkle.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Argonaut Fictional
Sea Hunt (1958)
Created by Ivan Tors
Starring Lloyd Bridges
Mike Nelson, a former Navy frogman turned freelance diver, heads out on his boat the Argonaut to salvage, rescue and foil villains underwater. The series had a lasting impact on the popularity of scuba diving.
The Marea scene Lloyd Bridges rolling backwards off the Argonaut's gunwale in his aqualung.
On set A Trojan Express custom built by Trojan Yachts in 1960 with mahogany planking and teak decks, 33 ft long.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Tiki III Fictional
Adventures in Paradise (1959)
Created by James A. Michener
Starring Gardner McKay, George Tobias, Guy Stockwell
Adam Troy, a Korean War veteran, skippers the schooner Tiki III around the South Pacific looking for passengers and adventure. The show's theme was later referenced by Jimmy Buffett.
The Marea scene Gardner McKay at the Tiki III's wheel as she enters a Polynesian lagoon.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Enterprise Fictional
Riverboat (1959)
Produced by NBC (Revue Productions)
Starring Darren McGavin, Burt Reynolds, Noah Beery Jr.
Captain Grey Holden wins the riverboat Enterprise in a poker game and works her along the Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio rivers in the 1840s. Billed as Wagon Train on water, it gave Burt Reynolds his television debut.
The Marea scene Darren McGavin on the Enterprise's texas deck as she noses into a Mississippi landing.
On set Studio riverboat.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Coral Key Park patrol boat Fictional
Flipper (1964)
Created by Jack Cowden and Ricou Browning
Starring Brian Kelly, Luke Halpin, Tommy Norden
Ranger Porter Ricks and his sons patrol Coral Key Park aided by a bottlenose dolphin.
The Marea scene Sandy in the bow of the patrol boat as Flipper leaps alongside.
On set Thunderbird Iroquois boats: 22 ft in seasons one and two, 23 ft in season three.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
SS Minnow Fictional
Gilligan's Island (1964)
Created by Sherwood Schwartz
Starring Bob Denver, Alan Hale Jr.
The small charter boat sets out from Honolulu on a three hour tour and is wrecked on an uncharted island. Named after FCC chairman Newton Minow.
The Marea scene The Minnow beached and battered on the island.
On set Four boats: one rented from Ala Wai Yacht Harbor; the Bluejacket ran aground near Vancouver Island in 2006; one towed to Moloa'a Beach; one built on the CBS set.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
USS Kiwi Fictional
The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965)
Created by Danny Arnold and Herbert Margolis
Starring Jack Warden, Gary Collins, Mike Kellin, Mark Slade
A decrepit old schooner is used for covert operations behind Japanese lines in the Second World War Pacific, sailing under the Swiss flag. Her harmless appearance is her best disguise.
The Marea scene Major Butcher and Lieutenant Riddle on the Kiwi's deck, Swiss flag flying, as a Japanese patrol boat comes alongside.
On set Based on the real USS Echo, an old New Zealand schooner transferred to the US Navy during the war.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Seaspray Real ship
Adventures of the Seaspray (1967)
Created by Roger Mirams
Starring Walter Brown, Gary Gray, Susanne Haworth, Leone Lesinawai
A widowed journalist sails the Pacific with his children aboard the Seaspray, meeting adventure from island to island. The Australian series ran to 32 episodes.
The Marea scene Dan Wells and his children at the rail of the Seaspray as she sails into a Fijian anchorage.
On set The real Seaspray, owned by cast member Leone Lesinawai, used for tourist cruises from Nadi, Fiji; no longer in service.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Persephone Fictional
The Beachcombers (1972)
Created by Marc Strange and Lynn Susan Strange (developed by Philip Keatley)
Starring Bruno Gerussi, Robert Clothier, Pat John, Rae Brown
Nick Adonidas, a Greek Canadian log salvager, works the British Columbia coast north west of Vancouver in the Persephone. The CBC series ran for 19 seasons and the boat became a Canadian television icon.
The Marea scene Nick at the wheel of the Persephone towing a boom of logs past Gibsons, with Molly's Reach on the shore.
On set A real workboat, restored by the Sunshine Coast Museum and Archives and installed in a small park near Molly's Reach, Gibsons, in 2007.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Hi Baller II Fictional
The Beachcombers (1972)
Created by Marc Strange and Lynn Susan Strange
Starring Robert Clothier, Bruno Gerussi, Pat John
Relic, Nick's scheming rival, races his boat the Hi Baller to steal the best logs before the Persephone gets there. Hi Baller I was used in season 1 only.
The Marea scene Relic grinning at the wheel of the Hi Baller as he cuts across the Persephone's bow to grab a stray log.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
HMS Hero (F42) Fictional
Warship (1973)
Created by Ian Mackintosh and Anthony Coburn
Starring Donald Burton, Bryan Marshall, Derek Godfrey, David Savile
HMS Hero is the fictional frigate whose crew and missions drive the BBC naval drama over four series. The name was chosen because Hero was the lover of Leander in classical mythology.
The Marea scene Commander Nialls on the bridge wing of HMS Hero as she steams at speed with pennant F42 on her bow.
On set Played by seven real Leander class frigates, chiefly HMS Phoebe, plus Danae, Dido, Diomede, Hermione, Juno and Jupiter, all painted F42; HMAS Derwent stood in for scenes filmed in Hong Kong and Singapore in 1976.
Photo: HMS Apollo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
La Dorada Fictional
Verano azul (1981)
Created by Antonio Mercero
Starring Antonio Ferrandis, Juanjo Artero, Pilar Torres
The old sailor Chanquete lives in La Dorada, a fishing boat set up on land near the cliffs, where the gang of children gather all summer. The series drew up to 20 million viewers in Spain.
The Marea scene Chanquete mending nets beside La Dorada while the children sit on her hull listening to his stories.
On set A real fishing boat placed in Nerja, Málaga; a replica stands in Nerja's Parque Verano Azul today.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
St. Vitus' Dance Fictional
Miami Vice (1984)
Created by Anthony Yerkovich
Starring Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas
Detective Sonny Crockett lives on his sailboat with his pet alligator Elvis.
The Marea scene Crockett on the aft deck at dusk with Elvis sprawled near the cockpit.
On set An Endeavour 40 in season one and an Endeavour 42 from season two.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Chris-Craft Stinger 390 X Real ship
Miami Vice (1984)
Created by Anthony Yerkovich
Starring Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas
Crockett's first speedboat, used in the pilot and season one, before it was replaced by the Scarab.
The Marea scene The Stinger slicing past the Miami skyline in the pilot.
On set A real 39 ft Chris-Craft Stinger 390 X.
Photo: Mwanner, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Riptide Fictional
Riptide (1984)
Created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell
Starring Perry King, Joe Penny, Thom Bray
Cody's boat, moored at King Harbor Marina, is home base for their detective agency.
The Marea scene The three detectives on the Riptide's deck with the Screaming Mimi helicopter overhead.
On set Real boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Flying Fish Fictional
Howards' Way (1985)
Created by Gerard Glaister and Allan Prior
Starring Maurice Colbourne, Jan Harvey, Glyn Owen, Tony Anholt
Flying Fish is one of the three yachts at the heart of the BBC boatbuilding saga set on the Hamble, built and raced by Tom Howard and the Mermaid Yard. The series was noted for pioneering camerawork aboard yachts racing in heavy weather.
The Marea scene Tom Howard and Jack Rolfe hiking out on the rail of Flying Fish as she crashes through the Solent chop.
On set A production Laser 28 yacht.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Barracuda of Tarrant Real ship
Howards' Way (1985)
Created by Gerard Glaister and Allan Prior
Starring Maurice Colbourne, Jan Harvey, Glyn Owen, Stephen Yardley
The Barracuda is the Mermaid Yard's new design, the yacht on which the Howard family's business hopes ride, alongside the smaller Spring of Tarrant.
The Marea scene The Barracuda launching down the slipway at the Mermaid Yard as the Howard family watches from the quay.
On set The real prototype of the Sadler Barracuda 45, designed by Tony Castro; Spring of Tarrant was the MG Spring 25 prototype, also by Castro.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Scarab 38 KV Real ship
Miami Vice (1985)
Created by Anthony Yerkovich
Starring Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas
Crockett's fast offshore powerboat for undercover work and chases from season two.
The Marea scene The Scarab at full speed across Biscayne Bay with Crockett at the wheel.
On set Real Wellcraft Scarab 38 KVs; Wellcraft later sold a Miami Vice edition and gave Johnson a duplicate.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
USS Georgetown Fictional
Supercarrier (1988)
Created by ABC
Starring Robert Hooks, Ken Olandt, Cec Verrell
The short lived ABC drama follows young naval aviators and crew aboard the fictional supercarrier USS Georgetown.
The Marea scene F-14 Tomcats launching from the Georgetown's catapults as flight deck crew crouch in the jet blast.
On set Filmed partly aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) between September and November 1987.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Baywatch rescue boats Fictional
Baywatch (1989)
Created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, Gregory J. Bonann
Starring David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Alexandra Paul
The series is named after the rescue boats that patrolled Santa Monica Bay.
The Marea scene A rescue boat racing to a swimmer as the lifeguards dive from its bow.
On set Real lifeguard rescue boats.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Thunder Fictional
Thunder in Paradise (1994)
Created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, Gregory J. Bonann
Starring Hulk Hogan, Chris Lemmon, Carol Alt
Two former Navy SEALs run a charter business with a fast armed boat nicknamed Thunder.
The Marea scene Hurricane Spencer at Thunder's helm as she transforms for combat.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
USS Seahawk Fictional
JAG (1995)
Created by Donald P. Bellisario
Starring David James Elliott, Catherine Bell, Patrick Labyorteaux, John M. Jackson
The fictional carrier USS Seahawk is where Harm Rabb and the JAG lawyers often investigate crimes at sea in the later seasons.
The Marea scene Commander Rabb landing a Tomcat on the Seahawk's deck before stepping out to begin an investigation.
On set Scenes for season 5 were filmed aboard USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) off Southern California in July 1999; stock footage of other carriers stood in for the Seahawk.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Albatros Fictional
Küstenwache (1997)
Created by ZDF (OPAL-Filmproduktion)
Starring Rüdiger Joswig, Manou Lubowski, Michael Kind
The crew of the coast guard ship Albatros fight smuggling, pollution, theft and murder along Germany's Baltic coast over 17 seasons.
The Marea scene Captain Ehlers on the bridge of the Albatros as she chases a smuggler's speedboat across the Baltic.
On set Seasons 1 to 7: German Federal Border Guard ship Duderstadt (BG 14); seasons 8 to 17 (Albatros II): Neustrelitz (BP 22) and Bad Düben (BP 23).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
True Love Fictional
Dawson's Creek (2000)
Created by Kevin Williamson
Starring Joshua Jackson, Katie Holmes, James Van Der Beek, Michelle Williams
Pacey's sailboat True Love carries him and Joey away down the coast for the summer at the end of season 3, in the episode also called True Love, one of the most loved moments in the series.
The Marea scene Joey running along the dock and jumping aboard True Love as Pacey casts off.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Atlantic Light Fictional
The Wire (season 2) (2003)
Created by David Simon
Starring Dominic West, Chris Bauer, Amy Ryan, Idris Elba
A container from the Atlantic Light is found at the Port of Baltimore holding thirteen dead women trafficked into the country. The discovery by Officer Beadie Russell sets the season's investigation into the docks and the Greek's smuggling network in motion.
The Marea scene Beadie Russell opening the container door on the dockside beside the Atlantic Light's towering hull.
On set Filmed at the Port of Baltimore.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
The Seaward (renamed The C-Word) Fictional
Arrested Development (2004)
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz
Starring Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, Jessica Walter, Michael Cera
Gob buys the Seaward at a boat show despite Michael telling him to get rid of it, and renames her The C-Word after sinking the family yacht Lucille in a magic trick. The boat becomes Gob's home and a running joke.
The Marea scene Gob posing on the bow of The C-Word while Lucille says she'll leave when she's good and ready.
On set Described as a Prima 45.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Black Rock Fictional
Lost (2004)
Created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Starring Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Terry O'Quinn
A slave ship stranded in the island's jungle, where the survivors find dynamite.
The Marea scene The dark hull of the Black Rock in the jungle, Rousseau watching.
On set Studio set, Hawaii.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Star Flyer, Star Clipper and Royal Clipper Real ship
Unter weißen Segeln (2004)
Created by ARD (writers include Knut Boeser)
Starring Peter Weck, Helmut Zierl, Fritz Wepper, Christine Neubauer
The German TV film series tells romantic travel stories set aboard the sailing cruise ships of Star Clippers in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Asia.
The Marea scene Passengers on the bowsprit net of the Royal Clipper as all five masts are under sail.
On set The real Star Clippers ships Star Flyer, Star Clipper and Royal Clipper, all still in service.
Photo: Cbuske46, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Elizabeth Fictional
Lost (2005)
Created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Starring Henry Ian Cusick, Matthew Fox
Desmond's sailboat, which wrecked him on the island in a round the world race.
The Marea scene Desmond at the Elizabeth's wheel in the storm.
On set Real yacht.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Slice of Life Fictional
Dexter (2006)
Created by James Manos Jr.
Starring Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Julie Benz
Dexter Morgan, a forensic analyst and serial killer, takes body parts out to the Gulf Stream in his boat.
The Marea scene Dexter at the helm at night, heavy bin bags stacked behind him.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
MS Deutschland Real ship
Kreuzfahrt ins Glück (2007)
Created by ZDF
Starring Eva-Maria Grein von Friedl, Patrik Fichte, Jan Hartmann
The ZDF spin off of Das Traumschiff follows wedding planners staging ceremonies and honeymoons on board. MS Deutschland carried episodes 1 to 21, then MS Amadea from 2015.
The Marea scene A bride and groom on the Deutschland's sun deck as the ship lies off a Mediterranean port.
On set The real MS Deutschland (1998), later sold and renamed World Odyssey; MS Amadea used from 2015.
Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
HMAS Hammersley Fictional
Sea Patrol (2007)
Created by Hal and Di McElroy
Starring Ian Stenlake, Lisa McCune, John Batchelor, Matthew Holmes
The Australian drama follows the crew of the patrol boat HMAS Hammersley as they deal with smugglers, illegal fishing and people trafficking off Australia's northern coast.
The Marea scene Lieutenant Commander Mike Flynn on the bridge of the Hammersley as her boarding party speeds away in a RHIB.
On set Played by real Royal Australian Navy Armidale class boats, including HMAS Wollongong and HMAS Ipswich (season 1) and HMAS Broome and HMAS Launceston (season 2).
Photo: Hpeterswald, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Kahana Fictional
Lost (2008)
Created by Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof
Starring Henry Ian Cusick, Jeremy Davies
A freighter anchored off the island in season four, carrying a team sent by Charles Widmore.
The Marea scene Desmond and Sayid climbing from the helicopter onto the freighter's deck.
On set Real freighter used in Hawaii.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Estrella Polar Fictional
El Barco (2011)
Created by Álex Pina and Iván Escobar
Starring Juanjo Artero, Mario Casas, Blanca Suárez, Irene Montalà
After a particle accelerator accident floods the Earth, the crew and students of the school ship Estrella Polar are left at sea searching for land. The Antena 3 series ran for three seasons.
The Marea scene Captain Montero on the deck of the Estrella Polar staring at an endless ocean where the coast should be.
On set Played by the brigantine schooner Cervantes Saavedra, a former lightship built in 1934 by Götaverken, Gothenburg, 48.5 m long.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Abigail Fictional
Fear the Walking Dead (season 2) (2016)
Created by Dave Erickson (showrunner)
Starring Colman Domingo, Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, Frank Dillane
Victor Strand's yacht carries the survivors out of Los Angeles as the city is bombed, heading for Baja California. The boat is eventually stolen while they are ashore.
The Marea scene Strand on the Abigail's flybridge as the Los Angeles skyline burns behind them.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Iron Pasha Fictional
The Night Manager (2016)
Created by Susanne Bier
Starring Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, Olivia Colman, Elizabeth Debicki
Richard Roper's superyacht is the floating headquarters of the arms dealer's empire, where Jonathan Pine works his way into Roper's inner circle.
The Marea scene Hugh Laurie's Roper lounging on the aft deck of the Iron Pasha off Majorca as Pine is welcomed aboard.
On set A real superyacht filmed in Majorca, reported to be the 62 m Amels yacht Sarah.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
Bárbara de Braganza Fictional
Alta mar (High Seas) (2019)
Created by Ramón Campos and Gema R. Neira
Starring Ivana Baquero, Alejandra Onieva, Jon Kortajarena, Eloy Azorín
Two sisters travel from Spain to Brazil in the late 1940s aboard the liner Bárbara de Braganza, where a series of murders exposes secrets of the ship and their family.
The Marea scene Eva and Carolina on the liner's promenade deck at night as a body is discovered below.
On set Fictional liner (formerly named Covadonga in the story), built as studio sets.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
HMS Pogue Fictional
Outer Banks (2020)
Created by Josh Pate, Jonas Pate, Shannon Burke
Starring Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Rudy Pankow
The Pogues' boat, used to search for the Royal Merchant wreck.
The Marea scene The Pogues crammed into the boat over the dive site.
On set Real boat.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Television series
HMS Vigil Fictional
Vigil (2021)
Created by Tom Edge
Starring Suranne Jones, Rose Leslie, Shaun Evans, Martin Compston
A death aboard the Trident submarine HMS Vigil on deterrent patrol brings Detective Amy Silva on board to investigate, cut off from the shore. The whodunnit in a submarine was praised as a masterstroke.
The Marea scene Suranne Jones's Amy Silva being winched down from a helicopter onto the casing of HMS Vigil in a heavy swell.
On set Fictional boat; interiors were studio sets by production designer Tom Sayer, filmed in Scotland.
Photo: Tam McDonald, OGL v1.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
True Love Fictional
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
Directed by George Cukor
Starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart
The yacht that C. K. Dexter Haven designed and built and on which he and Tracy Lord spent their honeymoon. Dexter gives Tracy a scale model of the True Love as a wedding present, and the boat stands for their marriage.
The Marea scene Tracy holding the little model of the True Love and remembering the honeymoon.
On set Model and studio props. The same name reappears in the remake High Society (1956).
Photo: MGM, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Queen Conch Fictional
To Have and Have Not (1944)
Directed by Howard Hawks
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan
Harry Morgan charters out his fishing boat to tourists in Vichy controlled Martinique. He is drawn into helping the Free French by smuggling a resistance leader in the Queen Conch.
The Marea scene Harry at the Queen Conch's wheel at night, running without lights with a wounded passenger below.
On set Studio production.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Circe Fictional
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Directed by Orson Welles
Starring Rita Hayworth, Orson Welles, Everett Sloane
Michael O'Hara signs on as a sailor aboard the yacht of the lawyer Arthur Bannister and his wife Elsa, cruising from New York to San Francisco via Acapulco. On board he is drawn into a murder plot.
The Marea scene Elsa sunbathing on the Circe's deck as Michael watches from the rigging.
On set Errol Flynn's schooner Zaca (USS Zaca IX-73); Flynn skippered between takes and appears in one scene.
Photo: Donan Raven, CC BY-SA 3.0
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Santana Fictional
Key Largo (1948)
Directed by John Huston
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Lauren Bacall, Lionel Barrymore
Gangster Johnny Rocco forces Frank McCloud to take him to Cuba aboard the Santana after the hurricane. At sea McCloud turns on Rocco's men.
The Marea scene McCloud on the Santana's cabin roof, gun in hand, as Rocco cowers in the wheelhouse.
On set The boat name was also that of Bogart's own 55 ft sailing yacht Santana.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
True Love Fictional
High Society (1956)
Directed by Charles Walters
Starring Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra
The yacht Dexter built and sailed with Tracy on their honeymoon, which inspires the Cole Porter song True Love. A model of the boat is Dexter's wedding gift.
The Marea scene Dexter and Tracy singing True Love side by side, the little yacht model between them.
On set Built as Venona II to a Malabar design; now an excursion boat on Seneca Lake at Watkins Glen, New York.
Photo: Loew's Inc, Public domain
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Houseboat on the Potomac Fictional
Houseboat (1958)
Directed by Melville Shavelson
Starring Cary Grant, Sophia Loren, Martha Hyer
A widowed lawyer and his three children move onto a ramshackle houseboat on the Potomac with their housekeeper, Cinzia. The leaky boat becomes the family home where they learn to live together.
The Marea scene The houseboat being hit by a passing train while Cary Grant stands on deck.
On set Studio and location sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Sailing yacht Fictional
Knife in the Water (1962)
Directed by Roman Polanski
Starring Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz
Andrzej and Krystyna invite a young hitchhiker to join them on a weekend sail. Rivalry between the two men escalates in the cramped yacht on the Masurian lakes.
The Marea scene The young man balancing on the bow with his knife while Andrzej glares from the tiller.
On set Filmed in the Masurian Lake District, Poland.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Swallow and Amazon Fictional
Swallows and Amazons (1974)
Directed by Claude Whatham
Starring Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser, Simon West, Sophie Neville
The Walker children sail the dinghy Swallow to an island in the Lake District and wage a friendly war with the Blackett sisters in the Amazon. The film was shot around Coniston Water and Derwentwater.
The Marea scene The four Walkers in Swallow tacking across the lake towards Wild Cat Island with the Amazon in pursuit.
On set Real dinghies used on location in the Lake District.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Fredo's fishing boat Fictional
The Godfather Part II (1974)
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Starring Al Pacino, John Cazale, Robert Duvall
Michael orders the death of his brother Fredo, who is taken fishing on Lake Tahoe by Al Neri and shot while saying a Hail Mary. Michael watches from the boathouse.
The Marea scene Fredo in the small boat saying a Hail Mary while Neri sits behind him in the grey light of the lake.
On set Filmed at the Fleur du Lac estate on Lake Tahoe.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Flying Wasp Fictional
Caddyshack (1980)
Directed by Harold Ramis
Starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight
Loud property developer Al Czervik's new motor boat. At the yacht club christening it rams the quay and swamps the moored boats, including Judge Smails's sailing boat.
The Marea scene Al Czervik at the wheel of his boat ploughing through the moored yachts while the club members scatter.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Santa Maria Fictional
The Truman Show (1998)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Jim Carrey, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich
Truman, who has been kept afraid of water all his life, sails away from Seahaven in a small sailing boat to escape his television world. The director Christof creates a storm to capsize him, but he sails on until the bow strikes the painted sky wall of the dome.
The Marea scene The boat's bow piercing the painted horizon wall and Truman stepping out onto the stairs to the exit.
On set Studio tank set.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Happenstance Fictional
Message in a Bottle (1999)
Directed by Luis Mandoki
Starring Kevin Costner, Robin Wright, Paul Newman
Garret Blake, a boat builder in North Carolina, restores the sailing boat Happenstance, which he and his late wife had planned together. He takes her out to sea in the final part of the film.
The Marea scene Garret at the tiller of the Happenstance under full sail off the Outer Banks.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Stugots Fictional
The Sopranos (1999)
Created by David Chase
Starring James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli
Tony Soprano's boat is a refuge and a meeting place. In the episode Funhouse, Tony, Silvio and Paulie kill the informer Big Pussy aboard it and dispose of his body at sea.
The Marea scene Tony, Silvio and Paulie facing Pussy in the cabin of the Stugots at sea.
On set Real boat used for filming.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Rowing boat at San Remo Fictional
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
Directed by Anthony Minghella
Starring Matt Damon, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Cate Blanchett
Tom Ripley and Dickie Greenleaf hire a small boat at San Remo, where Tom kills Dickie with an oar and scuttles the boat. Much of the film is set around Dickie's yachting life in Mongibello.
The Marea scene Tom and Dickie struggling in the small boat, an oar raised, the Riviera coast in the distance.
On set Filmed on Ischia and Procida (as Mongibello), Rome, Venice and Anzio.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Belafonte Fictional
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Directed by Wes Anderson
Starring Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Willem Dafoe
The R/V Belafonte is oceanographer Steve Zissou's ageing research ship, from which he hunts the jaguar shark that ate his partner. The film shows the ship in a famous cutaway set.
The Marea scene Team Zissou in red caps and blue suits on the Belafonte's bow, with the ship's cross section behind them.
On set Played by SAS Walvisbaai, ex HMS Packington, a Ton class minesweeper sold to Disney in 2003 and later converted to the private yacht Mojo.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Precious Gem Fictional
Fool's Gold (2008)
Directed by Andy Tennant
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Donald Sutherland
Nigel Honeycutt's luxury yacht serves as a base for the hunt for the Spanish treasure of the Queen's Dowry. Finn's own salvage boat is the Booty Call.
The Marea scene Finn and Tess arguing on the Precious Gem's swim platform with the Booty Call alongside.
On set A real yacht was used; filmed in Queensland, Australia.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Booty Call Fictional
Fool's Gold (2008)
Directed by Andy Tennant
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson
Finn's treasure hunting boat, which sinks early in the film, as he searches for the 1715 fleet galleon Queen's Dowry.
The Marea scene The Booty Call sinking at her mooring while Finn dives below.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Fernando Fictional
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd
Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård
Bill Anderson's yacht brings him, Sam and Harry to the Greek island of Kalokairi for Sophie's wedding. The boat features in the musical number Our Last Summer.
The Marea scene The three possible fathers singing on the Fernando's deck with Sophie as she sails along the island coast.
On set Played by the ketch Tai-Mo-Shan, built in 1934 at the Hong Kong and Whampoa dockyards. Filmed on Skopelos and Skiathos.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Honor, Ohana, Eros, Valor, My Seanna Real ship
Below Deck (2013)
Created by 51 Minds Entertainment (Mark Cronin)
Starring Captain Lee Rosbach, Captain Kerry Titheradge
A reality series following the crew of a charter superyacht through a season of demanding guests. The yacht changes from season to season.
The Marea scene The crew lined up on the swim platform in uniform to welcome the charter guests.
On set Real charter yachts, including Honor (ex Cuor di Leone), Ohana, Eros, Valor and My Seanna.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Naomi Real ship
The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
Jordan Belfort's yacht, named after his wife, is taken into a Mediterranean storm on his orders so that he can reach Monaco. She capsizes and sinks and the guests are rescued.
The Marea scene Jordan on the Naomi's sundeck in the storm, waves breaking over the bow, as a rescue helicopter approaches.
On set Played by the 147 ft Intermarine yacht Lady M (2002). Based on Belfort's real yacht Nadine.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
HMY Britannia Real ship
The Crown (2016)
Created by Peter Morgan
Starring Imelda Staunton, Jonathan Pryce, Claire Foy, Olivia Colman
Season five opens with Elizabeth launching Britannia in 1953 and ends with her decommissioning in 1997. The ageing yacht serves as a metaphor for the monarchy itself.
The Marea scene The Queen alone on Britannia's deck for a private farewell before the decommissioning.
On set Real yacht built by John Brown & Company, Clydebank, launched 1953, now a museum ship at Leith, Edinburgh.
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Young Bill's sailboat Fictional
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (2018)
Directed by Ol Parker
Starring Lily James, Josh Dylan, Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan
In the 1979 flashbacks, young Bill gives Donna a lift in his sailboat after she misses the ferry to Kalokairi. They help a stranded fisherman on the way.
The Marea scene Young Donna dancing on the foredeck while Bill steers towards the island.
On set Filmed on the Croatian island of Vis and at Shepperton Studios.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Logan Roy's yacht Fictional
Succession (2019)
Created by Jesse Armstrong
Starring Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin
In the season two finale This Is Not for Tears, the Roy family gather on a superyacht off Croatia to choose a scapegoat for the cruise line scandal. Director Mark Mylod called it the ultimate gilded cage.
The Marea scene The Roy siblings lined up on the yacht's aft deck while Logan decides who will be sacrificed.
On set Filmed aboard the 279 ft superyacht Solandge (launched 2013) off Cavtat, Croatia.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Planet Nine Real ship
Tenet (2020)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh
Andrei Sator's superyacht, moored off the Amalfi Coast, is where the Protagonist gets close to Sator through his wife Kat. A helicopter lands on the yacht during filming.
The Marea scene Kat diving from the stern of the superyacht while Sator watches from the deck.
On set The superyacht Planet Nine was used for filming; an F50 foiling catamaran was also recorded for the race sequence.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
F50 catamaran Real ship
Tenet (2020)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring John David Washington, Kenneth Branagh, Elizabeth Debicki
Sator races catamarans off Italy, and the Protagonist saves him when he falls overboard in the race, winning his trust.
The Marea scene The F50 flying on its foils as Sator is thrown overboard.
On set F50 catamarans were used; recordings were made in Southampton.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Launch to Miles Bron's island Fictional
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
Directed by Rian Johnson
Starring Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson
Miles Bron's guests are ferried by boat to his private Greek island for a murder mystery weekend. Benoit Blanc arrives uninvited among them.
The Marea scene The guests in masks on the boat as the glass onion dome rises on the island ahead.
On set Filmed on Spetses and at Porto Heli, Greece.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Quentin's yacht Fictional
The White Lotus (2022)
Created by Mike White
Starring Jennifer Coolidge, Tom Hollander, Jon Gries
In the season two finale Arrivederci, Tanya realises that Quentin and his friends plan to kill her aboard his yacht. She shoots them and drowns trying to leave the boat.
The Marea scene Tanya in a gown with a pistol on the yacht's deck off Taormina, the bodies around her.
On set Filmed in Sicily.
Photo: Wikipedia
Thrillers, Yachts, Bond and TV · Yachts and superyachts
Small boat at Sanremo Fictional
Ripley (2024)
Created by Steven Zaillian
Starring Andrew Scott, Johnny Flynn, Dakota Fanning
In the episode Sommerso, Tom and Dickie hire a small boat at Sanremo, where Tom beats Dickie to death with an oar. Tom ties the body to the anchor and almost drowns disposing of it.
The Marea scene Tom tangled in the anchor rope as the black and white sea closes over him.
On set Studio and location filming in Italy.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Mickey's steamboat (Willie) Fictional
Steamboat Willie (1928)
Directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks
Starring Walt Disney (voices)
Mickey Mouse pilots a river paddle steamer, whistling, until Captain Pete throws him off the bridge. After a stop at Podunk Landing to load livestock, Mickey turns the cargo into musical instruments and is punished by peeling potatoes.
The Marea scene Mickey at the wheel of the steamboat, whistling and sounding its whistles.
On set Hand drawn animation; fictional boat.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Monstro and Geppetto's boat Fictional
Pinocchio (1940)
Directed by Ben Sharpsteen and Hamilton Luske (supervising)
Starring Dickie Jones (Pinocchio), Cliff Edwards (Jiminy Cricket), Christian Rub (Geppetto)
Geppetto sets out to sea in his little boat to look for Pinocchio and is swallowed, boat and all, by the giant whale Monstro. Pinocchio finds him inside, and they escape on a raft that the enraged whale smashes.
The Marea scene Geppetto fishing from his boat inside Monstro's belly, with Figaro and Cleo beside him.
On set Hand drawn animation; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Jolly Roger Fictional
Peter Pan (1953)
Directed by Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi and Wilfred Jackson
Starring Bobby Driscoll (Peter Pan), Hans Conried (Captain Hook), Kathryn Beaumont (Wendy), Bill Thompson (Mr. Smee)
The Jolly Roger is Captain Hook's ship, anchored in a Never Land cove. The climactic fight between Peter and Hook takes place aboard, after which Peter and the children sprinkle it with pixie dust and sail it through the sky back to London.
The Marea scene The golden, pixie dusted Jolly Roger sailing across the moon over London.
On set Hand drawn animation; fictional ship.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Black Pig Fictional
Captain Pugwash (1957)
Created by John Ryan
Starring Peter Hawkins (all voices, 1957 to 1975 series)
The Black Pig is the ship of the pompous and cowardly Captain Horatio Pugwash, crewed by Master Mate, Barnabas, Willy and the capable cabin boy Tom. Pugwash's schemes are usually foiled or rescued by Tom, while the rival Cut-Throat Jake sails the Flying Dustman.
The Marea scene Captain Pugwash on the poop deck of the Black Pig, telescope in hand, while Tom quietly steers.
On set Cut paper animation; fictional ship. First appeared in the Eagle comic in 1950.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Stingray Fictional
Stingray (1964)
Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (AP Films)
Starring Don Mason (Troy Tempest), Robert Easton (Phones), Ray Barrett (Commander Shore)
Stingray is the flagship submarine of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol, based at Marineville in the 2060s. Captain Troy Tempest, Phones and the mute Marina patrol the oceans against King Titan and his Aquaphibians in their Mechanical Fish.
The Marea scene Stingray breaking the surface in a burst of spray with Troy Tempest at the controls.
On set Filming miniatures; the first British TV series made entirely in colour.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Thunderbird 4 Fictional
Thunderbirds (1965)
Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (AP Films)
Starring David Graham (Gordon Tracy), Peter Dyneley (Jeff Tracy), Shane Rimmer (Scott Tracy), Sylvia Anderson (Lady Penelope)
Thunderbird 4 is International Rescue's small yellow submarine, piloted by Gordon Tracy and usually carried to rescue sites in one of Thunderbird 2's pods. It handles underwater rescues and salvage work.
The Marea scene Thunderbird 4 sliding down the ramp from Thunderbird 2's pod into the sea.
On set Filming miniatures in Supermarionation puppet series.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Numerobis's Nile barges and Cleopatra's luxury ship Fictional
Asterix and Cleopatra (1968)
Directed by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Starring Roger Carel (Asterix), Jacques Morel (Obelix), Micheline Dax (Cleopatra)
On the way to Egypt the Gauls board and scuttle a pirate ship, then sail a fleet up the Nile to fetch stone for Cleopatra's palace. Pirates hired by Amonbofis attack the fleet on its return, and the Gauls are finally escorted home aboard Cleopatra's luxury ship.
The Marea scene Asterix and Obelix leaping aboard the pirate ship from Numerobis's boat as the pirates dive overboard.
On set Traditional animation; fictional vessels.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Prince Eric's ship Fictional
The Little Mermaid (1989)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
Starring Jodi Benson (Ariel), Christopher Daniel Barnes (Prince Eric), Pat Carroll (Ursula), Samuel E. Wright (Sebastian)
Ariel first sees Prince Eric at his birthday celebration aboard his ship. A storm sets the ship ablaze and wrecks it, and Ariel rescues Eric and carries him to shore, which begins the story.
The Marea scene Ariel peeping over the rail as Eric's crew celebrate his birthday with fireworks on deck.
On set Hand drawn animation; fictional ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The Unicorn, Karaboudjan, Aurora, Sirius, Ramona and other Tintin ships Fictional
The Adventures of Tintin (TV series) (1991)
Created by Stéphane Bernasconi (Ellipse and Nelvana)
Starring Colin O'Meara (Tintin, English), David Fox (Haddock, English), Thierry Wermuth (Tintin, French), Christian Pelissier (Haddock, French)
The 39 episode Franco Canadian series adapted the albums closely from Hergé's own panels, so the Karaboudjan, Aurora, Sirius, Ramona and the flashback Unicorn all appear much as drawn in the books. It is the most faithful screen version of Hergé's ships.
The Marea scene The Aurora ploughing through Arctic ice with Tintin and Snowy at the bow.
On set Traditional cel animation; fictional ships.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The Wraith Fictional
The Pirates of Dark Water (1991)
Created by David Kirschner (Hanna-Barbera)
Starring George Newbern (Ren), Jodi Benson (Tula), Héctor Elizondo (Ioz), Brock Peters (Bloth)
The Wraith carries the young prince Ren and his crew across the world of Mer in search of the Thirteen Treasures of Rule that can stop the Dark Water. It is pursued by Bloth's Maelstrom, a warship built from leviathan carcasses.
The Marea scene Ren at the Wraith's helm as Bloth's fossil like Maelstrom looms out of the dark sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Clayton's ship Fictional
Tarzan (1999)
Directed by Kevin Lima and Chris Buck
Starring Tony Goldwyn (Tarzan), Minnie Driver (Jane), Glenn Close (Kala), Brian Blessed (Clayton)
The Porter expedition arrives in Africa by ship, and at the climax the traitor Clayton imprisons Tarzan and the Porters on board while his men cage the gorillas to sell. The film opens with Tarzan's human parents escaping a burning shipwreck.
The Marea scene Tarzan, Terk and Tantor bursting aboard Clayton's ship to free Jane and the Porters.
On set Hand drawn animation (Deep Canvas); fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The old man's skiff Fictional
The Old Man and the Sea (1999)
Directed by Aleksandr Petrov
Starring Gordon Pinsent (voice of the Old Man, English)
Petrov's 20 minute paint on glass film follows Hemingway's old Cuban fisherman Santiago, who takes his skiff far out and hooks a giant marlin. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short in 2000.
The Marea scene Santiago in his skiff, the marlin lashed alongside, as sharks close in.
On set Paint on glass animation filmed in IMAX in Yaroslavl and Montreal; fictional skiff.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Cortés's ship and the El Dorado boat Fictional
The Road to El Dorado (2000)
Directed by Eric Bergeron and Don Paul
Starring Kevin Kline (Tulio), Kenneth Branagh (Miguel), Rosie Perez (Chel), Armand Assante (Tzekel-Kan)
Tulio and Miguel stow away aboard Cortés's ship, escape with the horse Altivo in a rowing boat and reach El Dorado. At the climax they sail their boat into the stone pillars beneath the waterfall to block the city's entrance from Cortés.
The Marea scene Tulio and Miguel sharing a rowing boat with Altivo the horse on the open sea.
On set Traditional animation; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Ulysses Fictional
Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise
Starring Michael J. Fox (Milo Thatch), James Garner (Rourke), Cree Summer (Kida), Leonard Nimoy (King Kashekim)
The Ulysses carries Milo Thatch and Rourke's expedition in search of Atlantis. The mechanical Leviathan destroys it near the entrance to the city, killing most of the crew, and the survivors carry on in sub pods.
The Marea scene The Ulysses launching from its dock with its sub pods clustered beneath.
On set Hand drawn and CGI; designed on paper by Matt Codd and Jim Martin, with a scale model built by Greg Aronowitz for reference; production design influenced by Mike Mignola.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
RLS Legacy Fictional
Treasure Planet (2002)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
Starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Jim Hawkins), Brian Murray (Long John Silver), Emma Thompson (Captain Amelia), David Hyde Pierce (Doppler)
The RLS Legacy is Captain Amelia's solar powered galleon, an 18th century ship sailing through space, which carries Jim Hawkins to Treasure Planet. It survives a supernova and a black hole before Silver's crew mutinies.
The Marea scene Jim Hawkins clinging to the rigging of the RLS Legacy as the supernova's shockwave hits.
On set Hand drawn characters on CGI environments; fictional ship designed on the 70 per cent traditional, 30 per cent sci fi rule, named after Robert Louis Stevenson.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Dive boat of the dentist P. Sherman Fictional
Finding Nemo (2003)
Directed by Andrew Stanton
Starring Albert Brooks (Marlin), Ellen DeGeneres (Dory), Alexander Gould (Nemo), Willem Dafoe (Gill)
Nemo swims out to touch the hull of a dive boat and is caught by a diver, a Sydney dentist, who takes him away in the boat. A diving mask that falls from the boat gives Marlin the address that starts his search.
The Marea scene Marlin chasing the departing boat's wake as the diving mask drifts down.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Sinbad's ship Fictional
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
Directed by Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore
Starring Brad Pitt (Sinbad), Catherine Zeta-Jones (Marina), Michelle Pfeiffer (Eris), Joseph Fiennes (Proteus)
Sinbad and his crew, with Marina aboard, sail to the edge of the world to recover the Book of Peace from Eris. The ship is attacked by the sea monster Cetus, lured by sirens and menaced by a giant roc.
The Marea scene Marina at the helm steering Sinbad's ship through the sirens while the enchanted crew stand frozen.
On set Traditional and computer animation; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Cargo ship to Kenya Fictional
Madagascar (2005)
Directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath
Starring Ben Stiller (Alex), Chris Rock (Marty), David Schwimmer (Melman), Jada Pinkett Smith (Gloria)
The zoo animals are shipped in crates to a reserve in Kenya. The penguins break out, hijack the ship and set course for Antarctica, causing the crates holding Alex and his friends to fall overboard and wash up on Madagascar.
The Marea scene The penguins on the bridge, Skipper at the wheel, as the crates tumble off the stern.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Viking longship Fictional
Asterix and the Vikings (2006)
Directed by Stefan Fjeldmark and Jesper Møller
Starring Roger Carel (Asterix, French), Jacques Frantz (Obelix, French), Paul Giamatti (Asterix, English), Brad Garrett (Obelix, English)
The Vikings of chief Timandahaf sail their longship to Gaul looking for a Champion of Fear who can teach them to fly. They kidnap the timid Justforkix and carry him back to the north, so Asterix and Obelix sail after them to Norway.
The Marea scene Viking warriors rowing their dragon prowed longship onto the beach below the Gaulish village.
On set Traditional animation; fictional ship based on Viking longships.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Jammy Dodger Fictional
Flushed Away (2006)
Directed by David Bowers and Sam Fell
Starring Hugh Jackman (Roddy), Kate Winslet (Rita), Ian McKellen (The Toad), Jean Reno (Le Frog)
The Jammy Dodger is the boat Rita uses to scavenge in the sewers of London's rat city. She and Roddy flee the Toad's henchmen in it, and it is wrecked during Le Frog's attack.
The Marea scene Rita at the wheel of the Jammy Dodger dodging pursuers through a sewer tunnel with Roddy clinging on.
On set CGI designed to look like Aardman clay animation; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Ship to Worcestershire Fictional
Shrek the Third (2007)
Directed by Chris Miller and Raman Hui
Starring Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona), Eddie Murphy (Donkey), Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots), Justin Timberlake (Artie)
Shrek, Donkey and Puss sail to Worcestershire Academy to fetch Fiona's cousin Artie as heir to Far Far Away, and Fiona reveals she is pregnant as they leave. On the way back Artie tries to take control of the ship and it is wrecked on a remote island.
The Marea scene Shrek at the ship's rail as Fiona calls out from the dock that she is pregnant.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Viking fleet Fictional
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois
Starring Jay Baruchel (Hiccup), Gerard Butler (Stoick), America Ferrera (Astrid)
Stoick leads the Viking fleet of Berk through the fog to find the dragons' nest, using the captured Toothless as a guide. The ships are set ablaze when the giant Red Death emerges, and Hiccup and the young riders fly in to save them.
The Marea scene The Viking longships burning on the shore of the dragons' island as the Red Death rises.
On set CGI; fictional Viking style ships.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Bucky and the Jolly Roger Fictional
Jake and the Never Land Pirates (2011)
Created by Bobs Gannaway
Starring Colin Ford (Jake), Cameron Boyce (Jake), Corey Burton (Captain Hook), Jeff Bennett (Mr. Smee)
Jake and his crew sail Bucky, a small living pirate ship that listens to their orders, around Never Land. Their rival Captain Hook commands the much bigger Jolly Roger, which is not alive.
The Marea scene Jake at Bucky's wheel racing Hook's Jolly Roger to a treasure island.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The Unicorn (and its model) Fictional
The Adventures of Tintin (The Secret of the Unicorn) (2011)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Jamie Bell (Tintin), Andy Serkis (Captain Haddock and Sir Francis Haddock), Daniel Craig (Sakharine)
Tintin buys a model of the Unicorn at a market, and the parchment hidden in its mast sets off a race with Sakharine. In a flashback, Sir Francis Haddock fights Red Rackham and scuttles the real Unicorn to keep its treasure from the pirates.
The Marea scene Sir Francis Haddock and Red Rackham duelling on the Unicorn's deck as the two ships lock together in a storm.
On set Performance capture animation (Weta Digital); fictional ship based on Hergé's design derived from Le Brillant.
Photo: Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 fr
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
SS Karaboudjan Fictional
The Adventures of Tintin (The Secret of the Unicorn) (2011)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Jamie Bell (Tintin), Andy Serkis (Captain Haddock), Daniel Craig (Sakharine)
Tintin is kidnapped and held aboard the Karaboudjan, whose crew Sakharine has turned against Captain Haddock. Tintin, Haddock and Snowy escape in a lifeboat, which ends upside down after Haddock's whisky mishap.
The Marea scene Tintin, Haddock and Snowy lowering the lifeboat from the Karaboudjan's davits under fire.
On set Performance capture animation; fictional ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Captain Gutt's ice ship Fictional
Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012)
Directed by Steve Martino and Mike Thurmeier
Starring Ray Romano (Manny), John Leguizamo (Sid), Denis Leary (Diego), Peter Dinklage (Captain Gutt), Jennifer Lopez (Shira)
Separated from his family by continental drift, Manny drifts on an iceberg with Sid, Diego and Granny and meets Captain Gutt's pirate crew in a ship made of ice. The herd escapes and wrecks it, and Gutt builds another to pursue them.
The Marea scene Captain Gutt, the ape, standing at the icy prow of his ship as the herd's iceberg raft approaches.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Pirate Captain's ship and Queen Victoria's flagship QV1 Fictional
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists! (US: The Pirates! Band of Misfits) (2012)
Directed by Peter Lord
Starring Hugh Grant (Pirate Captain), Martin Freeman (Pirate with a Scarf), David Tennant (Charles Darwin), Imelda Staunton (Queen Victoria)
The Pirate Captain sails his ship in pursuit of the Pirate of the Year award and meets Charles Darwin, who realises the crew's parrot Polly is a dodo. The story climaxes against Queen Victoria aboard her flagship, the QV1.
The Marea scene The Pirate Captain on his quarterdeck with the Pirate with a Scarf, the ship's hull stuffed with ham.
On set Stop motion model by Aardman, combined with CGI sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Lighthouse island and the mainland ferry Fictional
Song of the Sea (2014)
Directed by Tomm Moore (Cartoon Saloon)
Starring David Rawle (Ben), Brendan Gleeson (Conor and Mac Lir), Fionnula Flanagan (Granny and Macha), Lisa Hannigan (Bronagh)
Ben and his selkie sister Saoirse live with their father Conor, a lighthouse keeper on an island off the north west coast of Ireland in 1981. Their grandmother takes them by ferry to Dublin, and Saoirse must recover her seal coat from the sea to survive.
The Marea scene Saoirse in her white seal form swimming beside the island lighthouse at night.
On set Hand drawn; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Leaf boat Fictional
Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)
Directed by Travis Knight
Starring Art Parkinson (Kubo), Charlize Theron (Monkey), Matthew McConaughey (Beetle), Ralph Fiennes (Moon King)
Kubo uses his magic shamisen to fold a sailing boat out of leaves so he, Monkey and Beetle can cross the sea in search of the magic armour. On the voyage Kubo dives below and meets the Garden of Eyes.
The Marea scene Monkey and Beetle on the leaf boat's deck as Kubo plays his shamisen to fill its sail.
On set Stop motion by Laika; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Moana's canoe Fictional
Moana (French: Vaiana) (2016)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
Starring Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), Dwayne Johnson (Maui), Rachel House (Tala), Temuera Morrison (Tui)
Moana sets out alone in a small outrigger canoe to find the demigod Maui and restore the heart of Te Fiti, and learns to wayfind on the way. She also finds her ancestors' great voyaging canoes hidden in a cave, revealing her people were once voyagers. In France and several other countries the film is titled Vaiana.
The Marea scene Moana at the steering paddle of her canoe with Maui on the outrigger and Heihei at the bow.
On set CGI; design follows the traditional Fijian camakau, which Fijian boatbuilders said was used without permission; the ancestral double hulled canoes recall the Fijian drua. The Oceanic Story Trust advised the filmmakers.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Kakamora ships Fictional
Moana (French: Vaiana) (2016)
Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements
Starring Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), Dwayne Johnson (Maui)
The Kakamora, small pirates in coconut armour, attack Moana and Maui from a fleet of boats that join together into a huge floating fortress. They steal the heart of Te Fiti and Moana has to board their ship to recover it.
The Marea scene Moana running along a rope between Kakamora ships as coconut armoured pirates close in.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The castaway's raft Fictional
The Red Turtle (2016)
Directed by Michaël Dudok de Wit
A shipwrecked man builds rafts to escape a desert island, and each one is destroyed from below by a giant red turtle. The turtle becomes a woman and they raise a son, who later swims away with the turtles.
The Marea scene The castaway on his half built bamboo raft as the red turtle rises beside it.
On set Hand drawn; fictional. Co-produced by Studio Ghibli and Wild Bunch.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The Legacy Fictional
Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)
Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky
Starring Adam Sandler (Dracula), Selena Gomez (Mavis), Andy Samberg (Johnny), Kathryn Hahn (Ericka Van Helsing)
Dracula and his monster family take a holiday on the monster cruise ship Legacy, captained by Ericka, who is secretly Van Helsing's great granddaughter. The cruise heads for the lost city of Atlantis, where Van Helsing tries to use the Kraken against the monsters.
The Marea scene Dracula and Captain Ericka dancing on the Legacy's deck as the Kraken rises beside the ship.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Arendelle royal ship (wreck) Fictional
Frozen II (2019)
Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Starring Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa), Josh Gad (Olaf), Jonathan Groff (Kristoff)
Anna and Elsa's parents were lost at sea in the first film. In Frozen II the sisters find the wreck of their parents' ship, with a map showing they were sailing for Ahtohallan to learn the truth about Elsa's powers.
The Marea scene Anna and Elsa standing inside the broken hull of their parents' wrecked ship.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Massimo's fishing boat Fictional
Luca (2021)
Directed by Enrico Casarosa
Starring Jacob Tremblay (Luca), Jack Dylan Grazer (Alberto), Emma Berman (Giulia), Saverio Raimondo (Ercole)
Giulia's father Massimo is a fisherman in the Riviera town of Portorosso, and Luca and Alberto help him on his boat while hiding that they are sea monsters. Fishing culture and the harbour are central to the story.
The Marea scene Luca and Alberto hauling Massimo's nets in the small boat, trying not to get wet.
On set CGI; Portorosso inspired by the Cinque Terre and the Italian Riviera.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Boun's Shrimporium boat Fictional
Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada
Starring Kelly Marie Tran (Raya), Awkwafina (Sisu), Izaac Wang (Boun), Gemma Chan (Namaari)
Boun, a ten year old from Tail, runs a floating restaurant boat that becomes Raya and Sisu's transport along the dragon shaped river through the lands of Kumandra.
The Marea scene Boun cooking shrimp congee at his boat's stove while Sisu leans over the rail.
On set CGI; fictional, inspired by Southeast Asian river boats.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The Inevitable Fictional
The Sea Beast (2022)
Directed by Chris Williams
Starring Karl Urban (Jacob Holland), Zaris-Angel Hator (Maisie), Jared Harris (Captain Crow), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Sarah Sharpe)
The Inevitable is the hunting ship of Captain Crow, who is set on killing the great beast called the Red Bluster. The stowaway Maisie and the boatswain Jacob come to realise the creature is gentle.
The Marea scene Captain Crow at the bow of the Inevitable, harpoons ready, as the Red Bluster surfaces.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Prince Eric's ship Fictional
The Little Mermaid (2023)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Starring Halle Bailey (Ariel), Jonah Hauer-King (Prince Eric), Melissa McCarthy (Ursula), Javier Bardem (King Triton)
As in the original, Ariel watches Eric aboard his ship and saves him when a storm drives it onto rocks. In the finale Ariel commandeers a wrecked ship and impales Ursula with its splintered bowsprit.
The Marea scene Ariel steering a wrecked ship's bowsprit into the giant Ursula in the storm.
On set Physical ship set built at Pinewood Studios, England (seen in leaked aerial photos); additional filming in Sardinia.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Moana's voyaging canoe and the Kakamora Fictional
Moana 2 (2024)
Directed by David Derrick Jr., Jason Hand and Dana Ledoux Miller
Starring Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), Dwayne Johnson (Maui), Temuera Morrison (Tui), Alan Tudyk (Heihei)
Moana sails with a new crew, Moni the historian, Loto the craftswoman and old Kele the farmer, to find the sunken island of Motufetu and break the curse of the storm god Nalo. The Kakamora return, and the crew faces a giant clam and Nalo's storms.
The Marea scene Moana's crew on the deck of their canoe, Loto adjusting the rigging, as Kakamora boats close in.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Tevake (talk), Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
The Flying Dutchman's ghost ship Fictional
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants (2025)
Directed by Derek Drymon
Starring Tom Kenny (SpongeBob), Bill Fagerbakke (Patrick), Mark Hamill (The Flying Dutchman), Clancy Brown (Mr. Krabs)
SpongeBob sets out to prove his bravery and ends up caught up in the scheme of the Flying Dutchman, the ghostly pirate of the TV series, and must break his curse. The Dutchman's ship is a recurring vessel in SpongeBob SquarePants.
The Marea scene SpongeBob and Patrick on the misty deck of the Flying Dutchman's ghost ship.
On set CGI; fictional, based on the Flying Dutchman legend.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated films
Moana's canoe Fictional
Moana (live action) (2026)
Directed by Thomas Kail
Starring Catherine Lagaʻaia (Moana), Dwayne Johnson (Maui), Rena Owen (Tala), John Tui (Tui)
The live action remake retells Moana's voyage in her camakau to find Maui and restore the heart of Te Fiti.
The Marea scene Moana pushing her canoe off the reef into open ocean.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated series
Jolly Roger Fictional
Peter Pan & the Pirates (1990)
Created by Fox Children's Productions, Southern Star, TMS
Starring Tim Curry, Jason Marsden, Debi Derryberry
Captain Hook's ship is his base in Fox's animated retelling of J. M. Barrie's story, with Tim Curry's Hook forever plotting against Peter.
The Marea scene Tim Curry's Hook raging on the Jolly Roger's quarterdeck as Peter flies off with his hat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Animated series
Zuko's ship Fictional
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005)
Created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko
Starring Dante Basco, Zach Tyler Eisen, Mako
The banished Prince Zuko and his uncle Iroh pursue Aang across the seas in a Fire Nation vessel throughout Book One. The ship is later destroyed in an explosion.
The Marea scene Zuko standing at the bow of his ship firing a flare into the sky over the South Pole while Iroh sips tea behind him.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Children's television
Ten Cents Fictional
TUGS (1989)
Created by Robert D. Cardona and David Mitton
Narrated by Patrick Allen as Captain Star
Set in the 1920s port of Bigg City, TUGS follows the Star Fleet tugs, led by switcher Ten Cents and his friends Big Mac, OJ, Top Hat and Warrior, in their rivalry with the Z Stacks.
The Marea scene Ten Cents bustling between two big ships in the fog while the Star Fleet whistles for help.
On set Live action models filmed at eye level with the Clearwater periscope lens; long presumed destroyed, the original models were found and bought by fans in 2012 and are shown at TUGS: The Exhibition, Butterley station, Derbyshire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Children's television
Zorran Fictional
TUGS (1989)
Created by Robert D. Cardona and David Mitton
Narrated by Patrick Allen
Zorran is the leader of the scheming Z Stacks, rivals of the Star Fleet who try to steal their work in the harbour of Bigg City.
The Marea scene Zorran and Zebedee barging in to snatch a tow from under Ten Cents's bow.
On set Original model held by TUGS: The Exhibition.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Children's television
Bulstrode Fictional
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (1991)
Created by Britt Allcroft, David Mitton (director)
Narrated by Ringo Starr / Michael Angelis
Bulstrode is a grumpy barge at the harbour who constantly complains about slow loading, until Percy accidentally pushes stone trucks into his hold. Holed and beached, he ends up as a children's play area on the sand.
The Marea scene Percy's trucks tumbling off the quay into Bulstrode's hold as the barge bellows in outrage.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Children's television
Theodore Fictional
Theodore Tugboat (1993)
Created by Andrew Cochran
Narrated by Denny Doherty
Theodore is a small, friendly tugboat in the Big Harbour, modelled on Halifax, who learns a lesson in each episode while helping the ships around him.
The Marea scene Theodore, red cap on his funnel, nudging a big container ship into her berth in the Big Harbour.
On set Radio controlled models filmed in a water filled gymnasium; the original models are displayed at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, Halifax.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Children's television
Octopod Fictional
Octonauts (2010)
Created by Meomi (Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy); Brown Bag Films
Starring Simon Greenall, Rob Rackstraw, Teresa Gallagher, Keith Wickham
The Octopod is the Octonauts' mobile undersea home base, from which Captain Barnacles and his crew set out to explore and rescue sea creatures.
The Marea scene Captain Barnacles sounding the Octo alert as the crew slide down the Octopod's tubes into the launch bay.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Children's television
GUP-A Fictional
Octonauts (2010)
Created by Meomi (Vicki Wong and Michael C. Murphy); Brown Bag Films
Starring Simon Greenall, Rob Rackstraw, Teresa Gallagher
The Gups are the Octonauts' fleet of vehicles, each modelled on a sea creature; the GUP-A, based on an anglerfish, is the workhorse submarine used on many missions.
The Marea scene Kwazii and Peso in the GUP-A, headlight glowing, as they descend into a dark ocean trench.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Father Noah's Ark Fictional
Father Noah's Ark (1933)
Directed by Wilfred Jackson
A Silly Symphony retelling the Genesis flood. Noah and his sons build the ark while the animals board two by two before the storm, and after forty days a dove returns with an olive branch.
The Marea scene The animals file up the gangplank two by two as the first storm clouds gather over the ark.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Edward Hicks, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Captain Pete's ship Fictional
Shanghaied (1934)
Directed by Burt Gillett
Starring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pete
Pete, captain of a rough sailing ship, holds Mickey and Minnie captive aboard. Mickey frees himself and fights Pete and his crew all over the ship until he takes it over.
The Marea scene Mickey swings through the rigging to fight Pete on the deck while Minnie is tied to the mast.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Ub Iwerks, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Popeye's ship Fictional
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936)
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Starring Popeye, Olive Oyl, Wimpy, Sindbad (Bluto)
The first of Fleischer's three colour two reel Popeye specials. Popeye sails past Sindbad's island singing, with Olive and Wimpy aboard, and Sindbad's giant roc wrecks the ship so they must swim ashore. Popeye then beats Sindbad's monsters with spinach.
The Marea scene The giant roc swoops down on Popeye's little ship as Olive Oyl and Wimpy cling to the rail.
On set Hand drawn with Fleischer 3D setback backgrounds.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Queen Minnie Fictional
Boat Builders (1938)
Directed by Ben Sharpsteen
Starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse
Mickey, Donald and Goofy assemble the Queen Minnie from a mail order kit, with the mast shooting skyward and planks springing loose. Goofy falls for the mermaid figurehead. When Minnie christens the finished boat with a champagne bottle, the whole vessel falls apart.
The Marea scene Minnie swings the champagne bottle at the bow of the freshly painted Queen Minnie while Mickey, Donald and Goofy stand proudly on deck.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Mickey, Donald and Goofy's whaling ship Fictional
The Whalers (1938)
Directed by Dick Huemer
Starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy
The trio set out on a whaling expedition in an old sailing ship. Goofy tries to harpoon a sleeping whale but launches the anchor instead and ends up inside the whale's mouth. The furious whale chases Donald back to the ship and smashes it to pieces.
The Marea scene Goofy stands in the bow with a harpoon aimed at a sleeping whale while Donald fights off seagulls stealing his lunch on deck.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Admiral Donald's ship Fictional
Sea Scouts (1939)
Directed by Dick Lundy
Starring Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie (voices by Clarence Nash)
Donald plays admiral to his three nephews aboard a large sailing ship they row out to in a small boat. Their bungled orders sink the ship while raising the anchor and snap a mast, and a shark hunts Donald until he punches it on the nose.
The Marea scene Donald in an admiral's hat is caught in the shark's jaws, saved only by the lifebuoy wedged between its teeth, beside the ship's hull.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Sea-Goin' Sam's pirate ship Fictional
Buccaneer Bunny (1948)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Starring Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam (as Sea-Goin' Sam), voices by Mel Blanc
Pirate Sam buries his treasure right by Bugs's rabbit hole, and the chase moves aboard his ship. Bugs disguises himself and tricks Sam into lighting cannon after cannon in the hold.
The Marea scene Bugs, dressed as a parrot, perches on the rail as Sam stoops over a smoking cannon hatch.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Little Toot Fictional
Little Toot (segment of Melody Time) (1948)
Directed by Clyde Geronimi; book by Hardie Gramatky (1939)
Starring The Andrews Sisters (narration in song)
A young New York harbour tug, son of Big Toot, prefers play to work and causes an ocean liner to crash into Manhattan, so he is banished. He redeems himself by rescuing a grounded liner out at sea in a storm. Based on Hardie Gramatky's 1939 picture book.
The Marea scene Tiny Little Toot puffs through huge storm waves with a tow line taut to the stranded ocean liner.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Classic animated shorts
Bugs's trading ship and Sam's pirate ship Fictional
Captain Hareblower (1954)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Starring Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, voices by Mel Blanc
Pirate Sam tries to seize a trading ship on which Bugs is the only one aboard among the cargo of carrots. The fight escalates with cannons, dynamite and diving suits, and ends with both ships blown up.
The Marea scene The two ships lie broadside to broadside as Bugs and Sam trade cannon fire across the gap.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
Viking ships of Prince Valiant Fictional
Prince Valiant (1937)
Written by Hal Foster
Screen adaptations Adapted as films Prince Valiant (1954) and (1997)
Hal Foster's Sunday strip sends Val, prince of Thule, on voyages to the Mediterranean and to North America aboard Norse longships, drawn in great detail.
The Marea scene Val standing at the prow of a longship with sword raised as it nears a new coast.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier Fictional
Strange Tales #135 and The Avengers (1965)
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby; film directed by Joss Whedon
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s mobile headquarters, an aircraft carrier kept aloft by giant rotors, created by Jack Kirby. On screen it rises from the sea in The Avengers, and three enhanced Helicarriers are the threat in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
The Marea scene The Helicarrier lifting out of the ocean, water cascading from its turbines, as in The Avengers.
On set CGI by Industrial Light and Magic, design by Nathan Schroeder.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
Hägar's longship Fictional
Hägar the Horrible (1973)
Written by Dik Browne (later Chris Browne)
Screen adaptations Adapted as the TV special Hägar the Horrible: Hägar Knows Best (1989, Hanna-Barbera)
Hägar and his crew, with the hapless Lucky Eddie as first mate, sail their longship on raids to England and France. The ship is the setting for many of the strip's gags.
The Marea scene Hägar and Lucky Eddie in the longship, shields along the gunwale, spotting an English castle.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
The Black Freighter Fictional
Tales of the Black Freighter (in Watchmen) (1986 to 1987)
Created by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons; animated film directed by Daniel DelPurgatorio and Mike Smith
Voices Gerard Butler, Jared Harris
A pirate comic read by a boy inside Watchmen. A sea captain survives the Black Freighter's attack and sails home on a raft lashed together from his dead shipmates, descending into madness, only to find the Freighter has come for him alone.
The Marea scene The mariner on his raft of corpses as the black sails of the Freighter loom on the horizon.
On set Animation.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
Dilly Dollar Fictional
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, chapter 2: The Master of the Mississippi (1992)
Written by Don Rosa
Young Scrooge works as a deckhand on his uncle Pothole McDuck's riverboat Dilly Dollar in 1880 to 1882, racing the Beagle Boys to salvage sunken gold. Scrooge ends up owning the boat before the railways make steamboats obsolete.
The Marea scene Young Scrooge in his cap at the Dilly Dollar's wheel with the Beagle Boys closing in on a raft.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
Cutty Sark Real ship
The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, chapter 3B: The Cowboy Captain of the Cutty Sark (1998)
Written by Don Rosa
In this later added chapter set in 1883, the young Scrooge becomes captain of the famous clipper Cutty Sark. He sails her on a cattle carrying voyage in the Pacific, mixing cowboy and seafaring adventure.
The Marea scene Young Scrooge at the Cutty Sark's helm with cattle on the deck under full sail.
The real ship Cutty Sark, preserved in dry dock at Greenwich, London.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comic strips and American comics
Nautilus Fictional
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (1999)
Created by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill; film directed by Stephen Norrington
Starring Sean Connery, Naseeruddin Shah, Peta Wilson, Stuart Townsend
Nemo's Nautilus is the League's transport in both the comic and the film. On screen it is a vast, ornate Indian styled submarine that carries the heroes to Venice and on to the villain's fortress.
The Marea scene The long white Nautilus surfacing among the canals of Venice.
On set Film used sets and miniatures.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
MS Époméo Fictional
Cigars of the Pharaoh (Les Cigares du pharaon) (1934)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adapted in The Adventures of Tintin (TV series, 1991)
Tintin begins the adventure on a Mediterranean cruise aboard the Époméo, where he meets the eccentric Egyptologist Sophocles Sarcophagus. The encounter draws him into the international drug smuggling ring of the story. Later, adrift in the Red Sea, he is picked up by an arms smuggler's dhow.
The Marea scene Tintin and Snowy at the rail of the white liner Époméo as Sarcophagus bumps into them on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Karaboudjan Fictional
The Crab with the Golden Claws (Le Crabe aux pinces d'or) (1941)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptations: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series); The Adventures of Tintin (2011 film, Steven Spielberg)
The Karaboudjan is the ship commanded by a drunken Captain Haddock, whose first mate Allan uses it to smuggle opium hidden in tins of crab meat. It is where Tintin first meets Haddock, and the pair escape it by lifeboat before the ship is sunk in a storm.
The Marea scene Tintin, tied up in the hold among the crab tins, while a befuddled Captain Haddock drinks in his cabin above.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Aurora (L'Aurore) Fictional
The Shooting Star (L'Étoile mystérieuse) (1942)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptation: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series)
The Aurora carries a European scientific expedition, captained by Haddock with Tintin and Snowy aboard, to find a meteorite that has fallen into the Arctic Ocean. The voyage becomes a race against a rival ship financed by the villain Bohlwinkel.
The Marea scene Captain Haddock on the Aurora's bridge in heavy Arctic seas, watching Tintin's seaplane head off towards the meteorite.
The real ship Design based on the research ship RRS William Scoresby.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Peary Fictional
The Shooting Star (L'Étoile mystérieuse) (1942)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptation: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series)
The Peary is the rival expedition ship financed by the financier Bohlwinkel, who wants to claim the meteorite first. It races the Aurora across the Arctic and tries to sabotage its fuel supply.
The Marea scene The Peary's crew arriving in a boat just as Tintin plants the expedition flag on the meteorite.
The real ship Most likely based on the Antarctic ship RRS Discovery.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
The Unicorn (La Licorne) Fictional
The Secret of the Unicorn (Le Secret de La Licorne) (1943)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptations: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series); The Adventures of Tintin (2011 film, Steven Spielberg)
The Unicorn was the ship of Captain Haddock's ancestor Sir Francis Haddock, attacked by the pirate Red Rackham in the 17th century. Three model ships of the Unicorn hide parchments that together point to the treasure, which drives the whole story.
The Marea scene Sir Francis Haddock, sword in hand, fights Red Rackham on the burning deck of the Unicorn before she is blown up.
The real ship Hergé based the design on the French 64 gun ship Le Brillant (built at Le Havre, 1690), with a unicorn figurehead taken from a British frigate of 1745.
Photo: Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 fr
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Sirius Fictional
Red Rackham's Treasure (Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) (1944)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptation: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series)
The Sirius is the trawler lent by Captain Chester that carries Tintin, Haddock and Professor Calculus to the Caribbean to find the wreck of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's treasure. It serves as the base for the diving expedition.
The Marea scene Haddock in a diving suit being lowered over the side of the Sirius while Tintin watches from the deck.
The real ship Named after the SS Sirius, first ship to cross the Atlantic under steam alone, but drawn from the trawler John-O.88 that Hergé sketched in Ostend.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Professor Calculus's shark submarine Fictional
Red Rackham's Treasure (Le Trésor de Rackham le Rouge) (1944)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptation: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series)
Calculus invents a small shark shaped submarine and brings it on the treasure hunt. Tintin uses it to explore the sea bed and find the wreck of the Unicorn, and Calculus later sells the design, which buys Marlinspike Hall.
The Marea scene Tintin inside the shark submarine, peering through its eye portholes at the sunken Unicorn.
The real ship Visually based on a real American submarine Hergé saw pictured in a German newspaper.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
USS Yorktown (CV-5) Real ship
Buck Danny: Les Japs attaquent (1948)
Written by Jean-Michel Charlier and Victor Hubinon
In the very first Buck Danny story, set in the Pacific War after Pearl Harbor, the young navy pilot flies from the carrier USS Yorktown. The series used real American carriers throughout its history.
The Marea scene Buck Danny's Wildcat landing on the Yorktown's wooden deck in 1942.
The real ship USS Yorktown (CV-5), sunk at Midway in 1942.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Pachacamac Fictional
Prisoners of the Sun (Le Temple du Soleil) (1949)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adapted as the animated film Tintin and the Temple of the Sun (1969) and in the 1991 TV series
The kidnapped Professor Calculus is carried to Peru aboard the Pachacamac. When the ship reaches Callao it is placed under a staged quarantine, and Tintin slips aboard at night to find his friend, but the abductors escape into the Andes with their prisoner.
The Marea scene Tintin climbing aboard the quarantined Pachacamac at night in Callao harbour.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Speedol Star Fictional
Land of Black Gold (Tintin au pays de l'or noir) (1950)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adapted in The Adventures of Tintin (TV series, 1991)
Tintin and the detectives Thomson and Thompson sign on as crew of the tanker Speedol Star to investigate why petrol all over Europe is exploding in car engines. The voyage takes them to the Middle Eastern emirate of Khemed, where the sabotage is traced to its source.
The Marea scene Tintin in sailor's cap working on the tanker's long deck with its pipework, the Thom(p)sons bumbling beside him.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Ramona Fictional
The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock) (1958)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptation: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series)
The Ramona is a rusty tramp steamer used by Rastapopoulos's gang to carry African pilgrims who are secretly to be sold as slaves. Tintin and Haddock end up aboard, take control of the ship after the crew abandons it and fight off attacks until rescue arrives.
The Marea scene Haddock and Tintin at the Ramona's rail as a submarine's torpedo streaks towards the ship.
The real ship Hergé and Bob de Moor sailed on the Swedish cargo ship MS Reine Astrid from Antwerp to Gothenburg to sketch and photograph shipboard detail.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Scheherazade Fictional
The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock) (1958)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adaptation: The Adventures of Tintin (1991 animated series)
The Scheherazade is the luxury yacht of the Marquis di Gorgonzola, who is really Rastapopoulos. Its glittering party life hides the slave trading operation that Tintin is investigating.
The Marea scene The Marquis di Gorgonzola hosting guests on the Scheherazade's deck while the Ramona burns on the horizon.
The real ship Based on press clippings of the Christina, Aristotle Onassis's motor yacht (now Christina O).
Photo: Stef Bravin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
USS Los Angeles Real ship
The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock) (1958)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adapted in The Adventures of Tintin (TV series, 1991)
When the tramp steamer Ramona, carrying Tintin, Haddock and a hold full of African pilgrims being sold as slaves, is hunted by a submarine, the American cruiser USS Los Angeles comes to the rescue. Its aircraft and guns save the Ramona and end the attack.
The Marea scene The grey cruiser USS Los Angeles steaming up beside the battered little Ramona in the Red Sea.
The real ship The name matches the real Baltimore class heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles (CA-135), in service in the 1950s; Hergé's depiction is based on a US cruiser of that type.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Rastapopoulos's U-boat and escape mini-submarine Fictional
The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock) (1958)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adapted in The Adventures of Tintin (TV series, 1991)
Rastapopoulos orders a submarine to sink the Ramona and so dispose of the witnesses to his slave trade. At the end, cornered aboard his yacht Scheherazade, he fakes his own death and escapes in a mini-submarine.
The Marea scene The submarine's periscope breaking the surface near the drifting Ramona, torpedo tracks in the water.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
The sambuk Fictional
The Red Sea Sharks (Coke en stock) (1958)
Written by Hergé
Screen adaptations Adapted in The Adventures of Tintin (TV series, 1991)
Tintin, Haddock and Snowy leave for the Red Sea coast and board a sambuk, a traditional Arab sailing vessel, which turns out to be part of the slave trafficking operation. The voyage leads them into Rastapopoulos's trap.
The Marea scene Haddock grumbling in the cramped sambuk under its lateen sail on the Red Sea.
The real ship Traditional vessel type, fictional ship.
Photo: Dr. Hecker, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Le Faucon Noir (The Black Falcon) Fictional
Barbe-Rouge (Redbeard) (1959)
Written by Jean-Michel Charlier (writer) and Victor Hubinon (artist)
Screen adaptations Adaptation: Barbe-Rouge
The Black Falcon is the ship of the French pirate Redbeard, whose adventures run between 1715 and 1750 in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. Several versions of the ship appear over the series, including a heavily armed one nicknamed the ship from hell.
The Marea scene Redbeard at the Black Falcon's rail with his adopted son Eric, the one legged Triple-Patte and Baba beside him, as the ship closes on a Spanish galleon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Daisy Belle Fictional
Lucky Luke: En remontant le Mississippi (Up the Mississippi) (1961)
Written by Morris and René Goscinny
Screen adaptations Adapted in the Lucky Luke animated TV series (1984)
Captain Barrows's steamboat Daisy Belle races a rival from New Orleans to Minneapolis, the winner to receive the monopoly of traffic on the river. Lucky Luke rides aboard to keep the race honest against a string of dirty tricks.
The Marea scene The Daisy Belle's twin smokestacks belching sparks as she pulls level with her rival on the Mississippi.
The real ship Inspired by the 1870 race of the Robert E. Lee and the Natchez.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Asbestos D. Plower Fictional
Lucky Luke: En remontant le Mississippi (Up the Mississippi) (1961)
Written by Morris and René Goscinny
Screen adaptations Adapted in the Lucky Luke animated TV series (1984)
The rival steamboat of Captain Lowriver, which competes with the Daisy Belle for the river monopoly. Its crew resort to sabotage and ambush along the way.
The Marea scene The Asbestos D. Plower forcing wood into its boilers until the funnels glow red.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Redbeard's pirate ship Fictional
Asterix (Astérix le Gaulois) series, from Asterix the Gladiator (1962)
Written by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Screen adaptations Adaptations: Asterix and Cleopatra (1968), Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002), many animated films
The hapless pirates of Redbeard, with Pegleg who quotes Latin and the lookout Baba, first appear in Asterix the Gladiator and return in almost every album. Their ship is sunk again and again by Asterix and Obelix, and they sometimes scuttle it themselves on sighting the Gauls.
The Marea scene Redbeard and Pegleg sitting on a floating spar as their ship sinks behind them, Obelix waving from a departing boat.
The real ship The pirates parody the Belgian comic Barbe-Rouge by Charlier and Hubinon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Olaf Grossebaf's Norman longship Fictional
Asterix and the Normans (Astérix et les Normands) (1966)
Written by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Screen adaptations Adapted in Asterix and the Vikings (2006)
Chief Olaf Grossebaf and his Normans land in Armorica on a longship, determined to learn the meaning of fear because they believe it will make them fly. They kidnap the timid Parisian youth Justforkix to teach them, until Cacofonix's singing finally does the job.
The Marea scene The Norman longship drawn up on the beach below the Gaulish village with horned warriors disembarking.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Cormoran Fictional
Bernard Prince (1966 to 2010)
Written by Greg and Hermann
Former Interpol officer Bernard Prince roams the world aboard his ship the Cormoran with the brawling sailor Barney Jordan and young Djinn. The ship is later replaced by Cormoran II and Cormoran III.
The Marea scene Barney Jordan at the wheel of the Cormoran in a storm with Prince at the bow.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
USS Enterprise (CVN-65) Real ship
Buck Danny: Le Mystère des avions fantômes (1966)
Written by Jean-Michel Charlier and Victor Hubinon
Buck Danny, Tumbler and Tuckson operate from the real carrier USS Enterprise in this and two following episodes. The ship's historical commanding officer, Captain Vincent P. de Poix, appears in the story.
The Marea scene Buck Danny's jet catapulted off the Enterprise's flight deck with the carrier's square island behind.
The real ship USS Enterprise (CVN-65), decommissioned 2017.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Rasputin's pirate ship and Corto's raft Fictional
The Ballad of the Salt Sea (Una ballata del mare salato) (1967)
Written by Hugo Pratt
Screen adaptations Adaptations: Corto Maltese, la cour secrète des arcanes (2002 animated film); Canal+ animated series (2002)
Corto Maltese, the Maltese born sea captain of the early 20th century, makes his debut in this Pacific adventure set during the First World War. The story opens with Corto found adrift and tied to a raft, rescued by the pirate Rasputin.
The Marea scene Corto Maltese lying bound on a raft in the open Pacific as Rasputin's ship bears down on him.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Calculus's shark submarine Fictional
Tintin and the Lake of Sharks (Tintin et le Lac aux requins) (1972)
Created by Raymond Leblanc (Belvision)
Voices Jacques Careuil (Tintin), Claude Bertrand (Haddock), Serge Nadaud (Rastapopoulos)
The little shark shaped submarine Calculus built for the search for Red Rackham's treasure returns in this original animated film. Tintin uses it to follow the villains underwater to their base in a drowned town at the bottom of a Syldavian lake.
The Marea scene The yellow shark submarine gliding past the drowned village roofs at the bottom of the lake.
On set Animation; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Asterix and Obelix's fishing boat Fictional
Asterix and the Great Crossing (La Grande Traversée) (1975)
Written by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Screen adaptations Adapted (with Asterix and the Normans) as the animated film Asterix and the Vikings (2006)
Sent out to catch fresh fish for the druid's potion, Asterix and Obelix are blown off course by a storm for days. Their little boat carries them across the Atlantic to America, making them the first Gauls to discover the New World.
The Marea scene Obelix at the oars of the tiny boat on an empty ocean with Dogmatix in the bow and Asterix scanning the horizon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Kerøsen's Viking longship Fictional
Asterix and the Great Crossing (La Grande Traversée) (1975)
Written by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Screen adaptations Adapted in Asterix and the Vikings (2006)
A Viking expedition under Kerøsen reaches America and finds the two Gauls there, whom they take for natives of the new land. The longship carries Asterix and Obelix back to Scandinavia, where they are presented to the chief as proof of the discovery.
The Marea scene The dragon prowed longship beached on an American shore as the Vikings stare at Obelix.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Marie-Caroline Fictional
Les Passagers du vent (The Passengers of the Wind) (1979 to 1984)
Written by François Bourgeon
In Bourgeon's meticulously researched 18th century saga, Isa, Hoel and Mary embark on the slave ship Marie-Caroline, bound from the African coast of Juda (Ouidah) to Saint-Domingue. The voyage shows the slave trade with unflinching realism.
The Marea scene Isa on the quarterdeck of the Marie-Caroline as captives are brought aboard off the West African coast.
The real ship Bourgeon built his own scale models of 18th century ships to draw them accurately.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Sweethaven harbour boats (Popeye) Fictional
Popeye (1980)
Directed by Robert Altman
Starring Robin Williams (Popeye), Shelley Duvall (Olive Oyl), Paul L. Smith (Bluto)
Popeye the Sailor, created by E.C. Segar in the Thimble Theatre strip in 1929 and animated by Fleischer Studios from 1933, rows into the harbour village of Sweethaven looking for his father. The film ends at sea with a showdown with Bluto and a giant octopus.
The Marea scene Popeye rowing his small boat into Sweethaven harbour on a grey morning.
On set The Sweethaven set was built in Malta and survives as the Popeye Village tourist attraction.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
The Black Galley Fictional
Thorgal: La Galère noire (The Black Galley) (1982)
Written by Jean Van Hamme and Grzegorz Rosiński
Betrayed by the jealous Shaniah while waiting for Aaricia to give birth, Thorgal is enslaved aboard Prince Véronar's black galley. His time chained at the oar drives the fourth album of the Viking saga.
The Marea scene Thorgal chained to an oar bench on the black galley under the overseer's whip.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
La Méduse Fictional
L'Épervier (1994 onwards)
Written by Patrice Pellerin
Yann de Kermeur, a former pirate pardoned by Louis XV and made a royal privateer, commands the King's ship La Méduse. Pellerin's series is praised for its accurate rendering of Brest, the French navy and 18th century rigging.
The Marea scene Yann de Kermeur at the rail of La Méduse leaving the roadstead of Brest.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Redbeard's pirate ship Fictional
Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra (2002)
Directed by Alain Chabat
Starring Gérard Depardieu (Obelix), Christian Clavier (Asterix), Monica Bellucci (Cleopatra), Bernard Farcy (Redbeard)
The live action adaptation keeps the running gag of Redbeard's pirates, played by Bernard Farcy's Captain Redbeard and his crew, being sunk by the Gauls. The pirates form a comic subplot around the main story of building Cleopatra's palace.
The Marea scene Captain Redbeard on his quarterdeck realising the approaching boat carries the Gauls.
On set Live action pirate ship set.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Comics and bandes dessinées
Neptune Fictional
Long John Silver (2007 to 2013)
Written by Xavier Dorison and Mathieu Lauffray
Lady Vivian Hastings charters the Neptune and recruits Long John Silver to reach the lost city of Guyanacapac in the Amazon, where her husband is said to have found a treasure. Silver seizes the ship in a mutiny in the second volume, which is titled Neptune.
The Marea scene Silver on his crutch on the Neptune's deck during the mutiny, lightning over the Atlantic.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Disney and Pixar features
Medusa's riverboat and the Swamp Mobile Fictional
The Rescuers (1977)
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Art Stevens
Starring Bob Newhart, Eva Gabor, Geraldine Page, Joe Flynn
Madame Medusa holds the orphan Penny on an abandoned riverboat in Devil's Bayou, Louisiana. Bernard and Bianca arrive by a leaf boat powered by Evinrude the dragonfly, and the climax is a chase with Medusa's makeshift Swamp Mobile.
The Marea scene Penny and the mice race away across the bayou in the Swamp Mobile while the listing riverboat looms behind them.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Disney and Pixar features
Ship to England and the Jamestown armada Fictional
Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World (1998)
Directed by Tom Ellery, Bradley Raymond
Starring Irene Bedard, Billy Zane, Donal Gibson, David Ogden Stiers
Pocahontas sails to London with John Rolfe as envoy of her people. Ratcliffe persuades King James to send an armada against the Powhatan, and Pocahontas and her friends stop the ships before they can sail.
The Marea scene Pocahontas stands at the bow of the ship as it sails into the Thames with London on the horizon.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Disney and Pixar features
Jolly Roger Fictional
Return to Never Land (2002)
Directed by Robin Budd
Starring Harriet Owen, Blayne Weaver, Corey Burton, Kath Soucie
Hook's pirates kidnap Wendy's daughter Jane from wartime London by mistake and carry her to Never Land aboard the flying Jolly Roger. A giant octopus stalks the ship, and Peter sinks it with an anchor in the climax.
The Marea scene The Jolly Roger sails over blacked out London in the Blitz while the pirates haul Jane aboard in a sack.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Disney and Pixar features
Crabby Fictional
Cars 2 (2011)
Directed by John Lasseter
Starring Owen Wilson, Larry the Cable Guy, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer
British spy car Finn McMissile reaches a Pacific oil platform aboard the fishing boat Crabby. The opening scene grew from a Joe Ranft storyboard cut from the first film.
The Marea scene Crabby, a boat with eyes, noses through stormy night seas towards the floodlit oil rigs with Finn McMissile aboard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · DreamWorks and other US studios
Yellow Submarine Fictional
Yellow Submarine (1968)
Directed by George Dunning
Starring John Clive, Geoffrey Hughes, Paul Angelis, Lance Percival (with The Beatles)
Old Fred escapes Pepperland in the Yellow Submarine to fetch the Beatles from Liverpool. They sail back through the Sea of Time, the Sea of Science, the Sea of Monsters, the Sea of Nothing, the Sea of Holes and the Sea of Green to free Pepperland from the Blue Meanies.
The Marea scene The four Beatles wave from the portholes and deck of the Yellow Submarine as it surfaces in the Sea of Green.
On set Hand drawn; art direction by Heinz Edelmann.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · DreamWorks and other US studios
Emigrant steamer from Hamburg Fictional
An American Tail (1986)
Directed by Don Bluth
Starring Phillip Glasser, Dom DeLuise, Christopher Plummer, Madeline Kahn
The Mousekewitz family board a tramp steamer at Hamburg for New York, believing there are no cats in America. In a storm Fievel is washed overboard and drifts to New York in a bottle, setting up his search for his family.
The Marea scene Fievel clings to the rail of the pitching steamer as a huge wave sweeps across the deck in the storm.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · DreamWorks and other US studios
Ship to Paris Fictional
Anastasia (1997)
Directed by Don Bluth, Gary Goldman
Starring Meg Ryan, John Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Christopher Lloyd
After their train is sabotaged, Anya, Dimitri and Vlad continue to Paris by ship. Rasputin's minions try to lure Anya, sleepwalking, off the deck into the storm, but Dimitri saves her.
The Marea scene Anya, sleepwalking in her nightdress, climbs onto the rain lashed rail as Dimitri runs to catch her.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · DreamWorks and other US studios
Moses's reed basket Fictional
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells
Starring Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Sandra Bullock
In the opening 'Deliver Us' sequence, a Hebrew mother sets her baby son adrift on the Nile in a basket to save him from Pharaoh's decree. The basket drifts past dangers of the river and into the royal palace, where the queen adopts the child as Moses.
The Marea scene The tiny basket slips between crocodiles and fishing boats on the Nile while Miriam runs along the bank.
On set Hand drawn with CGI.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · DreamWorks and other US studios
Lord Shen's flagship and cannon fleet Fictional
Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011)
Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Starring Jack Black, Gary Oldman, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman
Lord Shen has built a fleet of warships armed with his new gunpowder cannons to conquer China. In the climactic battle in Gongmen harbour, Po catches the cannonballs and throws them back, destroying the fleet and Shen's flagship.
The Marea scene Po spins a cannonball in his paws on the harbour water as Lord Shen's flagship bristles with cannon above him.
Photo: Lai Afong, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · DreamWorks and other US studios
Crossing liner Fictional
Missing Link (2019)
Directed by Chris Butler
Starring Hugh Jackman, Zach Galifianakis, Zoe Saldaña, Emma Thompson
Sir Lionel Frost, Mr Link and Adelina Fortnight cross the Atlantic by ship on their way to the Himalayas. The bounty hunter Stenk attacks them aboard and a fight tumbles through the ship as it rolls in a storm, until the heroes lock him in a cabin.
The Marea scene Mr Link and Sir Lionel slide across a tilting cabin as the stop motion ship rolls in heavy seas.
On set Stop motion puppets and sets by Laika.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Beda (ex Pobeda) Fictional
The Adventures of Captain Wrongel (Priklyucheniya kapitana Vrungelya) (1976)
Created by David Cherkassky
Starring Zinovy Gerdt
Captain Vrungel sets out for an international regatta in his yacht Pobeda (Victory), but the first two letters fall off the stern and she becomes Beda (Trouble). The crew get caught up with gangsters smuggling a stolen statue of Venus. Based on Andrey Nekrasov's 1937 story.
The Marea scene The letters P and O drop off the stern into the water as Vrungel and his mate Lom look on, leaving the name BEDA.
On set Cut out and hand drawn animation (Kievnauchfilm).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Rabbits' river boat Fictional
Watership Down (1978)
Directed by Martin Rosen
Starring John Hurt, Richard Briers, Michael Graham Cox, Zero Mostel
Escaping from the tyrannical warren of Efrafa, Hazel's rabbits and the does led out by Bigwig float away down the river on a moored boat whose rope they gnaw through, with Kehaar the gull covering them.
The Marea scene The rabbits huddle in a small wooden boat drifting downstream as General Woundwort glares from the riverbank.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
RMS Titanic Real ship
The Legend of the Titanic (La leggenda del Titanic) (1999)
Directed by Orlando Corradi, Kim J. Ok
Mondo TV's animated fantasy of the sinking, in which a mouse sailor helps a rich girl escape an arranged marriage while a villainous shark plots to steer the liner into an iceberg. In this version whales and dolphins help rescue everyone.
The Marea scene Mouse sailor Top Connors stands on the Titanic's rail as an octopus heaves the iceberg towards the bow.
On set Fictional depiction of the real ship, hand drawn.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic: The Legend Goes On (2000)
Directed by Camillo Teti
Starring Lisa Russo, Mark Thompson-Ashworth, Gregory Snegoff, Kenneth Belton
An Italian animated take on the Titanic in which a poor girl, Angelica, falls in love with a rich passenger, William, while animals and mice have adventures below decks. It is often listed among the worst animated films ever made.
The Marea scene Angelica and William dance on the Titanic's boat deck under the stars before the iceberg looms.
On set Fictional depiction of the real ship, hand drawn.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Madame Souza's pedalo and the ocean liner Fictional
Les Triplettes de Belleville (The Triplets of Belleville) (2003)
Directed by Sylvain Chomet
Starring Béatrice Bonifassi, Lina Boudreault, Jean-Claude Donda (mostly wordless)
When mobsters kidnap her grandson Champion from the Tour de France and ship him across the Atlantic to Belleville, Madame Souza and her dog Bruno follow the ship across the ocean in a rented pedalo. It is one of the film's most celebrated sequences.
The Marea scene Tiny Madame Souza pedals her pedalo through a storm at night, with Bruno on board, in the wake of a towering ocean liner.
On set Hand drawn with CGI.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Noah's Ark Fictional
Ooops! Noah Is Gone... (Two by Two) (2015)
Directed by Toby Genkel, Sean McCormack
Starring Callan McAuliffe, Dermot Magennis, Ava Connolly
Two imaginary creatures, the Nestrians, are left behind when Noah's Ark sails, while their parents on board must fight past gorilla guards and a vain lion captain to turn the ark round and save them.
The Marea scene Dave and Hazel sneak through the crowded animal decks of the ark as the gorilla guards patrol.
Photo: Edward Hicks, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Davaï Fictional
Tout en haut du monde (Long Way North) (2015)
Directed by Rémi Chayé
Starring Chloé Dunn, Geoffrey Greenhill (English version)
In nineteenth century Saint Petersburg, the explorer Oloukine sails for the North Pole aboard the Davaï, built specially for the ice, and never returns. His granddaughter Sasha works out where the ship really went and finally finds the Davaï locked in the Arctic ice.
The Marea scene Sasha climbs onto the ice encrusted deck of the abandoned Davaï, trapped in the pack ice.
On set Flat colour hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Norge Fictional
Tout en haut du monde (Long Way North) (2015)
Directed by Rémi Chayé
Starring Chloé Dunn, Geoffrey Greenhill (English version)
Sasha runs away and joins the crew of the Norge, a ship with a reinforced hull, to search for her grandfather's lost Davaï. The voyage in the ice turns into a struggle for survival.
The Marea scene Sasha works on the snowy deck of the Norge among the sailors as icebergs close in around the ship.
On set Flat colour hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
Mogens's ferry to Smeerensburg Fictional
Klaus (2019)
Directed by Sergio Pablos
Starring Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Norm Macdonald
Spoiled postman Jesper is sent to the frozen island town of Smeerensburg, and the sarcastic ferryman Mogens is his only link to the mainland. The ferry carries him in and out of the story.
The Marea scene Mogens grins at the tiller as Jesper, clutching his luggage, looks in horror at gloomy Smeerensburg across the icy water.
On set Hand drawn with volumetric lighting.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · European and world animation
The animals' sailboat Fictional
Flow (Straume) (2024)
Directed by Gints Zilbalodis
As a great flood covers the world, a black cat takes refuge on a drifting sailboat with other animals, inspired by Mediterranean feluccas. The boat carries them through a drowned landscape until its mast snags in a tree and it falls into a ravine. The film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
The Marea scene The cat perches on the bow of the little sailboat with the capybara, lemur and dog as it drifts past half drowned ruins.
On set CGI (made in Blender).
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Family fantasy
Flounder Fictional
Doctor Dolittle (1967)
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Starring Rex Harrison, Samantha Eggar, Anthony Newley
Doctor Dolittle sails in search of the Great Pink Sea Snail and ends up shipwrecked on a floating island. At the end he rides the giant snail home.
The Marea scene Rex Harrison at the helm of the little sailing ship with the animals crowding the deck.
On set Filmed partly at Marigot Bay, St Lucia.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Family fantasy
RMS Titanic and the giant's hat ship Fictional
Time Bandits (1981)
Directed by Terry Gilliam
Starring Craig Warnock, David Rappaport, Sean Connery, John Cleese
The time travelling dwarfs and Kevin land on the Titanic just before it sinks. Later a giant wading through the sea wears a sailing ship as a hat, and they escape from it.
The Marea scene The giant rising out of the sea with a full rigged sailing ship on his head.
On set Models and sets.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Elven boats of Lothlórien Fictional
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Elijah Wood (Frodo), Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Sean Astin (Sam), Ian McKellen (Gandalf)
The Fellowship leave Lothlórien in elven boats given by Galadriel and paddle down the Anduin, passing beneath the giant statues of the Argonath. At the end Frodo sets off alone in a boat and Sam nearly drowns following him.
The Marea scene The elven boats gliding between the towering Argonath statues.
On set Filmed in New Zealand; boats were practical props.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Corsair ships of Umbar Fictional
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn), Orlando Bloom (Legolas), John Rhys-Davies (Gimli)
Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli lead the Army of the Dead to seize the Corsair fleet at Pelargir, a scene expanded in the extended edition. The black ships then sail up the Anduin to the Pelennor Fields, where the orcs expect reinforcements and instead meet Aragorn and the Dead.
The Marea scene Aragorn leaping from a black corsair ship onto the Harlond quay as the Army of the Dead pours out behind him.
On set Filmed in New Zealand with miniatures and digital effects by Weta.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Elven ship at the Grey Havens Fictional
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Ian Holm (Bilbo)
At the end of the saga Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf leave Middle-earth with the elves aboard a white ship from the Grey Havens, sailing into the West. Sam, Merry and Pippin stay behind on the quay.
The Marea scene Frodo on the white ship's gangway turning to smile at Sam, Merry and Pippin.
On set Studio set and visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Durmstrang ship Fictional
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Directed by Mike Newell
Starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Predrag Bjelac (Igor Karkaroff), Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum)
The Durmstrang delegation, led by headmaster Igor Karkaroff with Viktor Krum, arrives for the Triwizard Tournament in a ship that surfaces from beneath the Black Lake. It stays moored at Hogwarts through the tournament. LEGO set 76440 Triwizard Tournament: The Arrival includes the ship.
The Marea scene The Durmstrang ship bursting up through the surface of the Black Lake, water pouring from its sails.
On set Visual effects; the Black Lake underwater scenes used a 20 foot deep tank at Leavesden.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Caspartine Fictional
Stardust (2007)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring Claire Danes (Yvaine), Charlie Cox (Tristan), Michelle Pfeiffer (Lamia), Robert De Niro (Captain Shakespeare)
The Caspartine is the sky ship of Captain Shakespeare, who harvests lightning from storm clouds. His crew capture Tristan and Yvaine, and the flamboyant captain then shelters them and teaches Tristan to fence.
The Marea scene Captain Shakespeare on the Caspartine's deck as the crew net lightning from a thundercloud.
On set Built as a partial ship set at Pinewood Studios, shot against a 360 degree greenscreen with the bow digitally extended.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Gyptian boats and ship to Trollesund Fictional
The Golden Compass (2007)
Directed by Chris Weitz
Starring Dakota Blue Richards (Lyra), Nicole Kidman (Mrs Coulter), Daniel Craig (Lord Asriel), Sam Elliott (Lee Scoresby)
The Gyptians, a river faring people, rescue Lyra and take her north when they sail to Trollesund in Lapland to rescue their kidnapped children.
The Marea scene Lyra at the rail of the Gyptian ship, with her daemon Pan, as the northern coast comes into view.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Dawn Treader Fictional
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Directed by Michael Apted
Starring Georgie Henley (Lucy), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), Ben Barnes (Caspian), Will Poulter (Eustace)
King Caspian's ship the Dawn Treader carries Lucy, Edmund and their cousin Eustace to the eastern edge of the world in search of seven lost lords. Near the Dark Island a sea serpent attacks the ship.
The Marea scene The sea serpent coiling around the Dawn Treader as Edmund raises Peter's sword.
On set A full size 145 tonne ship was built on a gimbal at Village Roadshow Studios, Queensland, able to turn 360 degrees; exteriors at Cleveland Point and the Gold Coast Seaway.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Black Betha and Stannis Baratheon's fleet Fictional
Game of Thrones (Blackwater, season 2) (2012)
Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (creators); Neil Marshall (episode director)
Starring Liam Cunningham (Davos Seaworth), Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon), Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister)
Davos Seaworth leads Stannis's fleet into Blackwater Bay to attack King's Landing, and Tyrion sends out an unmanned ship loaded with wildfire that destroys much of it. Black Betha is Davos's ship in the books.
The Marea scene Davos on his ship's deck watching the green wildfire explosion engulf the fleet.
On set A single full size ship was built in the car park of a quarry near Belfast, modelled on 14th century ships; it was the only physical ship the crew had.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Bard's barge and the barrels Fictional
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Starring Martin Freeman (Bilbo), Richard Armitage (Thorin), Luke Evans (Bard), Orlando Bloom (Legolas)
The dwarves escape the Woodland Realm in empty wine barrels down a river, pursued by elves and orcs. The bargeman Bard then smuggles them into Lake-town on his barge, hidden in barrels of fish.
The Marea scene Bard poling his barge towards Lake-town's gate, fish barrels piled on deck with dwarves inside.
On set Filmed in New Zealand and at Pinewood Studios; practical barrels.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Titan's Daughter Fictional
Game of Thrones (seasons 4 and 5) (2014)
Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss
Starring Maisie Williams (Arya Stark)
Arya pays her passage to Braavos with Jaqen H'ghar's iron coin aboard the Titan's Daughter at the end of season four. In season five the ship sails under the giant statue of the Titan of Braavos.
The Marea scene Arya at the bow of the Titan's Daughter passing between the legs of the Titan of Braavos.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Silence and the Iron Fleet Fictional
Game of Thrones (season 7) (2017)
Created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (creators); Mark Mylod (Stormborn)
Starring Pilou Asbæk (Euron Greyjoy), Gemma Whelan (Yara Greyjoy), Alfie Allen (Theon Greyjoy)
Euron Greyjoy's Iron Fleet, led by his flagship Silence, ambushes Yara's ships at night in the episode Stormborn. Yara and the Sand Snakes are captured and Theon jumps overboard.
The Marea scene Euron boarding Yara's burning ship by the light of the flames.
On set Filmed with pyrotechnics and wave machines.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Gyptian narrowboats Fictional
His Dark Materials (2019)
Created by Jack Thorne
Starring Dafne Keen (Lyra), Ruth Wilson (Mrs Coulter), James McAvoy (Lord Asriel), Anne-Marie Duff (Ma Costa)
The Gyptians live and travel on boats and narrowboats on the waterways of Lyra's world. Ma Costa's family shelter Lyra aboard and the Gyptians then sail north to rescue their stolen children.
The Marea scene Lyra hiding in Ma Costa's narrowboat cabin as the Gobblers search the canal.
Photo: RHaworth, CC BY-SA 3.0
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Sandskiff Fictional
Shadow and Bone (2021)
Created by Eric Heisserer
Starring Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov), Ben Barnes (General Kirigan), Archie Renaux (Mal)
Sandskiffs are sail driven craft that carry people and goods across the Shadow Fold, a band of darkness full of flying volcra. Alina's powers as the Sun Summoner are revealed when her skiff is attacked during a crossing.
The Marea scene Alina blazing with light on the deck of a sandskiff as volcra swoop out of the dark.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Sea Snake and the Velaryon fleet Fictional
House of the Dragon (2022)
Created by Ryan Condal and George R. R. Martin
Starring Steve Toussaint (Corlys Velaryon), Eve Best (Rhaenys Targaryen), Emma D'Arcy (Rhaenyra), Matt Smith (Daemon)
Corlys Velaryon, called the Sea Snake, is the most famous seafarer of Westeros, and his flagship shares his nickname. The Velaryon fleet fights the War for the Stepstones and later blockades Blackwater Bay for Rhaenyra, and Corlys renames the ship The Queen Who Never Was after Rhaenys's death.
The Marea scene Corlys Velaryon on the Sea Snake's quarterdeck, the Velaryon seahorse on the sails behind him.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Elven ship to Valinor Fictional
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Created by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay
Starring Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Charlie Vickers (Halbrand)
In the first episode Galadriel is granted passage to Valinor on an elven ship. As it approaches the undying lands she jumps from it into the Sundering Seas to continue hunting Sauron.
The Marea scene Galadriel standing at the elven ship's rail in the golden light of Valinor, about to leap.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Númenórean fleet Fictional
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022)
Created by J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay
Starring Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Míriel), Morfydd Clark (Galadriel), Lloyd Owen (Elendil), Charlie Vickers (Halbrand)
In the episode Partings the fleet of Númenor sails for the Southlands with Queen Regent Míriel, Galadriel and Halbrand aboard, to help the people there against Sauron's orcs. Elendil is a sea captain in the fleet.
The Marea scene The Númenórean fleet leaving the harbour of Armenelos under white sails.
Photo: Fandom wiki
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Volkvolny Fictional
Shadow and Bone (season 2) (2023)
Created by Eric Heisserer
Starring Patrick Gibson (Sturmhond), Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov), Archie Renaux (Mal)
The privateer Sturmhond, secretly the second prince of Ravka, commands his own ship in season two, which expands the saga's naval sequences. The name Volkvolny comes from the books.
The Marea scene Sturmhond at the wheel of his ship with Alina and Mal on deck.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Fantasy sagas
Viking fleet of Berk Fictional
How to Train Your Dragon (2025)
Directed by Dean DeBlois
Starring Mason Thames (Hiccup), Nico Parker (Astrid), Gerard Butler (Stoick), Nick Frost (Gobber)
The live action remake follows the animated film: Stoick leads the Viking ships to the dragons' nest, where the Red Death destroys the fleet.
The Marea scene Stoick at the prow of his longship in the fog as the fleet nears the nest.
On set Filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, with flight scenery from the Faroe Islands; the production favoured practical sets.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Live action fantasy series
Nautilus Fictional
Kapitan Nemo (Captain Nemo) (1975)
Created by Vasily Levin
Starring Vladislav Dvorzhetsky, Yuri Rodionov, Mikhail Kononov, Volodymyr Talashko
The Soviet three part adaptation of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas follows Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land as prisoners aboard Prince Dakkar's submarine. The Nautilus is shown as an underwater ship of fantastic qualities for its time.
The Marea scene Dvorzhetsky's Nemo standing before the great saloon window of the Nautilus as the sea bed glides past.
On set Interior sets and the exterior were built at Odessa Film Studio; a model was filmed in the studio pool.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Live action fantasy series
Nomad Fictional
The Adventures of Sinbad (1996)
Created by Ed Naha
Starring Zen Gesner, George Buza, Tim Progosh, Oris Erhuero
Sinbad and his brother Doubar gather a crew and set sail from Baghdad in the Nomad, facing witches, sorcerers and monsters around the Persian Gulf. The ship is the crew's home for both seasons of the Canadian series.
The Marea scene Sinbad at the prow of the Nomad, sword raised, as a sea monster breaks the surface ahead.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Live action fantasy series
Fancy Real ship
Doctor Who: The Curse of the Black Spot (2011)
Created by Jeremy Webb (director), Stephen Thompson (writer)
Starring Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill, Hugh Bonneville
The TARDIS lands aboard the becalmed pirate ship of Captain Henry Avery, whose crew are being picked off by a Siren each time they are hurt. The Siren turns out to be the virtual doctor of an alien ship sharing the same space.
The Marea scene Hugh Bonneville as Captain Avery and Matt Smith's Doctor on the fog bound deck of the Fancy as the glowing Siren rises from the water.
On set Exterior ship scenes filmed at a dock in Cornwall; the lower decks were a studio set at Upper Boat Studios, Wales. The Fancy was Henry Every's real ship.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Live action fantasy series
Jolly Roger Fictional
Once Upon a Time (2011)
Created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz
Starring Colin O'Donoghue, Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Lana Parrilla
Captain Hook's ship carries him between the fairy tale realms and later brings him to Storybrooke, becoming the home of the reformed pirate. She is lost, won back and even shrunk into a bottle over the seasons.
The Marea scene Captain Hook at the helm of the Jolly Roger with Emma Swan beside him as the ship sails through a magic portal.
On set Played by the replica brig Lady Washington, still sailing from Aberdeen, Washington.
Photo: Miso Beno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Live action fantasy series
Providence Fictional
Sinbad (2012)
Created by Sky1; writers include James Dormer and Jack Lothian
Starring Elliot Knight, Naveen Andrews, Dimitri Leonidas, Marama Corlett
The Providence is the ship on which the young Sinbad, cursed never to stay long on land, sails with his mismatched crew. She is their home base through the single series.
The Marea scene Sinbad and Gunnar hauling on the Providence's sail as a storm drives her towards an unknown island.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
P-1 Fictional
Marine Boy (1969)
Created by Minoru Adachi; Japan Tele-Cartoons
The Ocean Patrol's P-1 carries Marine Boy and his friends on missions against undersea villains; it can briefly fly and carries torpedoes, lasers and drills.
The Marea scene Marine Boy leaping from the P-1's hatch with Splasher the dolphin leaping alongside.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Captain Silver's pirate ship Fictional
Animal Treasure Island (Dōbutsu Takarajima) (1971)
Created by Hiroshi Ikeda
Starring Minori Matsushima
Toei's anniversary feature with a story contributed by Hayao Miyazaki. Jim and his mouse friend Gran are captured by the pig pirate Captain Silver, whose crew repeatedly try to steal the map until a storm wrecks their ship.
The Marea scene Jim swings on a rope across the deck of Silver's ship while pig pirates tumble around him.
On set Hand drawn (Toei Animation).
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Space Battleship Yamato Fictional
Space Battleship Yamato (Uchū Senkan Yamato; US: Star Blazers) (1974)
Created by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto
Starring Kei Tomiyama (Susumu Kodai), Goro Naya (Captain Okita); 2010 live action: Takuya Kimura, Meisa Kuroki
The wreck of the Second World War battleship Yamato is rebuilt as a starship and sent to the planet Iscandar to fetch a device that can cleanse the radioactive Earth after bombardment by the Gamilas. The series was hugely influential on later anime.
The Marea scene The rusted Yamato breaking free of the dried seabed as it launches for the first time.
On set Derived from the real Japanese battleship Yamato, sunk in 1945.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Barracuda Fictional
Future Boy Conan (Mirai Shōnen Konan) (1978)
Created by Hayao Miyazaki
Starring Kazuko Kosugi, Mieko Nobusawa
In a post apocalyptic flooded world, the Barracuda of the city state Industria, captained by Dyce, salvages plastic and hunts the girl Lana. Conan crosses the sea on a home built sailboat to rescue her. Miyazaki's first series as director.
The Marea scene Conan leaps from his little raft onto the deck of the Barracuda as Dyce shouts orders from the bridge.
On set Hand drawn (Nippon Animation).
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Queen Emeraldas Fictional
Queen Emeraldas (1978)
Created by Leiji Matsumoto
The ship of the lone privateer Emeraldas, Harlock's friend, which alongside the Arcadia is one of only two ships entitled to fly the skull and crossbones in Matsumoto's universe.
The Marea scene Emeraldas on the bridge of her zeppelin like ship ordering a rival to remove his skull flag.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Arcadia Fictional
Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978)
Created by Leiji Matsumoto; Rintaro; Shinji Aramaki (2013 film)
Starring Makio Inoue (Harlock, Japanese); David Matranga (Harlock, 2013 film English)
The Arcadia is the skull flagged battleship of the space pirate Captain Harlock, who fights for freedom against invaders and a corrupt Earth government. Its design mixes a sailing ship's stern galleries with a starship hull.
The Marea scene Captain Harlock standing on the Arcadia's bridge, cape flowing, before the great ship's wheel.
On set Character first appeared in 1977.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Hispaniola Fictional
Takarajima (Treasure Island) (1978)
Created by Osamu Dezaki
Tokyo Movie Shinsha's 26 episode adaptation of Stevenson, with a 13 year old Jim and his leopard cub Benbow sailing on the Hispaniola to Flint's island. Admired for Dezaki's dramatic still frame style and its sympathetic Silver.
The Marea scene Jim and Long John Silver stand at the Hispaniola's bow as the island rises from the mist.
On set Hand drawn (TMS).
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Esperanza Fictional
The Mysterious Cities of Gold (Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or) (1982)
Created by Bernard Deyriès and Hisayuki Toriumi (DIC, Studio Pierrot)
Esteban, Zia, Pedro and Sancho stow away aboard the navigator Mendoza's galleon Esperanza bound for the New World in search of the Cities of Gold. The ship is lost in a typhoon in the Straits of Magellan.
The Marea scene Esteban raising his medallion to the sun on the Esperanza's yardarm to part the storm clouds.
Photo: Desconhecido, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Solaris Fictional
The Mysterious Cities of Gold (Les Mystérieuses Cités d'or) (1982)
Created by Bernard Deyriès and Hisayuki Toriumi (DIC, Studio Pierrot)
A golden vessel of the lost Hiva civilisation found by Tao on the Galápagos Islands. It carries the children for part of their quest until Tao overloads its weapon and it is destroyed.
The Marea scene The gleaming Solaris cutting through the waves with the children on its golden deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Tsushima Maru Real ship
Tsushima Maru: Sayonara Okinawa (1982)
Created by Osamu Kobayashi
Starring Mayumi Tanaka, Hiroko Maruyama
Animated film about the Tsushima Maru, which was evacuating schoolchildren from Okinawa to Kyushu when it was torpedoed in August 1944 with the loss of more than 1,400 lives, most of them children.
The Marea scene Children and teachers waving goodbye from the ship's deck as she leaves Naha harbour.
On set Real wreck located in 1997 off Akusekijima; the Tsushima Maru Memorial Museum is in Naha.
Photo: Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Strength (the orangutan's freighter) Fictional
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders (1989)
Created by Hirohiko Araki; anime by David Production
After their boat is sunk crossing towards Singapore, Jotaro and his companions board a seemingly abandoned freighter. The ship itself is the Stand Strength, controlled by an orangutan.
The Marea scene The rescued crusaders on the rusty freighter's deck as its metal begins to twist around them.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Nautilus Fictional
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (Fushigi no Umi no Nadia) (1990)
Created by Hideaki Anno (Gainax)
Starring Yoshino Takamori (Nadia), Noriko Hidaka (Jean), Kenyu Horiuchi (Captain Nemo)
Inspired by Jules Verne, the series follows Nadia and the young inventor Jean, who are taken aboard Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus in the fight against Gargoyle's Neo Atlanteans. The idea grew from a 1970s pitch by Hayao Miyazaki.
The Marea scene Nadia and Jean on the Nautilus's surfaced deck beside Captain Nemo.
On set Based on Verne's Nautilus.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Yamato (ex Seabat) Fictional
The Silent Service (Chinmoku no Kantai) (1995)
Created by Sunrise (studio); based on the manga by Kaiji Kawaguchi
Starring Tessho Genda
The anime special of Kaiji Kawaguchi's manga. Captain Kaieda declares Japan's secret nuclear submarine Seabat an independent state, renames her Yamato and uses her to push for world unity.
The Marea scene Kaieda stands calmly in the control room of the Yamato as American hunter killer submarines close in.
On set Hand drawn.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Espoir Fictional
Kaiji (Gambling Apocalypse: Kaiji) (1996)
Created by Nobuyuki Fukumoto; anime by Madhouse
To clear a debt, Kaiji agrees to spend one night on the Espoir, French for hope, a ship on which debtors play Restricted Rock Paper Scissors for their freedom. It opens the whole saga.
The Marea scene Kaiji clutching his cards in the Espoir's crowded gaming hall as the ship sails in the dark.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Going Merry Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro), Akemi Okamura (Nami), Kappei Yamaguchi (Usopp)
The Going Merry, with its sheep's head figurehead, is given to the Straw Hat Pirates by Kaya in Usopp's village and carries them from the East Blue into the Grand Line. Damaged beyond repair, it is given a Viking style funeral by fire after the Enies Lobby battle, one of the saga's most emotional moments.
The Marea scene The burning Going Merry drifting on a dark sea while the Straw Hats watch from a boat.
On set A life size replica was displayed at promotional events worldwide.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Thousand Sunny Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuki Yao (Franky), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro), Akemi Okamura (Nami)
Built by the shipwright Franky from Adam wood to replace the Going Merry, the Thousand Sunny has a lion's head figurehead and the Soldier Dock System with mini submarines. It carries the Gaon Cannon and can leap through the air with the cola powered Coup de Burst.
The Marea scene The Thousand Sunny launched into the air by a Coup de Burst, Luffy on the lion figurehead.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Oro Jackson Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
Gol D. Roger's flagship, built by the shipwright Tom of Water 7 from the treasure tree Adam, the same wood as the Thousand Sunny. It is the only known ship to have reached Laugh Tale at the end of the Grand Line.
The Marea scene The Oro Jackson under red sails with its twin mermaid figurehead flanking a forward cannon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Moby Dick Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
Whitebeard's flagship, with a white whale (cachalot) figurehead, carrying the Whitebeard Pirates. It is set ablaze and destroyed by Admiral Akainu's magma meteors during the war at Marineford.
The Marea scene The white whale headed Moby Dick burning in Marineford bay as Whitebeard stands on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Red Force Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
Shanks's ship, flagship of the Red Hair Pirates, larger and more ornate than their earlier ship seen in Luffy's childhood. It first appears approaching the Moby Dick for a meeting between Shanks and Whitebeard.
The Marea scene The Red Force with its dragon headed figurehead drawing alongside the Moby Dick.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Polar Tang Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
The yellow submarine of Trafalgar Law's Heart Pirates. It surfaces during the Marineford war to carry the wounded Luffy away to safety.
The Marea scene The yellow Polar Tang surfacing at Marineford as Jinbe carries Luffy towards it.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Thriller Bark Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
The world's largest pirate ship, a converted island ship owned by the Warlord Gecko Moria and drifting in the Florian Triangle. Mansions, graveyards and forests stand on its deck, and it is the setting of the Thriller Bark arc.
The Marea scene The Straw Hats' Thousand Sunny dwarfed beside the gloomy mansion towers of Thriller Bark in fog.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Ark Maxim Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
The golden sky ship built by Enel, self proclaimed god of Skypiea, powered by his electricity with Jet Dials as backup. He plans to sail it to the Endless Varse and destroy Skypiea from it.
The Marea scene Luffy swinging the golden ball against Enel above the oar lined Ark Maxim.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Baratie Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
The fish headed ocean going restaurant run by the former pirate Red-Leg Zeff, where Sanji works as sous chef. It is attacked by Don Krieg's pirates in the Baratie arc, where Sanji joins Luffy.
The Marea scene Sanji fighting on the fin decks of the fish shaped Baratie as Krieg's galleon lies wrecked alongside.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Noah Fictional
One Piece (1997)
Created by Eiichiro Oda (manga); Toei Animation (anime from 1999)
Voices Mayumi Tanaka (Luffy), Kazuya Nakai (Zoro)
A colossal ark built long ago and kept on Fish-Man Island. Hody Jones drags it towards Ryugu Palace to crush the island, and Luffy stops it in the climax of the Fish-Man Island arc.
The Marea scene Luffy standing on Noah's bow as the giant ark hangs above Ryugu Palace.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Blue Submarine No. 6 Fictional
Blue Submarine No. 6 (Ao no Rokugō) (1998)
Created by Mahiro Maeda
Starring Kazuya Ichijō
After the scientist Zorndyke floods the world and unleashes an army of hybrid sea creatures, the submarine Blue 6 of the Blue organisation fights to stop his plan to switch the Earth's poles. Based on Satoru Ozawa's manga and made by Gonzo as an early CGI and cel mix.
The Marea scene Blue 6 slides through the depths with its fighter pods launching as hybrid creatures circle it.
On set Hand drawn with CGI (Gonzo).
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
JDS Mirai (DDH-182) Fictional
Zipang (2000)
Created by Kaiji Kawaguchi (manga); anime by Studio Deen
The modern JMSDF destroyer Mirai is thrown back in time to June 1942, on the eve of the Battle of Midway. Her crew must decide whether to use their technology and knowledge of history, above all after they rescue an Imperial Navy officer who dreams of an undefeated Japan.
The Marea scene The Mirai's grey modern silhouette steaming beside the battleship Yamato in 1942.
On set Design based on the Kongō class destroyer.
Photo: JMSDF, CC BY 4.0
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Spirit ferry and the Sea Railway Fictional
Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi) (2001)
Created by Hayao Miyazaki
Starring Rumi Hiiragi (Chihiro), Miyu Irino (Haku), Mari Natsuki (Yubaba); English: Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, Suzanne Pleshette
Spirits arrive at Yubaba's bathhouse across the water by a lantern lit ferry. Later Chihiro and No-Face ride the sea railway across the flooded plain to visit Zeniba, one of the film's most famous quiet sequences.
The Marea scene Chihiro and No-Face sitting in the sea railway carriage as it glides over the shallow sea at dusk.
On set Hand drawn (Studio Ghibli); fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Black Lagoon Fictional
Black Lagoon (2006)
Created by Rei Hiroe (manga, 2002); Sunao Katabuchi (anime, Madhouse)
Starring Daisuke Namikawa (Rock), Megumi Toyoguchi (Revy), Tsutomu Isobe (Dutch)
The Black Lagoon is the old American PT boat used by the Lagoon Company, a four person mercenary smuggling crew based in the lawless port of Roanapur in Southeast Asia. Many of the series' gunfights and chases happen on or around it.
The Marea scene Revy firing both pistols from the Black Lagoon's deck as it races through a mangrove channel.
On set Based on the American Elco 80 foot PT boat of the Second World War.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Koganei Maru and Sosuke's pop pop boat Fictional
Ponyo (Gake no Ue no Ponyo) (2008)
Created by Hayao Miyazaki
Starring Yuria Nara (Ponyo), Hiroki Doi (Sosuke), Tomoko Yamaguchi (Lisa), Kazushige Nagashima (Koichi); English: Noah Cyrus, Frankie Jonas, Tina Fey, Matt Damon
Sosuke's father Koichi captains a coastal ship and signals to his family with Morse lamps. When the town floods, Ponyo magically enlarges Sosuke's toy pop pop boat and the two children sail it across the drowned landscape to find his mother.
The Marea scene Ponyo and Sosuke in the enlarged pop pop boat, gliding over the flooded road past prehistoric fish.
On set Hand drawn (Studio Ghibli); the seaside setting was inspired by Tomonoura in Setonaikai National Park.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Shun's father's tugboat and Umi's signal flags Fictional
From Up on Poppy Hill (Kokuriko-zaka kara) (2011)
Created by Gorō Miyazaki
Starring Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Jun Fubuki, Keiko Takeshita
In Yokohama in 1963, Umi raises signal flags every morning for her father, lost when his Landing Ship, Tank was mined in the Korean War. Shun, riding to school on his father's tugboat, sees the flags and answers them.
The Marea scene Shun on the tugboat's deck raises answering flags as the tug steams past the hillside house where Umi's flags fly.
On set Hand drawn (Studio Ghibli).
Photo: Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
I-401 (Iona) Fictional
Arpeggio of Blue Steel (Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio) (2013)
Created by Ark Performance (manga); anime by Sanzigen
Starring Mai Fuchigami
The mysterious Fleet of Fog, warships modelled on Second World War designs, has cut humanity off from the seas. The submarine I-401, whose human avatar is Iona, defects to serve human captain Gunzō Chihaya and battles the Fog's heavy cruiser Takao and battleships Kongō, Haruna and Kirishima.
The Marea scene Iona stands on the conning tower of the glowing I-401 as it surfaces beside the Fog battleship Kongō.
On set CGI (Sanzigen).
Photo: Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
JDS Hotaka Fictional
Detective Conan: Private Eye in the Distant Sea (Zekkai no Private Eye) (2013)
Created by Kobun Shizuno
Voices Minami Takayama (Conan), Kappei Yamaguchi
Conan and his friends win tickets to a public exercise aboard the Aegis destroyer Hotaka, off Maizuru. A spy and a murder on board turn the visit into a race to protect naval secrets. The film was made with JMSDF cooperation.
The Marea scene Conan on the Hotaka's helicopter deck with the Aegis radar faces of the superstructure behind.
On set Fictional ship of the real Atago class.
Photo: JMSDF, CC BY 4.0
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Gargantia Fictional
Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Suisei no Gargantia) (2013)
Created by Kazuya Murata (Production I.G), written by Gen Urobuchi
On an ocean covered future Earth, Gargantia is a massive fleet of ships lashed together, whose people salvage ancient technology from beneath the waves. The stranded soldier Ledo and his mecha Chamber find a new life aboard.
The Marea scene Ledo standing on the deck of a salvage ship of the Gargantia fleet with sails and chimneys all around.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Arcadia Fictional
Harlock: Space Pirate (Space Pirate Captain Harlock) (2013)
Created by Shinji Aramaki (Toei Animation)
Voices Shun Oguri (Harlock), Haruma Miura, Yū Aoi
A full CGI reimagining of Leiji Matsumoto's Harlock, then the most expensive Japanese CG anime film. Harlock's battered galleon, the Arcadia, powered by dark matter, is at the heart of the story.
The Marea scene The skull prowed Arcadia emerging from a dark matter cloud with its galleon stern lit up.
On set CGI; fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Fubuki Real ship
KanColle (Kantai Collection) (2013)
Created by Kadokawa Games (game); anime by Diomedéa
The game and anime personify Second World War warships as girls with traits drawn from each ship's history. The 2015 anime follows the destroyer Fubuki as its main character.
The Marea scene Fubuki skimming the waves with her rigging of turrets, based on the real destroyer.
On set Based on the IJN Fubuki class destroyer Fubuki, sunk 1942.
Photo: Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Harekaze Fictional
High School Fleet (Haifuri) (2016)
Created by Yuu Nobuta
Starring Shiina Natsukawa
In a Japan largely sunk beneath the sea, girls train at a marine high school to join the Blue Mermaid coast guard. On its first voyage the student crewed destroyer Harekaze is wrongly accused of mutiny and must evade pursuit while uncovering the truth.
The Marea scene Captain Akeno Misaki stands on the Harekaze's bridge wing in her white uniform as the destroyer turns at full speed.
On set Hand drawn with CGI ships (Production IMS).
Photo: Shizuo Fukui, Public domain
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Askeladd's longship Fictional
Vinland Saga (2019)
Created by Shūhei Yabuta; Wit Studio and MAPPA
Starring Yūto Uemura, Naoya Uchida, Akio Ōtsuka
Askeladd's warband raids England from its longship, with the young Thorfinn aboard seeking revenge on the man who killed his father.
The Marea scene Thorfinn crouched at the prow of the longship, daggers drawn, as it runs up onto an English beach.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Black Organization submarine Fictional
Detective Conan: Black Iron Submarine (Kurogane no Submarine) (2023)
Created by Yuzuru Tachikawa
Voices Minami Takayama (Conan), Wakana Yamazaki (Ran)
The Black Organization uses a submarine to kidnap and hold captives near Pacific Buoy, an Interpol underwater facility off Hachijō-jima. It became one of the highest grossing Conan films.
The Marea scene The black submarine lurking beneath the lit Pacific Buoy station.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Manga and anime
Going Merry Fictional
One Piece (live action) (2023)
Created by Matt Owens and Steven Maeda (showrunners)
Starring Iñaki Godoy (Luffy), Emily Rudd (Nami), Mackenyu (Zoro), Jacob Romero Gibson (Usopp), Taz Skylar (Sanji)
The Netflix adaptation follows the Straw Hats aboard the Going Merry through the East Blue, with Luffy perched on its sheep's head figurehead. The production also built other ships such as Garp's.
The Marea scene Luffy sitting on the Going Merry's figurehead with the crew on deck behind.
On set Physical ships built for filming at Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa, partly reusing ships and infrastructure left by the series Black Sails; a life size replica toured promotional events.
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Nordic comics and books
Mary Fictional
Rasmus Klump (Petzi) (1951)
Written by Carla and Vilhelm Hansen
Rasmus Klump the bear cub builds his boat Mary with his friends Pingo, Pelle and the others in the very first episode. They then sail the world in her in the Danish comic, known in French as Petzi.
The Marea scene Rasmus Klump and Pingo hammering the last plank into Mary on the slipway.
Photo: Wikipedia
Animation, Comics and Fantasy · Nordic comics and books
The Adventure (Äventyret) Fictional
Moominpappa at Sea (Pappan och havet) (1965)
Written by Tove Jansson
Moominpappa takes his family in their boat to a remote lighthouse island in the open sea, where each of them struggles to find a place. The boat's name, The Adventure, is recalled from the book.
The Marea scene The Moomin family in the little boat approaching the lighthouse island at dusk.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Rainbow Warrior Real ship
The Rainbow Warrior Conspiracy (1988)
Created by Chris Thomson
Starring Jack Thompson, Brad Davis, Germain Houde
An Australian and New Zealand miniseries in two parts, dramatising the 1985 French intelligence bombing of the Greenpeace flagship. The ship's sinking and the investigation drive the story. It aired on the Seven Network in October 1988.
The Marea scene Divers placing limpet mines on the hull at night.
On set The real Rainbow Warrior wreck lies in Matauri Bay, New Zealand.
Photo: Koen Suyk / Anefo, CC0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Rainbow Warrior Real ship
The Rainbow Warrior (1993)
Directed by Michael Tuchner
Starring Jon Voight, Sam Neill, Lucy Lawless, Kerry Fox
This American TV drama dramatises the New Zealand police investigation into the bombing of the Greenpeace ship in Auckland on 10 July 1985. The ship was sunk by French DGSE agents and photographer Fernando Pereira was killed. The film follows the hunt for those responsible.
The Marea scene The Rainbow Warrior settling at her berth in Auckland harbour after the explosions.
On set The real ship was refloated, then scuttled in 1987 in Matauri Bay as a dive site; filmed in Auckland.
Photo: Koen Suyk / Anefo, CC0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Farley Mowat and Robert Hunter Real ship
At the Edge of the World (2008)
Directed by Dan Stone
Presented by Paul Watson, Alex Cornelissen
The film follows Sea Shepherd's Operation Leviathan in the Antarctic in 2007, with Paul Watson commanding the Farley Mowat and Alex Cornelissen the Robert Hunter (later renamed Steve Irwin). They search for and harass the Japanese whaling fleet. It won Best Environmental Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival.
The Marea scene The two small ships in a Southern Ocean gale searching the horizon for the factory ship.
On set The original Farley Mowat (not the 2015 ship of the same name) and the Robert Hunter, later MY Steve Irwin.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Steve Irwin Real ship
Whale Wars (2008)
Produced by Animal Planet
Starring Paul Watson, Peter Hammarstedt, Jason Hildebrandt (narrator)
The Steve Irwin is the flagship of Sea Shepherd's anti-whaling campaigns in the Southern Ocean across the series. The crew chase and obstruct the Japanese whaling fleet. The show ran on Animal Planet from 2008 to 2015.
The Marea scene The black hulled Steve Irwin pushing through Antarctic ice floes in pursuit of a whaling ship.
On set The real ship, retired by Sea Shepherd in 2018, saved from scrapping and now run by Ship4Good in Australia.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Bob Barker Real ship
Whale Wars (2010)
Produced by Animal Planet
Starring Paul Watson, Peter Hammarstedt
Bought in 2009 with a donation from TV host Bob Barker, this former whaler joined the Sea Shepherd fleet in the Southern Ocean. It found the Japanese fleet and took part in confrontations shown in the series. In 2013 it was rammed by the Nisshin Maru.
The Marea scene Bob Barker squeezed between the whaling factory ship and a supply tanker in heavy seas.
On set The real ship, retired in November 2022 and sent to Turkey for recycling.
Photo: Anne Holmes, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Ady Gil (ex Earthrace) Real ship
Whale Wars (2010)
Produced by Animal Planet
Starring Pete Bethune, Paul Watson
The fast black trimaran joined Sea Shepherd for the 2009 to 2010 campaign. On 6 January 2010 it collided with the Japanese security ship Shōnan Maru 2, which sheared off its bow, and it was later lost. Captain Pete Bethune then boarded the Japanese ship and was detained.
The Marea scene The Shōnan Maru 2 bearing down on the black Ady Gil moments before the collision.
On set The real boat sank after the collision; an arbitrator later found it had been scuttled.
Photo: David, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Arctic Sunrise Real ship
Black Ice: The Story of the Greenpeace Arctic 30 (2014)
Directed by Maarten van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal
Presented by The Arctic 30 (Greenpeace activists)
In 2013 Arctic Sunrise sailed to protest Gazprom's Prirazlomnaya oil platform in the Pechora Sea. Russian forces seized the ship and towed it to Murmansk, and the 30 people on board were charged with piracy. The film tells the story of the crew and their detention.
The Marea scene Activists in inflatables at the foot of the oil platform as coastguard boats close in.
On set The real Arctic Sunrise, returned by Russia in 2014 and still in Greenpeace service.
Photo: Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Phyllis Cormack ('Greenpeace') Real ship
How to Change the World (2015)
Directed by Jerry Rothwell
Presented by Robert Hunter (archive), Barry Pepper (voice), Patrick Moore
In 1971 activists chartered the fishing boat Phyllis Cormack, nicknamed Greenpeace, to sail from Vancouver to protest US nuclear tests at Amchitka. The film tells the founding story of Greenpeace through archive footage. The boat was chartered again in 1975 for the first anti-whaling campaign.
The Marea scene The small fishing boat leaving Vancouver with a 'Greenpeace' sail and the crew waving from the deck.
Photo: MetcalfeBill, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Activism
Sea Shepherd patrol vessels (Farley Mowat, Sharpie) Real ship
Sea of Shadows (2019)
Directed by Richard Ladkani
Presented by Andrea Crosta, Sea Shepherd crews, Mexican Navy
The film follows efforts to save the vaquita in the Gulf of California from illegal totoaba fishing controlled by cartels. Sea Shepherd ships patrolling the area and pulling up illegal gillnets appear alongside scientists and undercover investigators.
The Marea scene Crew on a patrol boat's deck hauling an illegal gillnet with a dead fish tangled in it.
On set Sea Shepherd's Operation Milagro used Farley Mowat (ex USCGC Pea Island), Sam Simon, White Holly and Sharpie; Farley Mowat was later scrapped in Mazatlán.
Photo: Resistor, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Cold War
USS Thresher and USS Scorpion Real ship
National Geographic Explorer: Lost Subs: Disaster at Sea (2002)
National Geographic documentary on submarine losses, among them the American nuclear submarines Thresher (1963) and Scorpion (1968).
The Marea scene The black hull of a nuclear submarine slipping out of harbour on a grey morning, crew on the bridge.
On set Archive footage; both wrecks lie in the Atlantic.
Photo: J.L. Snell, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Conservation at sea
Thunder Real ship
Chasing the Thunder (2018)
Directed by Mark Benjamin, Marc Levin
Presented by Crews of the Sea Shepherd ships Bob Barker and Sam Simon
Sea Shepherd pursued the poaching trawler Thunder, one of the Bandit 6 fleet, for 110 days and 10,000 miles across the Southern Ocean and Atlantic from December 2014 to April 2015, the longest chase of its kind. Thunder was finally scuttled off São Tomé and Príncipe.
The Marea scene Thunder settles by the stern and sinks as the Sea Shepherd ship stands by and her crew are taken off in rafts.
On set The real FV Thunder, built in Norway in 1969, scuttled in April 2015.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Conservation at sea
Calypso Real ship
Becoming Cousteau (2021)
Directed by Liz Garbus
Presented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau (archive), Vincent Cassel
A National Geographic portrait of Jacques-Yves Cousteau built from his own archive, in which his research ship Calypso is at the heart of his life, films and campaigns.
The Marea scene Cousteau in his red cap stands on Calypso's bow as the ship heads out from Monaco.
On set The real Calypso, a former Royal Navy minesweeper, under long restoration in Turkey.
Photo: René Beauchamp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Cruise ship disasters
Costa Concordia Real ship
Cruise Ship Disaster: Inside the Concordia (2012)
National Geographic Channel documentary made soon after the January 2012 capsize, reconstructing the grounding on the rocks of Isola del Giglio and the night evacuation.
The Marea scene Lifeboats being lowered from the listing ship beside the harbour of Giglio, with islanders waiting on the quay.
On set Archive footage of the real ship, since scrapped at Genoa.
Photo: Robert Lender, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Cruise ship disasters
Costa Concordia Real ship
Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea (2026)
Directed by Chiara Messineo
Presented by Survivors and crew including Rose Metcalf and Manoj Singh; CNN correspondent Barbie Nadeau
Netflix feature documentary on the grounding and capsize of Costa Concordia off Isola del Giglio on 13 January 2012, in which 32 people died. It uses survivor and crew testimony together with the ship's voyage data recordings.
The Marea scene The illuminated cruise ship sailing close past the lights of Giglio harbour on the evening of 13 January 2012.
On set Archive and survivor footage of the real ship; the wreck was parbuckled in 2013, towed to Genoa in 2014 and scrapped.
Photo: Robert Lender, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Educational series
Mimi Real ship
The Voyage of the Mimi (1984)
Created by Bank Street College of Education
Starring Ben Affleck, Peter Marston
A PBS classroom series in which the crew of the Mimi carry out a census of humpback whales off Massachusetts, mixing a drama with short science expeditions. It was Ben Affleck's first screen role.
The Marea scene Young C.T. Granville stands at the Mimi's rail with binoculars as a humpback whale breaches ahead.
On set The real Mimi, built in Brittany in 1934 as a cargo boat, later converted to sail; she was scrapped in July 2011.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ferry disasters
MS Herald of Free Enterprise Real ship
Seconds from Disaster: Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster (2005)
Episode of the National Geographic series reconstructing how the Townsend Thoresen ferry capsized leaving Zeebrugge on 6 March 1987 with her bow doors open, killing 193 people, and the safety reforms that followed.
The Marea scene The ferry alongside the berth at Zeebrugge on a calm March evening, cars being loaded through the bow.
On set CGI reconstruction and archive footage; the ship was refloated and scrapped in 1988.
Photo: Franz Golhen, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ferry disasters
TEV Wahine Real ship
The Wahine Disaster (2008)
Directed by Sharon Barbour
Presented by Sharon Barbour, tug master John Brown, policeman Jim Mason
New Zealand documentary marking forty years since the inter-island ferry struck Barrett Reef at the entrance to Wellington Harbour during Cyclone Giselle on 10 April 1968. It gathers survivors and rescuers, including the captain of the tug that tried to take her in tow.
The Marea scene The harbour tug Tapuhi standing by the ferry in heavy weather inside Wellington Harbour.
On set Archive footage; the wreck was cut up in the harbour. The Wellington Museum has a Wahine memorial display.
Photo: CC0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ferry disasters
MV Doña Paz Real ship
Asia's Titanic (2009)
Directed by Yam Laranas
Presented by Joonee Gamboa (narrator), survivors including Salvador Bacsal
Philippine documentary on the collision of the ferry Doña Paz with the tanker MT Vector in the Tablas Strait on 20 December 1987, the deadliest peacetime shipping disaster, told through survivor testimony and court records.
The Marea scene The crowded inter-island ferry leaving Tacloban on a warm December evening, passengers on every deck.
On set Archive material; the ferry sank in the Tablas Strait.
Photo: lindsaybridge, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ferry disasters
MV Sewol Real ship
The Truth Shall Not Sink with Sewol (Diving Bell) (2014)
Directed by Lee Sang-ho and Ahn Hae-ryong
Presented by Lee Sang-ho, Lee Jong-in
Documentary about the rescue and recovery operation after the sinking, centred on the controversy over a diving bell brought to the site. Its screening at the 2014 Busan International Film Festival went ahead despite political pressure.
The Marea scene A small diving support barge alongside the marker buoys over the wreck, divers preparing on deck.
On set Footage filmed at the real wreck site off Jindo.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ferry disasters
MV Sewol Real ship
In the Absence (2018)
Directed by Yi Seung-jun
Oscar nominated short documentary that reconstructs, through radio traffic, helicopter footage and passengers' phone videos, the sinking of the ferry Sewol on 16 April 2014, in which about 300 people died, most of them pupils of Danwon High School. It follows the aftermath through the candlelight vigils to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.
The Marea scene The white and blue ferry on a calm morning off Jindo, with fishing boats and rescue craft approaching.
On set Archive footage of the real ship; the wreck was raised in 2017 and is preserved at Mokpo.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ferry disasters
MV Le Joola Real ship
The Joola: Africa's Titanic
Produced by BBC Africa
BBC Africa documentary on the capsizing of the Senegalese government ferry Le Joola off the Gambian coast on 26 September 2002, in which more than 1,800 people died, and on the families who still seek a memorial and the raising of the wreck.
The Marea scene Le Joola moored at Ziguinchor on the Casamance river before departure, families on the quay.
On set Archive footage; the wreck lies off The Gambia.
Photo: Yaamboo, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Great War
SS Mendi Real ship
Let Us Die Like Brothers (2006)
South African documentary on the Mendi, which sank off the Isle of Wight on 21 February 1917 after a collision in fog, with the loss of 607 men of the South African Native Labour Corps.
The Marea scene Men of the Native Labour Corps gathered on deck in fog, in the moment remembered as the death drill.
On set The wreck lies off St Catherine's Point and is a protected war grave.
Photo: Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean liners and cruise ships
SS United States Real ship
SS United States: Lady in Waiting (2008)
Directed by Robert Radler
Presented by Walter Cronkite (narrator)
A documentary on the fastest liner ever built, in service from 1952 to 1969, told through former crew and passengers. It also shows artist Robert Wogan's light installations inside the laid up ship.
The Marea scene The grey hull and red, white and blue funnels of the laid up United States glow under lights at her Philadelphia pier.
On set The real SS United States, laid up for decades at Philadelphia and sold to become an artificial reef off Florida.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean liners and cruise ships
RMS Empress of Ireland Real ship
Journey to Oblivion: The Empress of Ireland Story (2013)
Directed by Alain Vézina
National Film Board of Canada documentary on the liner that sank in the St Lawrence in fourteen minutes after a collision in fog with the collier Storstad on 29 May 1914, with more than 1,000 deaths. It includes underwater footage of the wreck.
The Marea scene The liner leaving Quebec City on a spring evening, passengers at the rail waving to the quay.
On set Wreck off Pointe-au-Père, Quebec; Site historique maritime de la Pointe-au-Père holds relics.
Photo: HefePine23, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Kon-Tiki Real ship
Kon-Tiki (1950)
Directed by Thor Heyerdahl
Presented by Thor Heyerdahl and crew
Heyerdahl's own footage of the 1947 expedition, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The raft was the crew's home for 101 days.
The Marea scene The crew haul a fish aboard the raft beside the bamboo cabin.
On set The original raft, now in the Kon-Tiki Museum at Bygdøy, Oslo.
Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Calypso Real ship
The Silent World (Le Monde du silence) (1956)
Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Louis Malle
Presented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Louis Malle
Calypso is the floating base for Cousteau's divers as they film the Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean in colour. The ship itself is a character, with its underwater observation chamber and crew life on deck. The film won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The Marea scene Divers in Aqua-Lungs climbing back up Calypso's stern ladder while the crew watch from the rail.
On set The real Calypso, built in Seattle in 1942 and 1943; sunk after a collision in Singapore in 1996, raised, and still awaiting restoration after a 2017 shipyard fire in Turkey.
Photo: René Beauchamp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Calypso Real ship
World Without Sun (Le Monde sans soleil) (1964)
Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Presented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau
The film records the Conshelf Two undersea habitat experiment in the Red Sea, with Calypso supporting the divers and the diving saucer. Calypso is the surface ship from which the operation is run. It is the second of Cousteau's feature documentaries.
The Marea scene The yellow diving saucer being swung over Calypso's side by the ship's crane.
On set The real Calypso (see The Silent World entry).
Photo: René Beauchamp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Diving saucer SP-350 'Denise' Real ship
World Without Sun (Le Monde sans soleil) (1964)
Directed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Presented by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau
The two man diving saucer takes Cousteau's team down to about 300 metres, where they film deep water life never seen before. It works alongside the Conshelf Two seabed station. Its rounded shape made it one of the most recognisable submersibles of the era.
The Marea scene The saucer hovering in the dark with its lights on, meeting divers from the seabed village.
On set The real SP-350 Denise diving saucer, built for Cousteau in 1959.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Calypso Real ship
The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau (1968)
Created by Alan Landsburg (director); Jacques-Yves Cousteau (host)
Starring Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Rod Serling (narrator, ABC)
Calypso carries Cousteau and his team around the world across 36 episodes broadcast on ABC from 1968 to 1976. The ship is the home and workshop of the series, carrying submersibles, divers and film crews. It made the red capped crew and the white hull famous worldwide.
The Marea scene Cousteau in his red cap on Calypso's bridge, with divers preparing on the aft deck.
On set The real Calypso (see The Silent World entry).
Photo: René Beauchamp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Alcyone Real ship
Cousteau's Rediscovery of the World (1985)
Created by Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Starring Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau
Alcyone was launched at La Rochelle in 1985 to test Cousteau's Turbosail wind propulsion and served alongside Calypso in his later expedition films. After Calypso sank in 1996 it became the Cousteau Society's main expedition vessel.
The Marea scene Alcyone under way with its two tall cylindrical Turbosails, Calypso following in the distance.
On set The real Alcyone, Cousteau Society vessel launched 1985.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Knorr / Argo Real ship
Secrets of the Titanic (1986)
Directed by Nicolas Noxon
Presented by Martin Sheen (narrator), Robert Ballard
The National Geographic film records the 1985 discovery of Titanic, when the Argo camera sled towed by the research ship showed a boiler on the seabed.
The Marea scene The control room on the research ship as Argo's screen shows the first Titanic boiler.
On set The real research vessel Knorr (Woods Hole), now retired; Argo sled.
Photo: Masur, CC0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Alvin and Jason Jr. Real ship
Secrets of the Titanic (1986)
Directed by Nicolas Noxon
Presented by Martin Sheen (narrator), Robert Ballard
In 1986 Ballard returned to the wreck in the submersible Alvin, sending the small robot Jason Jr. down the Grand Staircase. The pictures became famous around the world. Alvin is still in service with Woods Hole.
The Marea scene Jason Jr. on its tether peering into the wreck while Alvin sits on the deck of Titanic.
On set The real DSV Alvin (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), still operating.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Nautile Real ship
Return to the Titanic... Live! (1987)
Presented by Telly Savalas (host)
Nautile made a 54 day expedition to Titanic in 1987, using a robot arm to recover artefacts. The recovery was the subject of a live American TV special.
The Marea scene Nautile's manipulator arm lifting an object from the debris field.
On set The real Nautile, owned by Ifremer, in service since 1984.
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Mir 1 and Mir 2 Real ship
Titanica (1992)
Directed by Stephen Low
Presented by Leonard Nimoy (1995 narration), Anatoly Sagalevich, Ralph White
This IMAX film records an expedition to Titanic from the Keldysh, using the two Mir submersibles fitted with IMAX cameras and powerful lights. The Mirs are the stars of the dives. The 1995 general release was a shorter version narrated by Leonard Nimoy.
The Marea scene The two Mirs side by side over the Titanic's deck, floodlights blazing.
On set The real Mir submersibles of the P.P. Shirshov Institute, operated from Akademik Mstislav Keldysh.
Photo: L. Murphy, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Bismarck (wreck) Real ship
Expedition: Bismarck (2002)
Directed by James Cameron and Gary Johnstone
Presented by Lance Henriksen (narrator), James Cameron, Karl Kuhn, Walter Weintz
Cameron's team dives on the wreck of the German battleship west of Brest to investigate how she sank in 1941. Survivors and historians help interpret the high definition footage. The film won an Emmy for sound editing.
The Marea scene A Mir submersible's lights picking out Bismarck's hull on the seabed.
On set The real wreck, filmed from the Mir 2 submersible.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Akademik Mstislav Keldysh Real ship
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
Directed by James Cameron
Presented by Bill Paxton, James Cameron, John Broadwater, Lori Johnston
The Keldysh is the mother ship for James Cameron's 2001 expedition to the wreck of Titanic, filmed in 3D. It launches the two Mir submersibles and small robots that explore inside the wreck. Bill Paxton travels on board and dives to the wreck.
The Marea scene A Mir submersible being lowered from Keldysh's stern A-frame into the night Atlantic.
On set The real Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, built in Finland 1980, still in service; also seen in present day scenes of Titanic (1997).
Photo: Digifruitella, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
RMS Titanic (wreck) Real ship
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
Directed by James Cameron
Presented by Bill Paxton, James Cameron, Lori Johnston
The wreck of Titanic, 3,800 metres down in the North Atlantic, is the subject of the film. Mir submersibles and remotely operated vehicles explore its decks and interiors, and CGI reconstructions show the ship as it was in 1912. It is one of the most filmed shipwrecks.
The Marea scene The Titanic's bow rising out of the darkness in a Mir submersible's lights.
On set The real wreck on the seabed off Newfoundland.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Deepsea Challenger Real ship
Deepsea Challenge 3D (2014)
Directed by John Bruno, Ray Quint and Andrew Wight
Presented by James Cameron
The film follows James Cameron's building of the Deepsea Challenger and his solo dive to the Challenger Deep in March 2012. The sub reached about 10,908 metres, the second crewed dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench. It is a record of engineering as much as exploration.
The Marea scene The upright green Deepsea Challenger being lowered into the Pacific with Cameron sealed inside.
On set The real Deepsea Challenger, damaged in a 2015 truck fire, repaired and shown in touring exhibitions.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Trieste Real ship
Deepsea Challenge 3D (2014)
Directed by John Bruno, Ray Quint and Andrew Wight
Presented by James Cameron, Don Walsh
The 1960 dive of the Trieste, carrying Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh to the Challenger Deep, is the historic precedent for Cameron's 2012 dive. The bathyscaphe appears through archive material.
The Marea scene Piccard and Walsh on Trieste's small conning tower before the record dive.
On set The real Trieste, on display at the National Museum of the United States Navy, Washington DC.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Alucia and Triton submersible Real ship
Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough (2015)
Created by Anne Sommerfield
Starring David Attenborough
David Attenborough dives in a Triton submersible launched from Alucia to explore the deeper parts of the Great Barrier Reef. The ship is the base for the series. The three part BBC One series aired from December 2015 to January 2016.
The Marea scene Attenborough inside the clear acrylic sphere of the Triton sub beside the reef wall.
On set The real Alucia (now Odyssey) and its Triton 3300/3 submersible.
Photo: Adog, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Calypso Real ship
The Odyssey (L'Odyssée) (2016)
Directed by Jérôme Salle
Starring Lambert Wilson, Pierre Niney, Audrey Tautou
This biographical drama follows Jacques-Yves Cousteau, his wife Simone and son Philippe, with Calypso at the centre of the family's adventures and conflicts. The ship is shown from its conversion through the years of expeditions. It is a dramatisation rather than a documentary.
The Marea scene Lambert Wilson as Cousteau on Calypso's deck, with Simone beside him as the ship heads out to sea.
Photo: René Beauchamp, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Alucia Real ship
Blue Planet II (2017)
Directed by James Honeyborne and Mark Brownlow (executive producers)
Presented by David Attenborough (narrator)
The research ship Alucia supported deep sea filming for the BBC series, including Antarctic dives in submersibles for the episode The Deep. Its two submarines rated to 1,000 metres allowed the team to film behaviour never seen before. The ship is not seen much on screen but was vital to the series.
The Marea scene A Triton submersible descending from Alucia's deck crane into polar water.
On set The real Alucia (built 1974 as RV Nadir), renamed Odyssey in 2022.
Photo: Adog, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Energy Observer Real ship
Energy Observer, l'odyssée pour le futur (2017 onwards)
Created by Jérôme Delafosse
Starring Victorien Erussard, Jérôme Delafosse
Energy Observer is a converted racing catamaran that sails the world powered by solar panels, wind and hydrogen made from seawater. It is also a floating film studio producing documentaries on energy transition, earning the nickname 'modern day Calypso'.
The Marea scene Energy Observer's solar covered hull and wing sails arriving in port.
On set The real Energy Observer, based at Saint-Malo, on its world voyage from 2017.
Photo: Plyd, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ocean science and exploration
Tara Real ship
Tara, the Coral Odyssey (2017)
Directed by Pierre de Parscau
Presented by Jacques Gamblin (narrator)
The schooner Tara sails through French Polynesia studying coral reefs during the Tara Pacific expedition. Sailors and scientists meet island communities affected by coral loss. The ship was built for Jean-Louis Étienne and later owned by Sir Peter Blake before becoming Tara.
The Marea scene Tara at anchor inside a Tuamotu atoll lagoon with divers going over the side.
On set The real schooner Tara, still operated by the Tara Ocean Foundation.
Photo: Yohann.cordelle, CC BY 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Offshore disasters
Piper Alpha Real ship
Fire in the Night (2013)
Directed by Anthony Wonke
Presented by Paul Berriff, Stephen McGinty, survivors
BBC documentary on the explosion and fire on the Piper Alpha platform on 6 July 1988, in which 167 men died, told by survivors and rescuers. It won a Scottish BAFTA for best single documentary.
The Marea scene The fast rescue craft of the standby vessel Silver Pit working near the platform at night.
On set Archive footage; the platform remains were toppled. A memorial stands in Hazlehead Park, Aberdeen.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Oil tanker disasters
Amoco Cadiz Real ship
Days of Fury (1979)
Directed by Fred Warshofsky
Presented by Vincent Price (host)
Compilation film on natural and man made disasters that includes footage of the Amoco Cadiz, which ran aground at Portsall, Brittany, on 16 March 1978 and spilled some 220,000 tonnes of crude oil.
The Marea scene Breton fishermen and volunteers on the rocky shore of Portsall, the tanker aground offshore.
On set Archive footage; the ship's anchor is displayed at Portsall harbour.
Photo: NOAA, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Oil tanker disasters
Exxon Valdez Real ship
Black Wave: The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez (2008)
Directed by Robert Cornellier
Presented by Riki Ott
Canadian documentary on the 1989 grounding of the tanker Exxon Valdez on Bligh Reef, Prince William Sound, and its long effect on the fishing town of Cordova, following marine biologist Riki Ott through twenty years of litigation.
The Marea scene Cordova fishing boats working on the calm water of Prince William Sound in spring.
On set Archive footage; the ship was renamed several times and scrapped in India in 2012.
Photo: NOAA, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Endurance Real ship
South (1919)
Directed by Frank Hurley
Presented by Ernest Shackleton, Frank Hurley
Frank Hurley filmed Shackleton's expedition as it happened, including Endurance breaking through ice, becoming trapped and being crushed. The silent film also tells of the boat journey to South Georgia. The BFI restored it in 1996 and again in 2022.
The Marea scene Endurance at night lit by flares, masts and rigging coated in frost among the ice.
On set The real Endurance, filmed on location; wreck found in 2022.
Photo: Frank Hurley, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Terra Nova Real ship
Scott of the Antarctic (1948)
Directed by Charles Frend
Starring John Mills, Derek Bond, James Robertson Justice, Kenneth More
Ealing's account of Scott's 1910 to 1913 expedition. For lack of funds Scott settles on the old whaler Terra Nova, which carries the expedition south and battles the pack ice on the way to Antarctica.
The Marea scene Terra Nova, deep laden with ponies and sledges, pushes through pack ice while the men watch from the rigging.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Krasin Real ship
The Red Tent (Krasnaya palatka) (1969)
Directed by Mikhail Kalatozov
Starring Sean Connery, Peter Finch, Claudia Cardinale, Hardy Krüger
A Soviet and Italian film of the 1928 loss of Nobile's airship Italia. The icebreaker Krasin is sent after the survivors' radio call, is damaged on the way, and finally rescues the men from the red tent on the ice.
The Marea scene Krasin's bow smashes through the ice floe towards the red tent as the starving survivors wave.
On set The real Krasin (1916) was used in the filming and is now a museum ship in Saint Petersburg.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Terra Nova and Fram Real ship
The Last Place on Earth (1985)
Created by Ferdinand Fairfax
Starring Martin Shaw, Sverre Anker Ousdal, Max von Sydow, Stephen Moore
A seven part Central Television serial, written by Trevor Griffiths from Roland Huntford's book Scott and Amundsen, on the race to the South Pole. Scott sails in Terra Nova and Amundsen in Nansen's Fram.
The Marea scene Fram lies anchored in the Bay of Whales while Amundsen's men unload dogs onto the ice.
On set The real Fram is preserved at the Fram Museum, Oslo.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Alexandra Shackleton (James Caird replica) Real ship
Chasing Shackleton (2014)
Presented by Tim Jarvis
Tim Jarvis and his team built an exact replica of the James Caird and in 2013 re-created Shackleton's 800 mile voyage from Elephant Island to South Georgia and the crossing of the island. The series was shown on PBS. The original James Caird is at Dulwich College.
The Marea scene The small wooden boat climbing a huge Southern Ocean swell with men huddled under canvas.
On set The replica Alexandra Shackleton, built 2012; original James Caird at Dulwich College, London.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Pourquoi-Pas? Real ship
Charcot: Secret Poles (Charcot, pionnier des mers polaires) (2016)
Directed by Marc Jampolsky
Presented by Jean-Baptiste Charcot (archive)
The film follows Jean-Baptiste Charcot's scientific expeditions to the Antarctic and Arctic aboard his laboratory ship Pourquoi-Pas?. The ship wintered at Petermann Island in 1908 to 1910. It was wrecked off Iceland in 1936 with the loss of Charcot and all but one of the crew.
The Marea scene Pourquoi-Pas? moored against Antarctic ice cliffs with the crew on the floe.
On set The real ship was wrecked on reefs off Álftanes, Iceland, in 1936.
Photo: Kerzoncuf, J, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
Endurance Real ship
Endurance (2024)
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Natalie Hewit
Presented by Mensun Bound, John Shears, Dan Snow, Nico Vincent
The film tells the story of Shackleton's ship, crushed in Weddell Sea pack ice and sunk in November 1915, alongside the 2022 expedition that found the wreck 3,008 metres down. All 28 men of the 1914 expedition survived. The wreck was found with its name still legible on the stern.
The Marea scene Endurance heeled over and gripped by pressure ice, the crew watching from the floe.
On set The real wreck lies protected on the Weddell Sea floor under the Antarctic Treaty.
Photo: Frank Hurley, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Polar exploration
S.A. Agulhas II Real ship
Endurance (2024)
Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin and Natalie Hewit
Presented by Mensun Bound, John Shears, Dan Snow
The South African icebreaker was the search ship for the Endurance22 expedition in February and March 2022. Underwater vehicles launched from it found the wreck of Endurance. The film follows the expedition team on board.
The Marea scene The red hulled Agulhas II pushing through Weddell Sea pack ice under a grey sky.
On set The real S.A. Agulhas II, built 2012 in Rauma, Finland; in service.
Photo: nairnbairn, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Reality series
Picton Castle Real ship
Pirate Master (2007)
Directed by Mark Burnett
Presented by Cameron Daddo
Sixteen modern day contestants live as pirates aboard a real tall ship, competing for a treasure worth one million US dollars.
The Marea scene Contestants in pirate dress swarming up the Picton Castle's rigging as the captain calls the next challenge.
On set The real barque Picton Castle, a sail training ship based in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.
Photo: Waterborough, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Reality series
Bounty launch replica Real ship
Mutiny (2017)
Produced by Channel 4
Presented by Ant Middleton
Nine men recreate Captain Bligh's open boat voyage after the Bounty mutiny, sailing a replica launch thousands of miles from Tonga to Timor with 18th century supplies.
The Marea scene The crew crammed into the open launch, rowing through a squall with Ant Middleton at the tiller.
On set A purpose built replica of the Bounty's launch.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Gipsy Moth IV Real ship
BBC coverage of the 1966 to 1967 voyage (1967)
Presented by Sir Francis Chichester
Chichester sailed Gipsy Moth IV single handed round the world with one stop, in 226 sailing days. The BBC and Sunday Times chartered a plane to film him at sea.
The Marea scene Gipsy Moth IV rounding Cape Horn under reduced sail, filmed from the air.
On set The real Gipsy Moth IV, relaunched in 2025 after restoration and based in British waters.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Ra Real ship
Ra (1972)
Directed by Lennart Ehrenborg and Thor Heyerdahl
Presented by Thor Heyerdahl, Norman Baker, Carlo Mauri, Yuri Senkevich
Heyerdahl's first papyrus boat set out from Morocco in 1969 to show that ancient reed boats could cross the Atlantic. It broke up after about eight weeks, some 600 miles short of Barbados. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary.
The Marea scene The multinational crew bailing and lashing as Ra's papyrus stern sags in the Atlantic swell.
On set The original Ra was abandoned at sea in 1969.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Ra II Real ship
Ra (1972)
Directed by Lennart Ehrenborg and Thor Heyerdahl
Presented by Thor Heyerdahl, Norman Baker, Kei Ohara, Roscoe Lee Browne (narrator)
After Ra failed, Heyerdahl built Ra II and sailed it from Morocco to Barbados in 57 days, arriving on 12 July 1970. The same international crew returned with two new members. The success forms the climax of the film.
The Marea scene Ra II arriving off Barbados with its tall bipod mast and square sail.
On set The original Ra II is displayed at the Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Tigris Real ship
The Tigris Expedition (1979)
Directed by Thor Heyerdahl
Presented by Thor Heyerdahl, Norman Baker, Carlo Mauri, Yuri Senkevich
Heyerdahl's reed boat was built in Iraq and sailed through the Persian Gulf to Pakistan and into the Red Sea over about five months. In April 1978 the crew deliberately burned it at Djibouti in protest at the wars around them.
The Marea scene Tigris burning at Djibouti, flames climbing the reed hull.
On set The original Tigris was burned at Djibouti on 3 April 1978.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Bluebird K7 Real ship
Across the Lake (1988)
Directed by Tony Maylam
Starring Anthony Hopkins
This BBC drama shows Donald Campbell's last attempt on the water speed record on Coniston Water. On 4 January 1967 K7 lifted off at over 300 mph and crashed, killing Campbell. The boat set seven world water speed records between 1955 and 1967.
The Marea scene K7 lifting clear of Coniston Water in a backward somersault.
Photo: Neil Sheppard, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
B&Q (B&Q/Castorama) Real ship
Ellen MacArthur record documentary (BBC One) (2005)
Presented by Ellen MacArthur
Ellen MacArthur sailed B&Q/Castorama single handed round the world in 71 days 14 hours 18 minutes 33 seconds, setting a world record in February 2005. She filmed over 25 hours of footage on board herself.
The Marea scene MacArthur alone on the trimaran's deck talking to camera in a Southern Ocean storm.
On set The real trimaran, later renamed Use It Again and skippered by Romain Pilliard.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Suhaili Real ship
Deep Water (2006)
Directed by Jerry Rothwell and Louise Osmond
Presented by Tilda Swinton (narrator), Robin Knox-Johnston
Robin Knox-Johnston sailed Suhaili to win the 1968 to 1969 Golden Globe Race, the first solo non stop circumnavigation. He is interviewed in the film. Suhaili provides the counterpoint to Crowhurst's tragedy.
The Marea scene Knox-Johnston at Suhaili's tiller, bearded and weather beaten, on his return to Falmouth.
On set The real Suhaili, still owned by Knox-Johnston and restored in 2020.
Photo: Thomas Keyser, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Joshua Real ship
Deep Water (2006)
Directed by Jerry Rothwell and Louise Osmond
Presented by Tilda Swinton (narrator), Bernard Moitessier (archive), Françoise Moitessier de Cazalet
Bernard Moitessier sailed Joshua in the Golden Globe Race but abandoned it while well placed and carried on to Tahiti. His decision is one of the most famous in sailing history. The film tells his story alongside Crowhurst's.
The Marea scene Moitessier firing a message by slingshot onto a passing ship's deck from Joshua.
On set The real Joshua belongs to the Musée maritime de La Rochelle.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Pen Duick Real ship
Tabarly (2008)
Directed by Pierre Marcel
Presented by Éric Tabarly (archive)
The film is a portrait of Éric Tabarly, the French sailor whose Pen Duick yachts won transatlantic and ocean races in the 1960s and 1970s. The first Pen Duick was his father's old cutter, which he rebuilt. Tabarly was lost overboard from Pen Duick in the Irish Sea in 1998.
The Marea scene Tabarly at the helm of the black hulled Pen Duick under gaff sail.
On set The Pen Duick yachts still sail in classic events; Marie Tabarly sails Pen Duick VI.
Photo: Pline, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Hōkūleʻa Real ship
Papa Mau: The Wayfinder (2010)
Directed by Nāʻālehu Anthony
Presented by Mau Piailug, Nainoa Thompson
Hōkūleʻa sailed from Hawaii to Tahiti in 1976 using only traditional non instrument navigation, guided by master navigator Mau Piailug. The film tells how Mau taught a new generation of Hawaiian navigators. The canoe later sailed round the world on the Mālama Honua voyage from 2014 to 2017.
The Marea scene Mau Piailug standing at the stern of Hōkūleʻa reading the swells at dawn.
On set The real Hōkūleʻa, owned by the Polynesian Voyaging Society, still sailing.
Photo: Phil Uhl, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Record voyages and racing
Earthrace Real ship
EarthRace: Soaring the Seas to Make History
Presented by Pete Bethune
Earthrace circled the globe in 60 days 23 hours and 49 minutes in 2008, a record for a powered boat. The documentary follows Pete Bethune's attempt. The boat later became Sea Shepherd's Ady Gil.
The Marea scene The silver wave piercer slicing straight through a wave rather than riding over it.
On set The real boat became Ady Gil and was lost in 2010.
Photo: David, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
Mariel boatlift fleet Real ship
Against Wind and Tide: A Cuban Odyssey (1981)
Directed by Jim Burroughs
Oscar nominated documentary on the 1980 Mariel boatlift, filmed in the Straits of Florida, at Key West and at Fort Chaffee as some 125,000 Cubans reached the United States in a flotilla of small boats.
The Marea scene Overcrowded shrimp boats and cabin cruisers arriving at the Key West docks in bright sunshine.
On set Real boats filmed in 1980.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
Exodus 1947 (ex President Warfield) Real ship
Exodus 1947 (1997)
Directed by Elizabeth Rodgers and Robby Henson
Presented by Morley Safer (narrator)
PBS documentary on the former Baltimore steamer President Warfield, which carried some 4,500 Jewish Holocaust survivors towards Palestine in 1947 and was intercepted by the Royal Navy, with passengers returned to Europe.
The Marea scene The old white bay steamer, crowded with passengers, flying a blue and white flag in the eastern Mediterranean.
On set Archive footage; the ship burned in Haifa in 1952 and was scrapped.
Photo: Fritz Cohen, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
MV Struma Real ship
The Struma (2001)
Directed by Simcha Jacobovici
Canadian documentary on the Struma, which left Romania in December 1941 with about 780 Jewish refugees, was held at Istanbul for ten weeks and was torpedoed in the Black Sea by a Soviet submarine in February 1942, leaving one survivor. The film follows a descendant's search for the wreck.
The Marea scene The overcrowded little ship at anchor off Istanbul in winter, refugees waving from the rails.
On set Archive material; the wreck lies in the Black Sea.
Photo: Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
SIEV X Real ship
Hope (2008)
Directed by Steve Thomas
Presented by Amal Basry
Australian documentary about Amal Basry, one of the few survivors of the boat known as SIEV X, which sank between Indonesia and Australia in October 2001 with the loss of 353 lives, and her efforts to keep its memory alive.
The Marea scene A memorial of painted wooden poles on a Canberra lakeshore, one for each person lost.
On set No vessel survives; the SIEV X memorial stands in Canberra.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
Lampedusa refugee boat (3 October 2013) Real ship
Shipwreck (2014)
Directed by Morgan Knibbe
Presented by Abraham (survivor)
Dutch short documentary in which Abraham, an Eritrean survivor of the boat that sank off Lampedusa on 3 October 2013 with more than 360 deaths, walks through the island's graveyard of wrecked migrant boats while coffins are loaded onto a navy ship.
The Marea scene A survivor standing among the stacked hulls of wrecked wooden boats in the Lampedusa boat graveyard.
On set Real wrecked migrant boats on Lampedusa.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
Iuventa Real ship
Iuventa (2018)
Directed by Michele Cinque
Presented by Crew of Jugend Rettet
Documentary following the young volunteers of the German NGO Jugend Rettet and their rescue ship Iuventa, a converted 1962 fishing vessel, in the central Mediterranean. The ship was seized by Italian authorities in 2017; the crew were acquitted in 2024.
The Marea scene Volunteers in a fast rescue boat handing out life jackets to a crowded rubber boat, the Iuventa waiting nearby.
On set The real Iuventa, filmed during rescue missions.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
Sea-Watch 3 Real ship
SeaWatch3 (2019)
Directed by Nadia Kailouli and Jonas Schreijäg
Presented by Carola Rackete
NDR documentary filmed during a 21 day mission of the NGO ship Sea-Watch 3, ending with the ship entering Lampedusa without permission and the arrest of her captain Carola Rackete in June 2019. Music by Nils Frahm.
The Marea scene Sea-Watch 3 lying off Lampedusa at sunset, rescued people resting under blankets on deck.
On set The real ship, filmed during the mission.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Refugee ships and boats
MV Tampa Real ship
Tampa: The Turning Point (2026)
Directed by Kriv Stenders
Presented by John Howard, Alexander Downer, Marian Wilkinson, rescued refugees
Three part ABC series on the August 2001 rescue of 433 people from a sinking fishing boat by the Norwegian freighter Tampa, and the stand off when Australia refused to let her land them at Christmas Island.
The Marea scene The blue hulled Tampa at anchor off Christmas Island, rescued people sheltering among containers on deck.
On set Archive footage of the real ship.
Photo: Remi Jouan, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · River disasters
Sultana Real ship
Remember the Sultana (2018)
Directed by Mike Marshall and Mark Marshall
Presented by Sean Astin
Documentary on the Sultana, whose boilers exploded on the Mississippi near Memphis on 27 April 1865 while she carried Union soldiers freed from Cahaba and Andersonville, the deadliest maritime disaster in American history.
The Marea scene The overloaded steamboat photographed at Helena, Arkansas, soldiers crowding every deck.
On set Archive photographs; the remains are believed to lie under farmland in Arkansas.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · River disasters
SS Eastland Real ship
The Eastland Tragedy July 24, 1915 (2026)
Directed by WTTW
Chicago public television documentary on the Eastland, which rolled over at her dock in the Chicago River on 24 July 1915 while boarding Western Electric employees for a company picnic, killing 844 people.
The Marea scene The steamer at the Clark Street dock on a summer morning, families in their best clothes filing aboard.
On set The ship was raised and became the naval training vessel USS Wilmette, scrapped in 1947.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Mary Rose Real ship
Live television broadcast of the raising of the Mary Rose (1982)
Henry VIII's warship sank in the Solent in 1545 and was raised on 11 October 1982, watched by Prince Charles. The raising was broadcast live on television. The hull is now displayed at Portsmouth.
The Marea scene The lifting frame bringing the dark timbers of the hull up out of the Solent.
On set The real Mary Rose hull, in the Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Photo: Anthony Roll, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Vasa Real ship
Vasa 1628 (2011)
Created by Anders Wahlgren
The Swedish warship sank on its maiden voyage in Stockholm harbour in 1628 and was salvaged in 1961 in front of television cameras and crowds. A large budget film on Vasa premiered on Swedish television (SVT) in late 2011. The ship is displayed in the Vasa Museum.
The Marea scene Vasa's hull breaking the surface of Stockholm harbour in April 1961.
On set The real Vasa, Vasa Museum, Stockholm.
Photo: JavierKohen, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Charles W. Morgan Real ship
The Charles W. Morgan (2014)
Directed by Bailey Pryor
The documentary tells the 170 year history of the last surviving wooden whaleship, which made 37 whaling voyages from New Bedford. It premiered in May 2014 ahead of the ship's restored 38th voyage to New England ports. The ship is a National Historic Landmark.
The Marea scene The Morgan under full sail off Cape Cod on its 38th voyage.
On set The real Charles W. Morgan, Mystic Seaport Museum, Connecticut.
Photo: Copyrighted free use
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
SS Andrea Doria Real ship
Andrea Doria: Are the Passengers Saved? (2016)
Directed by Luca Guardabascio
The Italian liner sank off Nantucket in July 1956 after a collision with the Stockholm, and almost everyone on board was rescued. The documentary tells the story through survivors. The wreck is a famous dive site.
The Marea scene Andrea Doria listing heavily in the morning light as lifeboats pull away.
On set The real wreck lies off Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
L'Hermione Real ship
L'Hermione, le grand voyage américain (2016)
Directed by Jean-Dominique Lamy and Valérie Toëbat
The film follows the replica frigate's first great voyage to the United States in 2015, retracing Lafayette's 1780 crossing. It shows daily life for volunteer and professional crew on an 18th century ship and every port of call. The replica was built at Rochefort.
The Marea scene Volunteers aloft on the yards furling sail as the frigate approaches the American coast.
On set The real replica Hermione, built at Rochefort and launched 2012 to 2014.
Photo: Jp.sembely, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
HMY Britannia Real ship
Great British Royal Ships: Britannia, Secrets of the Royal Yacht (2017)
The royal yacht carried the royal family on 696 foreign visits from 1954 to 1997. Documentaries explore its state rooms, crew life and role in royal history. It carried the last Governor of Hong Kong in 1997 before decommissioning.
The Marea scene Britannia dressed overall entering harbour with the Royal Marines band on the quarterdeck.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
HMS Belfast Real ship
Great British Ships: HMS Belfast (2018)
Presented by Rob Bell
The episode tells the story of the Second World War cruiser that fought at the Battle of North Cape and supported D-Day. It forms part of the Channel 5 series. Belfast is moored on the Thames as a museum ship.
The Marea scene Belfast's forward turrets firing during the Normandy bombardment.
Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
HMS Victory Real ship
Great British Ships: HMS Victory, Nelson's Great Warship (2018)
Presented by Rob Bell
Rob Bell explores Nelson's flagship at Trafalgar in the Channel 5 series. The episode covers how the ship was built and fought. Victory is the oldest naval ship still in commission.
The Marea scene Nelson falling on Victory's quarterdeck at Trafalgar, as told in the programme.
On set The real HMS Victory, in dry dock at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
Photo: Cimosteve, CC0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
SS Great Britain Real ship
Great British Ships: SS Great Britain (2018)
Presented by Rob Bell
The episode covers Brunel's revolutionary iron steamship and its later life as an emigrant ship and hulk. It forms part of the Channel 5 series. The ship is preserved in its original dry dock in Bristol.
The Marea scene The Great Britain under steam and sail leaving Bristol.
Photo: mattbuck, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Mary Rose Real ship
Great British Ships: Sunk, Mary Rose Secrets From the Deep (2018)
Presented by Rob Bell
The Channel 5 episode explores the Mary Rose, why she sank in 1545 and what the raised hull and artefacts reveal about Tudor sailors. It forms part of a series on famous British ships.
The Marea scene The Mary Rose heeling suddenly to starboard with water pouring in through open gunports.
Photo: Anthony Roll, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Golden Hinde Real ship
Great British Ships: The Golden Hinde (2018)
Presented by Rob Bell
The episode tells the story of Francis Drake's circumnavigation in the Golden Hind, using the full size replica. The replica has itself sailed round the world. It sits at St Mary Overie Dock in London.
The Marea scene Drake's galleon under sail with the golden hind figurehead at the bow.
Photo: Murgatroyd49, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Cutty Sark Real ship
Great British Ships: Cutty Sark (2019)
Presented by Rob Bell
The episode tells the story of the clipper built at Dumbarton in 1869 for the tea trade and later the wool trade. It also covers the ship's survival and the 2007 fire. Cutty Sark reopened at Greenwich in 2012.
The Marea scene Cutty Sark racing home under full sail with the tea harvest.
On set The real Cutty Sark, museum ship at Greenwich, London.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Royal and historic ships on TV
Pilar Real ship
Hemingway (2021)
Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Presented by Peter Coyote (narrator), Jeff Daniels (voice of Hemingway)
Hemingway's boat Pilar was used for marlin fishing off Key West and Cuba and for U-boat patrols in the Second World War. The three part PBS series covers his life in Key West and Cuba.
The Marea scene Hemingway in the fighting chair on Pilar's stern with a marlin on the line.
On set The real Pilar, on display at Finca Vigía, Havana, Cuba.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Sailing adventures and records
Dove Real ship
The Dove (1974)
Directed by Charles Jarrott
Starring Joseph Bottoms, Deborah Raffin
A film produced by Gregory Peck of Robin Lee Graham's voyage round the world, begun at sixteen in 1965 in the 24 foot sloop Dove and finished in 1970 in the larger Return of Dove.
The Marea scene Young Robin stands at Dove's tiller as the little sloop slips past a Pacific atoll.
On set The real Dove, a Lapworth 24; later boat Return of Dove, a 33 foot Allied Luders.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Sailing adventures and records
Guppy Real ship
Maidentrip (2013)
Directed by Jillian Schlesinger
Presented by Laura Dekker
Laura Dekker, largely filming herself, sails the ketch Guppy alone round the world from August 2010 to January 2012, becoming at sixteen the youngest person to complete a solo circumnavigation.
The Marea scene Laura sits on Guppy's cabin top with the camera in hand, the red hull slicing through tropical blue water.
On set The real Guppy.
Photo: Savyasachi, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Sailing adventures and records
Australia II Real ship
Untold: The Race of the Century (2022)
Directed by Chapman Way, Maclain Way
Presented by John Bertrand and the Australia II crew
Netflix's documentary on Australia II's win of the 1983 America's Cup, ending the New York Yacht Club's 132 year hold on the trophy, and the row over her secret winged keel.
The Marea scene Australia II crosses the finish line off Newport with the boxing kangaroo flag flying.
On set The real Australia II, on permanent display at the WA Maritime Museum, Fremantle.
Photo: CTBOLT, CC BY-SA 3.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Sailing adventures and records
Ella's Pink Lady Real ship
True Spirit (2023)
Directed by Sarah Spillane
Starring Teagan Croft, Cliff Curtis, Anna Paquin, Josh Lawson
A Netflix drama of sixteen year old Jessica Watson's 2009 to 2010 solo, non stop voyage round the world in the pink yacht Ella's Pink Lady. The film shows her collision with a freighter on a trial run and the knockdowns in the Southern Ocean.
The Marea scene Ella's Pink Lady rolls over in a mountainous Southern Ocean wave, her mast pointing at the seabed.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ship documentaries
Queen Mary 2 Real ship
Mighty Ships (2008)
Produced by Exploration Production Inc.
Starring Barbara Budd (narrator)
The Canadian series about working ships began with a special on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, following the liner and her crew on a crossing. Each episode takes one great vessel and shows how she works.
The Marea scene Queen Mary 2 steams out of harbour with her black hull and red funnel, tugs alongside.
On set The real Queen Mary 2 (2003), still in Cunard service.
Photo: Oceanhistory46, CC BY-SA 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ship documentaries
Emma Maersk Real ship
Mighty Ships (2008)
Produced by Exploration Production Inc.
Starring Barbara Budd (narrator)
An early Mighty Ships episode follows Emma Maersk, then the largest container ship afloat, carrying cargo through pirate prone waters.
The Marea scene Emma Maersk ploughs through the swell with containers stacked high and her blue hull gleaming.
On set The real Emma Maersk (2006), still in service.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ship documentaries
Oasis of the Seas Real ship
Mighty Ships (2010)
Produced by Exploration Production Inc.
Starring Barbara Budd (narrator)
The third season of Mighty Ships featured Oasis of the Seas, then the largest cruise ship ever built.
The Marea scene Oasis of the Seas easing out of the Turku shipyard on her delivery voyage, crew lining the decks above her open Central Park.
On set The real Oasis of the Seas (2009), in Royal Caribbean service.
Photo: Jack Adamenko, CC0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ship documentaries
MSC Oscar Real ship
Mighty Ships (2015)
Produced by Exploration Production Inc.
Starring Barbara Budd (narrator)
Mighty Ships followed MSC Oscar, at the time the largest container ship in the world.
The Marea scene MSC Oscar leaves port loaded with a mountain of containers as a pilot boat pulls away.
On set The real MSC Oscar (2015).
Photo: kees torn, CC BY-SA 2.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ship documentaries
MS Norröna Real ship
Mighty Ships (2018)
Produced by Exploration Production Inc.
Starring Barbara Budd (narrator)
The tenth season premiere followed Norröna, the Faroe Islands' largest ferry, linking the islands with Iceland and Denmark across the North Atlantic.
The Marea scene Norröna rides heavy North Atlantic swells on the way to Tórshavn.
On set The real MS Norröna (2003), Smyril Line.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Ship documentaries
Carnival Triumph Real ship
Trainwreck: Poop Cruise (2025)
Produced by Netflix
Presented by Passengers and crew of the Carnival Triumph
The Netflix documentary recounts the February 2013 engine room fire that left the Carnival Triumph adrift in the Gulf of Mexico without power, as sewage backed up into passenger decks until she was towed to Mobile, Alabama.
The Marea scene Passengers camped under bedsheet tents on the Triumph's open deck as tugs tow her towards Mobile.
On set The real Carnival Triumph, repaired and returned to service in June 2013; renamed Carnival Sunrise after a 2019 refit and still sailing.
Photo: Jack Adamenko, CC BY 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Slave ship wrecks
Henrietta Marie Real ship
Slave Ship: The Testimony of the Henrietta Marie (1995)
Presented by Cornel West (narrator)
Documentary on the Henrietta Marie, which delivered 191 enslaved Africans to Jamaica and sank on New Ground Reef near Key West in 1700. Its wreck, found in 1972, gave the largest collection of objects known from a slave ship.
The Marea scene Divers placing the memorial plaque, facing Africa, on the reef above the wreck in 1993.
On set The real wreck near Key West; objects are at the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Slave ship wrecks
Clotilda Real ship
Descendant (2022)
Directed by Margaret Brown
Presented by Residents of Africatown, Alabama
Netflix documentary on Africatown, Alabama, founded by Africans illegally brought to Mobile Bay on the Clotilda in 1860, the last known slave ship to reach the United States. It follows the descendants as the wreck is found in the Mobile River in 2019.
The Marea scene Descendants on a small boat on the Mobile River above the wreck site, laying flowers on the water.
On set The real wreck lies in the Mobile River, protected by the Alabama Historical Commission.
Photo: Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Submersible disasters
Titan (OceanGate submersible) Real ship
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster (2025)
Directed by Mark Monroe
Presented by David Lochridge, Sydney Nargeolet, Mark Harris
Netflix documentary on the OceanGate company and the loss of its submersible Titan during a dive to the wreck of the Titanic in June 2023, in which all five people aboard died. It draws heavily on former employees, including whistleblower David Lochridge, who had raised safety concerns about the hull.
The Marea scene Titan resting on its launch platform in calm North Atlantic water, crew in survival suits making final checks before a dive.
On set Archive footage of the real submersible; debris was recovered from the seabed near the Titanic wreck in 2023.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Submersible disasters
Polar Prince (support ship) Real ship
Titan: The OceanGate Disaster (2025)
Directed by Mark Monroe
Presented by David Lochridge, Sydney Nargeolet, Mark Harris
The Canadian vessel Polar Prince carried Titan and her launch platform to the Titanic wreck site in June 2023 and was the surface ship in contact with the submersible when communications were lost. It is part of the background of every account of the 2023 expeditions.
The Marea scene Polar Prince at sea off Newfoundland, towing the submersible platform astern in grey northern light.
On set The real Polar Prince, a former Canadian Coast Guard light icebreaker, still in service.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Tall ships and sail
Peking Real ship
Around Cape Horn (1929)
Directed by Irving Johnson (footage 1929, narrated version 1980)
Presented by Irving Johnson
Irving Johnson filmed his voyage as a seaman aboard the German nitrate barque Peking from Hamburg round Cape Horn to Chile in 1929. In 1980 Mystic Seaport issued the footage with his own narration, one of the great records of the last commercial square riggers.
The Marea scene Men on Peking's yards fight a thrashing sail while green seas sweep the deck off Cape Horn.
On set The real Peking, built by Blohm and Voss in 1911, back in Hamburg as a museum ship since 2020.
Photo: Nightflyer, CC BY 4.0
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Tall ships and sail
Christian Radich Real ship
Windjammer (1958)
Directed by Bill Colleran, Louis de Rochemont III
Presented by Erik Bye (narrator), Captain Yngvar Kjelstrup, Pablo Casals, Arthur Fiedler
The only film shot in the widescreen Cinemiracle process follows the Norwegian training ship Christian Radich and her cadets on a 17,500 mile voyage from Oslo to Madeira, the Caribbean, New York and back to Bergen.
The Marea scene Cadets strung along the yards set sail as Christian Radich heels under full canvas.
On set The real Christian Radich (1937), still sailing from Oslo.
Photo: Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Television documentary series
HMS Ark Royal (R09) Real ship
Sailor (1976)
Directed by John Purdie
Presented by Crew of HMS Ark Royal
The BBC fly on the wall series followed Ark Royal's five and a half month deployment to North America after her refit, with Rod Stewart's Sailing as its theme. It won the BAFTA for Best Factual Series.
The Marea scene Phantoms and Buccaneers crowding the flight deck of Ark Royal as she steams west with the crew mustered on deck.
On set The real HMS Ark Royal (1950); scrapped at Cairnryan, as shown in Sailor: 8 Years On (1984).
Photo: Isaac Newton, CC BY-SA 2.5
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Television documentary series
HM Bark Endeavour (replica) Real ship
The Ship (2002)
Directed by Chris Terrill
Narrated by Dominic Frisby
Fifty five volunteers sail the Endeavour replica for six weeks from Australia's east coast to Jakarta, living as 18th century sailors and navigating by lunar distances, retracing Cook's route.
The Marea scene Volunteers hauling on the braces of the Endeavour replica as the navigators take a lunar distance with a sextant.
On set The HM Bark Endeavour replica built in Fremantle, now at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Television documentary series
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) Real ship
Carrier (2008)
Directed by Deborah Dickson and Jeff Dupre
Presented by Crew of USS Nimitz
The PBS series follows the Nimitz on a six month deployment from Coronado, California to the Persian Gulf in 2005, told through the crew's own experiences.
The Marea scene Deck crew in coloured jerseys launching a Hornet from the Nimitz's waist catapult at dusk.
On set The real USS Nimitz.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Travel documentaries
Al-Sharma Real ship
Around the World in 80 Days with Michael Palin (1989)
Created by Roger Mills (and others)
Starring Michael Palin
Retracing Phileas Fogg's route without aircraft, Michael Palin sails from Dubai to Bombay on the dhow Al-Sharma, sleeping on deck with the Indian crew. The trip also used freighters, a Chinese ferry and container ships.
The Marea scene Michael Palin sits cross legged on the crowded deck of the Al-Sharma, eating with the crew as the dhow crosses the Arabian Sea.
On set The real dhow Al-Sharma (fate unknown).
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Troopships
HMT Rohna Real ship
Rohna Classified (2025)
Documentary on the Rohna, sunk by a German radio guided glide bomb off Algeria in November 1943 with 1,015 American soldiers lost, and on the decades of secrecy that followed.
The Marea scene The troopship in convoy off the Algerian coast in late afternoon, soldiers crowding the rails.
On set The wreck lies off Béjaïa, Algeria.
Photo: Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
Herring drifters Real ship
Drifters (1929)
Directed by John Grierson
Presented by Crews of the North Sea herring fleet
John Grierson's founding work of the British documentary movement, following a North Sea herring fishing voyage by steam drifter from casting the nets to the sale on the quay.
The Marea scene A steam drifter rolls in grey swell as the crew haul in nets heavy with silver herring.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
John Gillman Real ship
North Sea (1938)
Directed by Harry Watt
Presented by Crew of the John Gillman (non actors)
A GPO Film Unit drama documentary in which the Aberdeen trawler John Gillman is caught in a North Sea storm and radios for help through Wick coastguard station. It was based on a real 1937 incident.
The Marea scene The John Gillman buries her bow in heavy seas as the skipper works the wireless in the wheelhouse.
On set Real Aberdeen trawler.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
Cornelia Marie Real ship
Deadliest Catch (2005)
Created by Thom Beers
Starring Phil Harris, Josh Harris, Jake Harris
The Cornelia Marie was run by Captain Phil Harris, who suffered a stroke during filming of season six in 2010 and died. His story was among the most watched in the series. His sons later worked on the fleet.
The Marea scene Phil Harris in the wheelhouse with a cigarette, watching the deck crew through the window.
On set The real F/V Cornelia Marie, Alaskan crab boat.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
Time Bandit Real ship
Deadliest Catch (2005)
Created by Thom Beers
Starring Johnathan Hillstrand, Andy Hillstrand
The Time Bandit is run by the Hillstrand brothers, known for their friendly rivalries and pranks with other captains. It is one of the long running boats of the series. Its crew represent the family boats of the Bering Sea fleet.
The Marea scene The Time Bandit's crew firing fireworks from the deck at a rival boat.
On set The real F/V Time Bandit.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
Wizard Real ship
Deadliest Catch (2005)
Created by Thom Beers
Starring Keith Colburn
The Wizard is captained by Keith Colburn and is a regular part of the fleet shown in the series. Its crew compete for quota against the other boats. The show is filmed out of Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
The Marea scene The Wizard rolling in heavy Bering Sea swell with ice building on its rails.
On set The real F/V Wizard.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
Athena Real ship
Leviathan (2012)
Directed by Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel
Presented by Crew of the trawler (no narration)
An experimental documentary from Harvard's Sensory Ethnography Lab shot aboard a New Bedford fishing trawler 200 miles out in the North Atlantic, using GoPro cameras strapped to the crew and dipped into the sea.
The Marea scene A GoPro view looks up from the tumbling catch on the deck as gulls wheel over the trawler at night.
On set A real New Bedford trawler.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
FV-Tuna.com Real ship
Wicked Tuna (2012)
Produced by National Geographic Channel
Starring Dave Carraro
Captain Dave Carraro's boat is one of the Gloucester fleet competing to catch Atlantic bluefin tuna in the North Atlantic. The series ran for 13 seasons from 2012 to 2024. Each catch is sold at market and the boats compete on earnings.
The Marea scene A giant bluefin being hauled through the boat's tuna door after a long fight.
On set The real boat based in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Working boats and fishing
Hard Merchandise, Pinwheel, Hot Tuna and others Real ship
Wicked Tuna (2012)
Produced by National Geographic Channel
Starring Dave Marciano, Tyler McLaughlin, TJ Ott, Paul Hebert
The other Gloucester boats in the original series include Hard Merchandise (Dave Marciano), Pinwheel (Tyler McLaughlin), Hot Tuna (TJ Ott), Wicked Pissah (Paul Hebert) and Fat Tuna (Bob Cook). Their rivalry for bluefin drives each season. The show is filmed in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
The Marea scene Two rival boats working the same patch of water off Stellwagen Bank with rods bent.
On set Real boats of the Gloucester fleet.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
Terrier VIII Real ship
Blue Water, White Death (1971)
Directed by Peter Gimbel, James Lipscomb
Presented by Peter Gimbel, Ron Taylor, Valerie Taylor, Stan Waterman
Peter Gimbel's expedition to film the great white shark begins off Durban, where the team films sharks feeding on sperm whales harpooned by the whaler Terrier VIII. The quest continues across the Indian Ocean to Dangerous Reef in South Australia. It helped inspire Jaws.
The Marea scene Divers leave their cages beneath the Terrier VIII to swim among oceanic whitetip sharks at a whale carcass.
On set The real whale catcher Terrier VIII.
Photo: Wikipedia
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
RMS Titanic Real ship
Titanic: The Complete Story (1994)
Produced by A&E Network
Presented by Survivor interviews
A four hour A&E documentary in two parts, Death of a Dream and The Legend Lives On, covering the building and loss of Titanic with survivor interviews, and the 1985 discovery of the wreck. Often called the definitive documentary on the ship.
The Marea scene Titanic leaves Southampton on 10 April 1912 with her four funnels and crowds on the quay.
On set The real RMS Titanic, archive footage and photographs.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
USS Yorktown (CV-5) (wreck) Real ship
Return to Midway (1999)
Produced by National Geographic
Presented by Robert Ballard
National Geographic's film of Robert Ballard's 1998 expedition that found the carrier Yorktown, sunk at the Battle of Midway, sitting upright about five kilometres down with much of her paint still visible.
The Marea scene Yorktown's flight deck and gun galleries appear upright on the seabed in the submersible's lights.
On set The real wreck of USS Yorktown, in Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
H. L. Hunley Real ship
The Sea Hunters (2002)
Produced by National Geographic Channel and History Television
Starring Clive Cussler, Mike Fletcher
The television series of Clive Cussler's shipwreck hunting organisation NUMA. Its most famous find is the Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley, which sank the USS Housatonic in 1864 and was raised in 2000.
The Marea scene Divers uncover the conning tower of the Hunley in the silt off Charleston.
On set The real H. L. Hunley, now conserved at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, North Charleston.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
RMS Titanic (wreck) Real ship
Save the Titanic with Bob Ballard (2012)
Produced by National Geographic Channel
Presented by Robert Ballard
Robert Ballard, who found the wreck in 1985, examines the damage done by repeated visits and argues for international protection of the site against looting.
The Marea scene Titanic's bow rail looms out of the dark in the lights of a submersible.
On set The real wreck of RMS Titanic.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
RMS Titanic (wreck) Real ship
Titanic: The Final Word with James Cameron (2012)
Produced by National Geographic Channel
Presented by James Cameron, with a panel of Titanic experts
Made for the centenary of the sinking, James Cameron and experts debate a new analysis of how Titanic broke apart and sank, using a paper by J. W. Stettler of the US Coast Guard, and Cameron revisits scenes from his 1997 film.
The Marea scene Cameron and the experts gather around a large Titanic model as the break up sequence is re enacted.
On set The real wreck of RMS Titanic, 3,800 m down in the North Atlantic.
Documentaries and Real Explorers · Wrecks and deep sea
MS Estonia (wreck) Real ship
Estonia: A Find That Changes Everything (2020)
Created by Henrik Evertsson, Linus Andersson
Starring Henrik Evertsson
A Discovery documentary series on the 1994 sinking of the ferry Estonia in the Baltic, in which 852 people died. An ROV survey found a hole about 4 by 1.2 metres in the hull, which led to a new official investigation; the filmmakers were later fined under the Estonia wreck protection law.
The Marea scene An ROV's lights sweep across the hull plating of the Estonia on the Baltic seabed.
On set The real wreck of MS Estonia, a protected grave site in the Baltic.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Vesta Fictional
Dracula (1931)
Directed by Tod Browning
Starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler, Dwight Frye, Edward Van Sloan
The schooner that carries Count Dracula and the mad Renfield from Varna to England. She reaches Whitby with her entire crew dead and Renfield laughing in the hold.
The Marea scene Renfield grinning up out of the hold of the storm tossed Vesta.
On set Studio sets and models.
Photo: Universal, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
La Malaisie (Marius) and Escartefigue's ferry Fictional
Marius (1931)
Directed by Alexander Korda (Marcel Pagnol supervising)
Starring Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Demazis, Fernand Charpin
Marius, son of the Marseille bar owner César, longs for the sea and finally sails away on La Malaisie, leaving Fanny behind. Captain Escartefigue runs the Vieux Port ferry and joins the famous card game.
The Marea scene Marius slipping away from the bar to board La Malaisie as she casts off from the Old Port.
On set Location filming in the Vieux Port, Marseille; La Malaisie is fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Transatlantic liner Fictional
Monkey Business (1931)
Directed by Norman Z. McLeod
Starring Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
The four Marx Brothers cross the Atlantic as stowaways hidden in herring barrels on a liner. They cause chaos all over the ship, running from the crew.
The Marea scene Four barrels on deck with the brothers singing Sweet Adeline from inside them.
On set Studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Schooner (unnamed trading schooner) Fictional
Tabu: A Story of the South Seas (1931)
Directed by F. W. Murnau
Starring Matahi, Anne Chevalier, Bill Bambridge, Hitu
A young pearl diver elopes with a girl declared tabu. They try to escape by buying passage on a schooner, but the money is seized for his debts, and the elder Hitu takes her away by boat.
The Marea scene Matahi swimming after Hitu's departing boat, grasping the trailing rope before it is cut.
On set Real vessels in Tahiti and Bora Bora.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Marius's expedition ship and Escartefigue's ferry Fictional
Fanny (1932)
Directed by Marc Allégret
Starring Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Demazis, Fernand Charpin
The sequel to Marius: Marius is away on a five year scientific voyage while pregnant Fanny marries Panisse. The ship's absence, and Marius's return, drive the drama around the Marseille waterfront.
The Marea scene César and Panisse on the quay reading Marius's letter from the ship.
On set Location filming in the Vieux Port, Marseille.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
RMS Titanic Real ship
Cavalcade (1933)
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Diana Wynyard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor
A honeymoon couple on a liner talk about their future at the ship's rail. As they walk away, the lifebelt behind them reveals the name Titanic.
The Marea scene The honeymooners leaving the rail to show the lifebelt marked Titanic.
On set Studio set; the real Titanic sank in 1912.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Tugboat Narcissus Fictional
Tugboat Annie (1933)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Starring Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery, Robert Young
Annie Brennan runs a Seattle tug while looking after her drunken husband Terry. Her son grows up to be captain of a big liner, and the tug saves the day in a storm.
The Marea scene Annie at the wheel of the old tug in the storm, heading out to the stricken liner.
On set Filmed on Puget Sound.
Photo: MGM, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
L'Atalante Fictional
L'Atalante (1934)
Directed by Jean Vigo
Starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo, Michel Simon, Louis Lefebvre
Newly married Jean takes his bride Juliette to live aboard his barge L'Atalante, with the eccentric mate Père Jules and a cabin boy. The barge travels to Paris along the canals, and Juliette's escape ashore strains the marriage.
The Marea scene Père Jules showing Juliette the curiosities crammed into his cabin, cats everywhere.
On set The real barge Louise XVI was leased for filming, with a replica built at a Gaumont studio for interiors.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Aran currach Real ship
Man of Aran (1934)
Directed by Robert J. Flaherty
Presented by Colman 'Tiger' King, Maggie Dirrane, Michael Dirrane, Pat Mullen
A dramatised documentary of life on Inishmore, where the islanders' flimsy currach is their only link with the sea. The men battle huge seas to land the boat and hunt basking sharks from it.
The Marea scene Three men fighting to land the currach through breaking surf while the wife and son wait on the rocks.
On set Real Aran currachs, filmed on location on Inishmore.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Hispaniola Fictional
Treasure Island (1934)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone
Jim Hawkins sails on the Hispaniola to find Captain Flint's treasure, with Long John Silver among the crew. Based on Robert Louis Stevenson's novel.
The Marea scene Jim hiding in the apple barrel on deck, overhearing Silver's mutiny plot.
On set The schooner Nanuk, converted to a full rigged ship, moored in Catalina's Emerald Bay (same vessel later used as Pandora in Mutiny on the Bounty).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Transatlantic liner (stateroom scene) Fictional
A Night at the Opera (1935)
Directed by Sam Wood
Starring Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Margaret Dumont
The Marx Brothers smuggle opera singers to New York as stowaways aboard a liner. The crossing gives the famous stateroom scene in which an ever larger crowd crams into Driftwood's tiny cabin.
The Marea scene Groucho's tiny stateroom packed with stewards, maids and stowaways until they all spill out.
On set Studio set at MGM.
Photo: Al Hirschfeld, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Kin Lung Fictional
China Seas (1935)
Directed by Tay Garnett
Starring Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Wallace Beery, Rosalind Russell
Captain Alan Gaskell's steamer Kin Lung sails from Hong Kong to Singapore with gold bullion hidden aboard. It survives a typhoon, a loose steamroller on deck and an attack by Malay pirates.
The Marea scene Gaskell wrestling the runaway steamroller lashed to the storm swept deck.
On set Studio sets at MGM.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Claremore Queen Fictional
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Will Rogers, Anne Shirley, Irvin S. Cobb
Doctor John sells patent medicine from his run down steamboat and races it down the Mississippi to save his nephew from hanging. The crew burn everything aboard, even the ship's fittings, to win the race.
The Marea scene Will Rogers's crew throwing the boat's furniture into the furnace as the Claremore Queen overtakes her rival.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Mary Celeste Real ship
The Mystery of the Mary Celeste (1935)
Directed by Denison Clift
Starring Bela Lugosi, Shirley Grey, Arthur Margetson
A Hammer film imagining how the crew of the Mary Celeste disappeared. A vengeful sailor kills the crew one by one.
The Marea scene The Mary Celeste drifting empty under sail on a calm sea.
Photo: Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
RMS Queen Mary Real ship
Dodsworth (1936)
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Walter Huston, Ruth Chatterton, Mary Astor, David Niven
Retired car maker Sam Dodsworth and his wife Fran cross to Europe by liner. On board Fran flirts with Captain Lockert while Sam meets Edith Cortright, and at the end Sam leaves the homebound ship to return to Edith.
The Marea scene Sam hurrying down the gangway off the liner, leaving Fran aboard.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Cotton Palace Fictional
Show Boat (1936)
Directed by James Whale
Starring Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger, Paul Robeson
Magnolia Hawks grows up aboard her family's showboat, which travels the Mississippi putting on shows. The boat is home, stage and meeting place for Magnolia and the gambler Gaylord Ravenal. In the stage musical the boat is the Cotton Blossom; this film's plot names it Cotton Palace.
The Marea scene Paul Robeson as Joe singing Ol' Man River on the levee beside the showboat.
On set Studio built showboat at Universal.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
We're Here (and rival Jennie Cushman) Fictional
Captains Courageous (1937)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Starring Freddie Bartholomew, Spencer Tracy, Lionel Barrymore, Melvyn Douglas
Spoilt rich boy Harvey falls from a liner and is picked up by the Gloucester schooner We're Here. Working the Grand Banks with fisherman Manuel, he grows up, and the season ends in a race home against the Jennie Cushman. Based on Rudyard Kipling's novel.
The Marea scene Manuel tangled in the broken mast and rigging, asking Captain Troop to cut him free.
On set Real schooners were used.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
SS Princess Irene Fictional
History Is Made at Night (1937)
Directed by Frank Borzage
Starring Charles Boyer, Jean Arthur, Leo Carrillo, Colin Clive
A jealous shipping magnate orders his liner to speed through an ice field to break a record, hoping to keep his wife from her lover. The ship strikes an iceberg.
The Marea scene The lovers on the tilting deck of the Princess Irene as the lifeboats are lowered.
On set Studio sets and models.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Transatlantic liner (unnamed) Fictional
Shall We Dance (1937)
Directed by Mark Sandrich
Starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton, Eric Blore
Ballet star Petrov and tap dancer Linda Keene cross the Atlantic on the same liner, where rumours of their secret marriage are born. The ship also provides the Art Deco engine room for Slap That Bass.
The Marea scene Astaire tap dancing to Slap That Bass among the gleaming engines of the liner.
On set Studio sets at RKO.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Captain Lovett's slave ship Fictional
Slave Ship (1937)
Directed by Tay Garnett
Starring Warner Baxter, Wallace Beery, Elizabeth Allan, Mickey Rooney
Captain Jim Lovett wants to quit the slave trade after his marriage, but his mate Thompson forces one more voyage to Africa. Lovett regains control, the ship burns and the captives are freed.
The Marea scene Lovett and Thompson facing each other across the deck as the ship catches fire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
William Brown (and an unnamed slave ship) Real ship
Souls at Sea (1937)
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Starring Gary Cooper, George Raft, Frances Dee, Henry Wilcoxon
An abolitionist working undercover against slave ships sails in the William Brown, which catches fire. He takes charge of an overloaded lifeboat and must stop swimmers swamping it, leading to a murder trial. The real William Brown sank after hitting an iceberg in 1841.
The Marea scene Taylor standing in the crowded lifeboat, pistol in hand, as the burning ship lights the sea.
On set Filmed off Santa Catalina in November 1936.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
SS Gigantic and SS Colossal Fictional
The Big Broadcast of 1938 (1938)
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
Starring W. C. Fields, Bob Hope, Martha Raye, Dorothy Lamour
Two giant liners race across the Atlantic while a radio broadcast is made from aboard the Gigantic. Bob Hope introduces the song Thanks for the Memory on the ship.
The Marea scene Bob Hope and Shirley Ross singing Thanks for the Memory at the ship's bar.
On set Studio sets and streamlined models.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Pioneer steamship (Sirius) Real ship
Rulers of the Sea (1939)
Directed by Frank Lloyd
Starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Margaret Lockwood, Will Fyffe
A Scottish engineer and his daughter's suitor fight to prove that a steamship can cross the Atlantic. The film draws on the race of the first steamships to cross in 1838.
The Marea scene The steamship's crew burning spars and furniture to keep her boilers going in mid Atlantic.
On set Real historical ship SS Sirius (1837) inspired the story.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Je Reviens (Rebecca's sailing boat) Fictional
Rebecca (1940)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson, George Sanders
The late Rebecca de Winter's boat, lost in the bay at Manderley, is found by a diver after a shipwreck. Her body is in the cabin, reopening the question of how she died. Based on Daphne du Maurier's novel.
The Marea scene The diver's discovery of the sunken boat in the cove below Manderley (off screen, recounted).
On set Studio.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Glencairn Fictional
The Long Voyage Home (1940)
Directed by John Ford
Starring John Wayne, Thomas Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Barry Fitzgerald
The crew of a British tramp steamer carry a cargo of explosives from the West Indies to England at the start of the war. Adapted from four one act plays by Eugene O'Neill.
The Marea scene Sailors lounging on the moonlit deck of the Glencairn in Gregg Toland's shadowy lighting.
On set Studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Tug Cyclone and the Mirva Fictional
Remorques (1941)
Directed by Jean Grémillon
Starring Jean Gabin, Madeleine Renaud, Michèle Morgan
Captain André Laurent lives for his Brest salvage tug. During a storm rescue of the Mirva he meets her captain's wife Catherine, and a love affair threatens his marriage.
The Marea scene André on the tug's bridge in the storm as the towline is passed to the stricken Mirva.
On set Billancourt Studios and location around Brest, Finistère.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Unnamed transatlantic liner Fictional
The Lady Eve (1941)
Directed by Preston Sturges
Starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda, Charles Coburn
Con artist Jean Harrington and her father board a liner to fleece Charles Pike, heir to a brewing fortune who is returning from a snake hunting expedition. Jean catches him by tripping him in the dining room, and later repeats the trick on another voyage as Lady Eve.
The Marea scene Jean sticking out her foot to trip Charles as he passes her table in the ship's dining saloon.
On set Studio sets at Paramount.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Ghost Fictional
The Sea Wolf (1941)
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield, Alexander Knox
After a San Francisco ferry sinks, a writer and a fugitive woman are picked up by the sealing schooner Ghost under the brutal Wolf Larsen. The ship becomes a floating prison pursued by his brother's vessel. Based on Jack London's novel.
The Marea scene Wolf Larsen on the fog bound deck of the Ghost, holding forth to the rescued writer.
On set Full scale deck sets on Warner Bros.' largest sound stage with a new fog machine.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Jubilee Fictional
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey
In 1840s Key West, salvager Loxi Claiborne races to the wrecks that feed the port. The wreck of the Jubilee brings her together with its captain Jack Stuart and his rival in love, the shipping line's Steve Tolliver. The Pelican also appears.
The Marea scene Loxi's schooner racing out to the Jubilee aground on the reef.
On set Studio ships, tank work and miniatures at Paramount; Oscar for Best Special Effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Southern Cross Fictional
Reap the Wild Wind (1942)
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey
Jack Stuart, in league with the wrecker Cutler, deliberately wrecks the new ship Southern Cross on a reef. Divers go down to the wreck to find out whether a stowaway died aboard.
The Marea scene Two helmeted divers in the sunken Southern Cross fighting the giant squid.
On set Underwater set and mechanical squid built in a studio tank; Oscar for Best Special Effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Altair Fictional
The Ghost Ship (1943)
Directed by Mark Robson
Starring Richard Dix, Russell Wade, Edith Barrett
A young officer joins the Altair and realises her calm captain is a killer. Nobody aboard believes him.
The Marea scene The great hook swinging across the dark deck of the Altair.
On set Studio sets at RKO.
Photo: William Rose, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Motor boat in the Corryvreckan whirlpool Fictional
I Know Where I'm Going! (1945)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Wendy Hiller, Roger Livesey, Pamela Brown
Joan hires a small boat to reach the island where her rich fiancé waits, despite the weather. It is caught in the whirlpool of Corryvreckan and almost lost.
The Marea scene The little motor boat spinning at the edge of the Corryvreckan whirlpool.
On set Real boat and models; filmed around Mull.
Photo: Walter Baxter, CC BY-SA 2.0
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Rowing boat and paddle steamer on the Thames Fictional
Great Expectations (1946)
Directed by David Lean
Starring John Mills, Valerie Hobson, Alec Guinness, Finlay Currie
Pip tries to smuggle the convict Magwitch out of England in a rowing boat to meet a steamer on the Thames. A paddle steamer runs them down and Magwitch is recaptured.
The Marea scene The rowing boat swamped under the paddle wheel of the steamer on the misty Thames.
On set Paddle steamer and sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Hesperus Fictional
The Wreck of the Hesperus (1948)
Directed by John Hoffman
Starring Willard Parker, Edgar Buchanan, Patricia Barry
Captain John McReady loses his ship in a storm after being misled by a false channel light. Unable to get a new command, he works for the salvage man who caused the wreck.
The Marea scene The Hesperus driving onto the rocks in the storm, lured by the false light.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Pride of New Bedford Fictional
Down to the Sea in Ships (1949)
Directed by Henry Hathaway
Starring Richard Widmark, Lionel Barrymore, Dean Stockwell, Cecil Kellaway
An old whaling captain takes his grandson to sea, with a college educated first mate to tutor him. Near Antarctica the ship strikes an iceberg in fog.
The Marea scene Crew working in the flooded hold to patch the hull after the iceberg strike.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Local fishing boats and the tuna fleet Fictional
Stromboli (1950)
Directed by Roberto Rossellini
Starring Ingrid Bergman, Mario Vitale, Renzo Cesana
A displaced woman marries a young fisherman to leave an internment camp and settles on the volcanic island. The islanders' fishing boats and their tuna hunt shape her new life.
The Marea scene The fishermen hauling the netted tuna into their boats in the mattanza.
On set Real fishing boats on Stromboli.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Hendrik van der Zee's yacht Fictional
Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (1951)
Directed by Albert Lewin
Starring James Mason, Ava Gardner, Nigel Patrick, Sheila Sim
The mysterious Hendrik, in reality the cursed Flying Dutchman, anchors his yacht off a Spanish coastal village. Pandora swims out to it and falls in love with him.
The Marea scene Pandora swimming out at night to the yacht lying at anchor in the bay.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Cotton Blossom Fictional
Show Boat (1951)
Directed by George Sidney
Starring Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel, William Warfield
MGM's Technicolor remake follows Magnolia Hawks and gambler Gaylord Ravenal aboard her father's showboat Cotton Blossom as it plays the river towns.
The Marea scene The Cotton Blossom paddling into town with the troupe on deck as crowds run along the bank.
On set A full scale stern wheeler built on the MGM backlot, sold at the MGM auction in 1970.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Transatlantic liner (unnamed) Fictional
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
Directed by Howard Hawks
Starring Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn, Elliott Reid
Showgirls Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw sail to France on a liner. On board Dorothy admires the US Olympic team while Lorelei charms Sir Francis Beekman and wins his wife's tiara.
The Marea scene Jane Russell singing Ain't There Anyone Here for Love among the Olympic athletes in the ship's gym.
On set Studio sets at 20th Century Fox.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Nautilus Fictional
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Starring Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre
Captain Nemo's Nautilus sinks warships and takes Professor Aronnax, Conseil and harpooner Ned Land prisoner. Harper Goff's riveted, finned design won an Oscar for Art Direction and another for Special Effects.
The Marea scene Ned Land on the storm lashed deck of the Nautilus fighting the giant squid.
On set Studio models and full size sets; Harper Goff design, location work in the Bahamas and Jamaica. The design lived on in Disney park attractions.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Maggie Fictional
The Maggie (1954)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Starring Paul Douglas, Alex Mackenzie, Tommy Kearins
An American businessman's cargo is loaded by mistake onto an ancient Clyde puffer. Her crafty Scottish captain and crew lead him a merry chase around the islands.
The Marea scene The Maggie chugging through the Crinan Canal with the angry American on deck.
On set Two J. and J. Hay puffers, the Boer and the Inca, played the Maggie.
Photo: Jmb, CC BY 2.5
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Henrietta (plus Rangoon and Carnatic) Fictional
Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring David Niven, Cantinflas, Shirley MacLaine, Robert Newton
Phileas Fogg crosses the Atlantic on the steamer Henrietta and, when coal runs out, buys the ship and burns her upperworks to reach Liverpool. The balloon flight over the Alps is an invention of the film, not in Verne's novel.
The Marea scene The crew tearing up the Henrietta's woodwork, even the lifeboats, and feeding it to the furnaces.
On set Most steamships were miniatures in an outdoor tank; the Japanese training barque Kaiwo Maru appears as the ship at the intermission.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
HMS Berkeley Fictional
Up the Creek (1958)
Directed by Val Guest
Starring David Tomlinson, Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White
An inventive but hapless naval officer is sent to command the forgotten HMS Berkeley, a ship laid up in a quiet creek. Its crew, led by a scheming petty officer, run businesses with the local village.
The Marea scene Peter Sellers's bosun selling ship's stores to villagers over the rail.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Icelandic fishing trawler / schooner of Concarneau Fictional
Pêcheur d'Islande (1959)
Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer
Starring Jean-Claude Pascal, Juliette Mayniel, Charles Vanel
A Concarneau crew fishes off Iceland; when the captain is injured, first mate Yan takes command and later marries the shipowner's daughter. It shares only its title with Loti's novel.
The Marea scene Yan swept overboard in heavy seas before a foreign ship rescues him.
On set Location filming in Brittany.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
New Caledonia (Osgood's yacht) and his motor launch Fictional
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Directed by Billy Wilder
Starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Joe E. Brown
Joe, disguised as a millionaire, lures Sugar aboard Osgood Fielding's yacht New Caledonia, claiming it as his own. The film ends aboard Osgood's launch with the line Nobody's perfect.
The Marea scene Osgood at the launch's wheel beside Jerry in drag as he says Well, nobody's perfect.
On set Studio sets at Samuel Goldwyn Studios; beach scenes at the Hotel del Coronado.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Golden Age
Lauren Belle Fictional
Maverick (1994)
Directed by Richard Donner
Starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster, James Garner, James Coburn
Bret Maverick scrapes together the entry fee for a great poker championship held aboard the riverboat Lauren Belle. The final hand is played at a table on board.
The Marea scene Maverick drawing his last card at the final table in the Lauren Belle's saloon.
On set The Portland, the last sternwheel tugboat in the United States, belonging to the Oregon Maritime Museum, was dressed as the Lauren Belle.
Photo: Wikipedia
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Immigrant steamship Fictional
The Immigrant (1917)
Directed by Charlie Chaplin
Starring Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Eric Campbell
The Tramp sails to America on a crowded steamship, where the rolling deck makes eating dinner a battle. The passengers crowd the rail as they see the Statue of Liberty.
The Marea scene The Tramp at the dining table sliding back and forth as the ship rolls.
On set Set on rockers.
Photo: Mutual Film, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Damfino Fictional
The Boat (1921)
Directed by Buster Keaton and Edward F. Cline
Starring Buster Keaton, Sybil Seely
Buster builds a boat in his basement, demolishes the house getting it out, and then sinks it on launch. Once afloat, the family endure storms and disasters at sea.
The Marea scene Buster standing on the deck as the boat slides down the ramp and sinks straight under him, leaving his hat floating.
On set Studio built boat.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Charles W. Morgan Real ship
Down to the Sea in Ships (1922)
Directed by Elmer Clifton
Starring Clara Bow, William Walcott, Marguerite Courtot, Raymond McKee
A 19th century New Bedford whaling family story in which a young man is shanghaied aboard a whaler and proves himself by harpooning a whale. The film mixes drama with semi documentary footage of real whaling, and a young Clara Bow stows away aboard.
The Marea scene A whaleboat crew bending to the oars as the harpooner stands in the bow ready to strike.
On set The real whaleship Charles W. Morgan (1841) was used; today she is preserved at Mystic Seaport Museum, Connecticut.
Photo: Copyrighted free use
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Nanook's kayak Real ship
Nanook of the North (1922)
Directed by Robert J. Flaherty
Presented by Allakariallak (Nanook), his family
Flaherty's pioneering documentary follows an Inuit hunter and his family in Arctic Quebec. The kayak carries Nanook to the trading post and on his hunts along the ice edge.
The Marea scene Nanook's whole family climbing one after another out of the single small kayak.
On set Real Inuit kayak.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Icelandic fishing schooner (Paimpol fleet) Fictional
Pêcheur d'Islande (1924)
Directed by Jacques de Baroncelli
Starring Charles Vanel, Sandra Milowanoff
Adapted from Pierre Loti's novel about the Paimpol fishermen who sail each year to the cod grounds off Iceland. Yann Gaos loves Gaud Mével but the sea, and the schooner's long seasons away, stand between them.
The Marea scene Yann aboard the schooner in heavy seas off Iceland as Gaud waits on the Paimpol shore.
On set Location filming at Paimpol, Brittany.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Roman galley (flagship of Quintus Arrius) and pirate ships Fictional
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
Directed by Fred Niblo
Starring Ramon Novarro, Francis X. Bushman, May McAvoy
Judah Ben-Hur, condemned to the galleys, rows in the flagship of Quintus Arrius. When pirates attack, Judah saves Arrius, which wins his freedom and adoption.
The Marea scene Judah chained at the oar deep in the galley as the pirate ram strikes.
On set Full size galleys built for location shooting in Italy.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") Real ship
Old Ironsides (1926)
Directed by James Cruze
Starring Charles Farrell, Esther Ralston, Wallace Beery, George Bancroft
The frigate Constitution is launched in 1798 and sent with merchant ships against the Barbary corsairs of North Africa. Her battles form the spectacular climax, shown at the premiere in Paramount's Magnascope enlarged screen process.
The Marea scene Old Ironsides firing a broadside at the corsairs' fortifications in the Mediterranean.
On set The Maine built sailing ship Llewellyn J. Morse was refitted to portray Constitution; the 1886 ship S. N. Castle was burned and sunk off Catalina Island for the film. The real USS Constitution is afloat in Boston.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Pirate ship and merchant galleon Fictional
The Black Pirate (1926)
Directed by Albert Parker
Starring Douglas Fairbanks, Billie Dove, Donald Crisp, Anders Randolf
A nobleman joins the pirates who killed his father in order to destroy them from within, winning command by capturing a merchant ship single handed. The pirate vessel and its captured prize are the stage for his swashbuckling revenge, shot in early two strip Technicolor.
The Marea scene Fairbanks sliding down the great mainsail, slicing it open with his dagger.
On set Studio built: three galleons of 30 to 65 metres and a 100 oar galley were constructed, plus a 60 by 60 metre tank at the Pickford Fairbanks studio.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Narwhal Fictional
The Sea Beast (1926)
Directed by Millard Webb
Starring John Barrymore, Dolores Costello, George O'Hara
A loose adaptation of Moby-Dick in which Ahab Ceeley loses his leg to the white whale aboard the whaler Narwhal and hunts it to win back the woman he loves. Unlike Melville's novel, the film adds a romance and a happy ending.
The Marea scene Ahab, harpoon raised, in the whaleboat as the white whale breaches.
On set A former fighting ship was used for the Narwhal.
Photo: Warner Bros, Public domain
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Hesperus Fictional
The Wreck of the Hesperus (1927)
Directed by Elmer Clifton
Starring Sam De Grasse, Virginia Bradford, Francis Ford, Alan Hale
A seafaring melodrama built around Longfellow's poem of the schooner Hesperus wrecked in a winter storm with the captain's daughter aboard. Long thought lost, the film was rediscovered at Cineteca Milano in 2025.
The Marea scene Captain Slocum lashing his daughter to the mast as the Hesperus drives onto the reef.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Stonewall Jackson Fictional
Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
Directed by Charles Reisner (Buster Keaton, uncredited)
Starring Buster Keaton, Ernest Torrence, Marion Byron, Tom Lewis
William Canfield's worn out paddle steamer Stonewall Jackson competes with the King, a smart new boat owned by the town magnate. His college educated son arrives to help, and during a cyclone the steamer becomes the scene of the rescues that settle the feud.
The Marea scene Keaton at the steamer's wheel amid the cyclone, rigging ropes and levers so that he can steer the Stonewall Jackson single handed.
On set Paddle steamers filmed on location at Sacramento, California; the famous falling facade and cyclone used full size breakaway sets.
Silent Era and Golden Age · Silent era
Leif Ericsson's Viking longship Fictional
The Viking (1928)
Directed by Roy William Neill
Starring Donald Crisp, Pauline Starke, LeRoy Mason
Leif Ericsson sails beyond Greenland in search of new lands, facing a mutiny from crewmen who fear falling off the edge of the world. The longship reaches America, where Leif lands and founds a settlement. It was the first feature in Technicolor with a synchronised soundtrack.
The Marea scene Leif stepping ashore in the New World bearing a makeshift cross, the dragon prowed longship behind him.
On set Studio built longship.
World Cinema · Algeria
Harraga boat to Spain Fictional
Harragas (2009)
Directed by Merzak Allouache
Starring Nabil Asli, Lamia Boussekine, Seddik Benyagoub
Ten young people from Mostaganem pay the smuggler Hassan to take them across 200 kilometres of sea to Spain in a small open boat. The word harraga means those who burn their papers.
The Marea scene The overloaded boat leaving the Algerian beach at night.
On set Real small boat.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Brazil
Xica's sailing ship on the lake Real ship
Xica da Silva (1976)
Directed by Carlos Diegues
Starring Zezé Motta, Walmor Chagas, José Wilker
The freed slave Xica da Silva has never seen the sea, so her lover, the diamond contractor João Fernandes, digs a lake in the hills of Minas Gerais and builds her a sailing ship to float on it.
The Marea scene Xica in court finery on the deck of her ship on the inland lake while guests watch from the shore.
On set Replica ship built for the film.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Chile
Esmeralda Real ship
Esmeralda 1879 (2015)
Directed by Elías Llanos
Starring Fernando Godoy, Jaime Omeñaca
The film tells the Battle of Iquique in 1879, when Arturo Prat's old wooden corvette Esmeralda fought the Peruvian ironclad Huáscar. Prat died leading a boarding party onto the Huáscar's deck.
The Marea scene Arturo Prat leaping from the Esmeralda onto the Huáscar's deck with his sword drawn.
On set Floating full size sets of both ships, a year in the building, with Chilean Navy support.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Chile
Huáscar Real ship
Esmeralda 1879 (2015)
Directed by Elías Llanos
Starring Fernando Godoy, Jaime Omeñaca
Admiral Miguel Grau's turret ship Huáscar rams and sinks the Esmeralda at Iquique. The real Huáscar was later captured by Chile and survives as a museum ship.
The Marea scene The Huáscar's ram bow driving into the Esmeralda's side.
On set Floating film set; the real Huáscar is preserved at Talcahuano, Chile.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Chile
HMS Beagle and Kawésqar canoes Real ship
The Pearl Button (El botón de nácar) (2015)
Directed by Patricio Guzmán
Presented by Patricio Guzmán (narrator), Kawésqar and Yaghan elders
Guzmán's essay film on Chile's sea includes the canoe peoples of Patagonia and the story of Jemmy Button, bought for a mother of pearl button and taken to England aboard HMS Beagle in 1830.
The Marea scene A Kawésqar bark canoe beside the Beagle anchored in a Patagonian channel.
On set Archive images and reconstructions.
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Refugee boat from Da Nang Fictional
Boat People (Tau Ban No Hoi) (1982)
Directed by Ann Hui
Starring George Lam, Andy Lau, Season Ma, Cora Miao
A Japanese photojournalist in post war Da Nang befriends a girl and her brother. The film ends with the children escaping on a refugee boat, one of the defining images of Hong Kong New Wave cinema.
The Marea scene The children crouched in a crowded boat heading for the open sea.
On set Filmed on Hainan.
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Marine Police boats and pirate ships Fictional
A Gai Waak (Project A) (1983)
Directed by Jackie Chan
Starring Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, Dick Wei
The Hong Kong Marine Police battle pirates who have been raiding ships for months; the pirates hold a ship hostage with a Rear Admiral aboard.
The Marea scene Jackie Chan in a white sailor uniform leaping onto a pirate boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Taiping Real ship
Taiping Lun (The Crossing) (2014)
Directed by John Woo
Starring Zhang Ziyi, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Song Hye-kyo, Huang Xiaoming
The two part epic follows lives converging on the Taiping, which sank after a collision in 1949 during the Chinese Civil War with over 1,500 dead.
The Marea scene Passengers crowding the listing deck of the steamer at night as lifeboats are lowered.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Chinese cargo ships on the Mekong Real ship
Operation Mekong (2016)
Directed by Dante Lam
Starring Zhang Hanyu, Eddie Peng
Based on the 2011 Mekong River massacre, when thirteen Chinese sailors on two cargo ships were murdered in the Golden Triangle. A Chinese task force hunts the drug lord behind it.
The Marea scene The two cargo boats drifting on the brown Mekong with their crews gone.
On set Real case involved the Hua Ping and Yu Xing 8.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · China and Hong Kong
Lisbon Maru Real ship
The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru (2024)
Directed by Fang Li
Presented by Survivors' families and historians
In 1942 the Lisbon Maru, carrying more than 1,800 British prisoners of war, was torpedoed by an American submarine off Zhoushan. Chinese fishermen saved hundreds of men. Fang Li found the wreck by sonar in 2016 and made this film.
The Marea scene Zhoushan fishermen in sampans hauling British prisoners from the sea.
On set Real wreck off the Zhoushan islands.
World Cinema · Czechoslovakia
Count Artigas's submarine and the sinking of the Amelie Fictional
Invention for Destruction (Vynález zkázy) (1958)
Directed by Karel Zeman
Starring Lubor Tokoš, Arnošt Navrátil, Miloslav Holub
Karel Zeman's film, styled like the engravings in the original Jules Verne books, follows Professor Roch kidnapped by Count Artigas, who sinks ships from his submarine base inside a volcano. The sinking of the ship Amelie is a set piece.
The Marea scene The engraved style submarine towing the pirates' schooner past a sinking steamer.
On set Miniatures and animated engravings.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · East Germany
J. G. Fichte Real ship
At Sea (Zur See) (1977)
Created by Wolfgang Luderer
Starring Horst Drinda, Günter Naumann, Günter Schubert
This nine part East German series follows the training and cargo ship J. G. Fichte from Rostock to Havana, with the lives of captain, crew and families ashore. It was one of the most watched GDR television productions.
The Marea scene Captain Kaminski on the bridge of the Fichte as she clears the Warnemünde moles.
On set Filmed aboard the real training ship J. G. Fichte.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · East Germany
SS Cap Arcona Real ship
Der Mann von der Cap Arcona (The Man from the Cap Arcona) (1982)
Directed by Lothar Bellag
Starring Erwin Geschonneck, Jürgen Polzin
DEFA television film based on the experience of actor Erwin Geschonneck, who survived the bombing of the Cap Arcona in the Bay of Lübeck on 3 May 1945, when the ship was crowded with concentration camp prisoners and more than 3,000 died. An old actor returns to Hamburg and remembers.
The Marea scene The great three funnelled liner anchored in the grey Bay of Neustadt in spring 1945.
On set The real liner was sunk in 1945 and later broken up; the same ship had played Titanic in the 1943 German film.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · Egypt
Nile steamboat carrying the royal mummies Real ship
The Night of Counting the Years (Al-Mummia) (1969)
Directed by Shadi Abdel Salam
Starring Ahmed Marei, Ahmad Hegazi, Nadia Lutfi
Based on the 1881 discovery of the royal cache at Deir el-Bahari, the film ends with archaeologists loading the sarcophagi of the pharaohs onto a steamboat that carries them down the Nile to Cairo.
The Marea scene Sarcophagi carried in procession down to the steamboat while village women mourn on the bank.
On set Real Nile steamer.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · France
Liner leaving Algiers Fictional
Pépé le Moko (1937)
Directed by Julien Duvivier
Starring Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin
The gangster Pépé, trapped in the Casbah, finally comes down to the port to follow Gaby onto her ship for France. Held back behind the harbour gates, he calls her name as the ship leaves.
The Marea scene Gaby at the stern rail, not hearing Pépé's cry as the ship's siren drowns it.
On set Studio and port footage.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Ship for Venezuela Fictional
Le Quai des brumes (Port of Shadows) (1938)
Directed by Marcel Carné
Starring Jean Gabin, Michel Simon, Michèle Morgan, Pierre Brasseur
The ship in the fog bound port of Le Havre on which army deserter Jean plans to escape to Venezuela. He abandons the plan at the last moment to say goodbye to Nelly, with fatal consequences.
The Marea scene Jean Gabin in his army greatcoat on the misty quay, the steamer waiting at the berth behind him.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Monsieur Hulot's kayak Fictional
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (Les Vacances de M. Hulot) (1953)
Directed by Jacques Tati
Starring Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud
Hulot's canvas kayak folds in half on the water, snapping shut around him like a pair of jaws, and the bathers on the beach flee thinking it is a shark.
The Marea scene The kayak folded shut like a shark's mouth with Hulot trapped inside.
On set Prop kayak filmed at Saint-Marc-sur-Mer.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Marge (real yacht Lasse) Fictional
Plein Soleil (Purple Noon) (1960)
Directed by René Clément
Starring Alain Delon, Marie Laforêt, Maurice Ronet, Billy Kearns
Philippe Greenleaf's yacht, named after his girlfriend Marge, on which Tom Ripley murders Philippe at sea off the Italian coast. The yacht later brings about Tom's downfall when it is hauled out of the water.
The Marea scene Alain Delon at the helm of the white cutter under a blazing sun, with Maurice Ronet lounging on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
The adventurers' boat Fictional
Les Aventuriers (The Last Adventure) (1967)
Directed by Robert Enrico
Starring Alain Delon, Lino Ventura, Joanna Shimkus, Serge Reggiani
The boat that carries the three adventurers off the African coast to search for treasure in a sunken aircraft. The quest ends at Fort Boyard, the sea fort off the Charente coast where the film's best remembered sequences were shot.
The Marea scene Delon and Ventura in the boat beneath the massive stone walls of Fort Boyard, with Joanna Shimkus in a diving suit on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Jauréguiberry (D637) Real ship
Le Crabe-Tambour (The Drummer-Crab) (1977)
Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer
Starring Jean Rochefort, Jacques Perrin, Claude Rich, Aurore Clément
The French naval escort on which a terminally ill commander makes his last voyage, supporting the fishing fleet off Newfoundland. On board, he and his officers remember the legendary Willsdorf, the 'Crabe-Tambour', whom he hopes to meet one last time.
The Marea scene The grey escort ship rolling in a North Atlantic swell, the gaunt commander on the bridge wing watching a trawler through binoculars.
On set The real escorteur Jauréguiberry, lent by the French Navy; the film was her last mission before she was decommissioned. The navy first offered the tug Centaure, judged not warlike enough.
World Cinema · France
Willsdorf's trawler (filmed aboard the Shamrock III) Fictional
Le Crabe-Tambour (The Drummer-Crab) (1977)
Directed by Pierre Schoendoerffer
Starring Jean Rochefort, Jacques Perrin, Claude Rich, Aurore Clément
The fishing vessel commanded by Willsdorf, now a trawler skipper on the Grand Banks, which is due to rendezvous with the warship. Documentary style sequences of the cod fishermen at work were shot aboard a real Fécamp trawler.
The Marea scene The rust streaked trawler rising on a grey Atlantic wave, fishermen in oilskins gutting cod on the open deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Junks of Ha Long Bay Fictional
Indochine (1992)
Directed by Régis Wargnier
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Pérez, Linh Dan Pham
Camille goes to the Dragon Islet in Ha Long Bay to find Jean-Baptiste, and after their escape the pair spend days adrift in the Gulf of Tonkin among the limestone islands.
The Marea scene A junk under red sails threading between the limestone towers of Ha Long Bay.
On set Real Vietnamese junks filmed on location.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · France
Méduse and her raft Real ship
Le Radeau de la Méduse (1998)
Directed by Iradj Azimi
Starring Jean Yanne, Daniel Mesguich, Claude Jade, Laurent Terzieff
The wreck of the frigate Méduse off Mauritania in 1816 and the ordeal of those set adrift on the raft, framed by the painter Géricault's work on his great canvas. Shot between 1987 and 1990 and released only in 1998.
The Marea scene The survivors on the raft sighting the sail of the brig Argus on the horizon.
On set Full size raft and a ship built for the film.
World Cinema · France
DCNS 1000 Fictional
En solitaire (Turning Tide) (2013)
Directed by Christophe Offenstein
Starring François Cluzet, Samy Seghir, Virginie Efira, Guillaume Canet
The racing yacht sailed single handed by Yann Kermadec in the Vendée Globe around the world race. When he discovers a young stowaway on board, his race and his solitude are thrown into question.
The Marea scene François Cluzet at the helm of the heeling racing yacht in the Southern Ocean, the stowaway peering from the companionway.
On set Marc Thiercelin's former racing yacht DCNS 1000, bought by producer Jean Cottin for the shoot.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Germany
Padua Real ship
Große Freiheit Nr. 7 (Great Freedom No. 7) (1944)
Directed by Helmut Käutner
Starring Hans Albers, Ilse Werner, Hans Söhnker, Hilde Hildebrand
Hans Albers plays Hannes, a former sailor turned singer in a St. Pauli bar in Hamburg, who in the end returns to the sea. Portions of the film were shot aboard the barque Padua.
The Marea scene Hans Albers in a sailor's cap singing 'La Paloma' against the rigging of the great barque.
On set The Flying P-Liner Padua, which survives as the Russian sail training ship Kruzenshtern.
Photo: Żeglarz, Public domain
World Cinema · Germany
Yorikke Fictional
The Death Ship (Das Totenschiff) (1959)
Directed by Georg Tressler
Starring Horst Buchholz, Mario Adorf, Elke Sommer
A sailor without papers is stranded in Europe and ends up shovelling coal on the Yorikke, a rotting ship crewed by stateless men and sailing only to be sunk for the insurance.
The Marea scene Stokers in the red glow of the Yorikke's boiler room.
On set Shot on location in Spain.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Germany
The conquistadors' rafts Fictional
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God) (1972)
Directed by Werner Herzog
Starring Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Ruy Guerra, Del Negro
Lope de Aguirre's expedition in search of El Dorado floats down the Amazon's tributaries on rafts. One raft is trapped in rapids and the rest are lashed into one larger raft, which ends overrun by monkeys; the men also sight a wooden ship lodged in a tree.
The Marea scene Kinski alone on the drifting raft, surrounded by dead men and swarming monkeys.
On set Rafts built on location in the Peruvian rainforest; not preserved.
World Cinema · Germany
MS Deutschland Real ship
Das Traumschiff (The Dream Ship) (1981)
Created by Wolfgang Rademann
Starring Heinz Weiss, Siegfried Rauch, Sascha Hehn, Florian Silbereisen
The long running ZDF cruise series follows guests' stories resolved with happy endings while the ship visits destinations worldwide. The MS Deutschland was the main ship of the series until 2014.
The Marea scene The captain in white uniform greeting guests at the top of the gangway beside the ship's red funnel.
On set The real cruise ship MS Deutschland.
Photo: Pjotr Mahhonin, CC BY-SA 4.0
World Cinema · Germany
Pamir Real ship
The Sinking of the Pamir (Der Untergang der Pamir) (2006)
Created by Kaspar Heidelbach
Starring Klaus J. Behrendt, Jan Josef Liefers, Herbert Knaup
The two part television film tells the loss of the German sail training barque Pamir in a hurricane in the Atlantic in September 1957, when 80 of 86 men died.
The Marea scene The Pamir heeled over in the hurricane with her barley cargo shifted and sails blown out.
On set The Russian four-masted barque Sedov, repainted in Pamir colours, for exteriors; her sister Passat at Travemünde for below deck scenes.
World Cinema · Germany
Ayesha Real ship
The Men of the Emden (Die Männer der Emden) (2012)
Directed by Berengar Pfahl
Starring Ken Duken, Sebastian Blomberg, Felicitas Woll
After SMS Emden is destroyed by HMAS Sydney at the Cocos Islands in 1914, the landing party under Hellmuth von Mücke seizes the old schooner Ayesha and sails her across the Indian Ocean on the long road home to Germany.
The Marea scene Von Mücke's men hoisting the war ensign on the little Ayesha as they slip away from Direction Island.
On set Filmed in Greece, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Malta and Germany.
Photo: Public domain (US)
World Cinema · Germany
SMS Emden Real ship
The Men of the Emden (Die Männer der Emden) (2012)
Directed by Berengar Pfahl
Starring Ken Duken, Sebastian Blomberg, Felicitas Woll
The raider Emden, famous for her dummy fourth funnel and chivalrous captain, is caught and wrecked by HMAS Sydney at the Battle of Cocos in 1914, setting the landing party's odyssey in motion.
The Marea scene The burning Emden driven ashore on North Keeling Island.
On set Effects and models.
Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
World Cinema · Germany
MS Amadea Real ship
Das Traumschiff (The Dream Ship) (2015)
Created by Wolfgang Rademann
Starring Sascha Hehn, Florian Silbereisen
From 2015 the series moved to the MS Amadea, which became the new 'dream ship' for its guest stories and exotic destinations.
The Marea scene The captain and crew lined up on the Amadea's deck as the ship leaves port to a brass band.
On set The real cruise ship MS Amadea.
Photo: Ivan T, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Greece
Danube barge with the statue of Lenin Fictional
Ulysses' Gaze (To Vlemma tou Odyssea) (1995)
Directed by Theo Angelopoulos
Starring Harvey Keitel, Maia Morgenstern, Erland Josephson
A film director searching the Balkans for lost reels rides down the Danube on a barge carrying a huge dismantled statue of Lenin, a modern Cyclops, while people on the banks cross themselves as it passes.
The Marea scene The giant stone head of Lenin lying on the barge deck as it glides down the Danube.
On set Real Danube barge with a prop statue.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · India
Chembankunju's fishing boat Fictional
Chemmeen (1965)
Directed by Ramu Kariat
Starring Sheela, Madhu, Sathyan, Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair
The fisherman Chembankunju's ambition to own his own boat and nets drives the tragedy of his daughter Karuthamma. Her husband Palani is lost at sea hunting a shark, fulfilling the legend of the sea goddess.
The Marea scene Palani alone in his canoe on the stormy sea at night, locked in a struggle with a shark.
On set Real Kerala fishing boats at Nattika beach.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · India
Kuber's boat on the Padma Fictional
The Boatman of the River Padma (Padma Nadir Majhi) (1993)
Directed by Goutam Ghose
Starring Raisul Islam Asad, Rupa Ganguly, Utpal Dutt
The poor fisherman Kuber works the Padma with his boat until the trader Hossain Miya lures him to a distant island settlement.
The Marea scene Kuber's boat with its patched sail on the vast grey Padma at dusk.
On set Real Padma river boats.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · India
INS Mysore Real ship
Rustom (2016)
Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai
Starring Akshay Kumar, Ileana D'Cruz, Esha Gupta, Arjan Bajwa
Inspired by the 1959 Nanavati case, the film follows naval commander Rustom Pavri, who returns early from sea on his ship to find his wife's affair. His ship's name follows the real case, where Nanavati served in INS Mysore.
The Marea scene Commander Pavri in whites saluting on the deck of his warship as it returns to Bombay.
On set Naval scenes filmed at the Historic Dockyard Chatham, Kent.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · India
Kunjali Marakkar's fleet and Portuguese warships Real ship
Marakkar: Arabikadalinte Simham (Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea) (2021)
Directed by Priyadarshan
Starring Mohanlal, Arjun Sarja, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu
Kunjali Marakkar IV, naval chief of the Zamorin of Calicut, fights the Portuguese fleet of Viceroy Francisco da Gama.
The Marea scene Mohanlal on a burning Portuguese deck, sword raised.
On set Four life size ship replicas filmed in a water tank at Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · India
Chola fleet of Arulmozhi Varman Fictional
Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022)
Directed by Mani Ratnam
Starring Vikram, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Trisha
Based on Kalki's novel, the Chola prince Arulmozhi Varman is attacked by Pandya assassins as his fleet prepares to sail from Lanka, and is swept into the sea when a cyclone tears the fleet apart.
The Marea scene Arulmozhi fighting on the deck of his ship as the cyclone breaks over the Chola fleet.
On set Set ships and effects; some sequences shot in Thailand.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Iran
Captain Khorshid's launch Fictional
Captain Khorshid (Nakhoda Khorshid) (1987)
Directed by Nasser Taghvai
Starring Dariush Arjmand, Ali Nassirian, Parvaneh Masoumi
An Iranian version of Hemingway's To Have and Have Not moved to the Persian Gulf. The one armed sailor Khorshid is hired to smuggle criminals across the Gulf and fights them alone in his boat.
The Marea scene Khorshid, wounded, at the helm of his little boat among the dead smugglers.
On set Local Gulf boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Israel
Kedma Fictional
Kedma (2002)
Directed by Amos Gitai
Starring Andrei Kashkar, Helena Yaralova, Yussuf Abu-Warda, Juliano Mer-Khamis
In May 1948 an old ship brings Holocaust survivors illegally to the coast of Palestine. They are landed by the Palmach, evade British soldiers and are thrown straight into the war.
The Marea scene Refugees wading ashore from the Kedma's boats on a grey beach.
On set Real ship used.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Israel
Love boat to Lebanon Fictional
Waltz with Bashir (Vals Im Bashir) (2008)
Created by Ari Folman
Starring Ari Folman, Ori Sivan, Ronny Dayag (voices)
A veteran recalls sailing to the 1982 Lebanon War on a ship full of soldiers, and a dream in which a giant naked woman swims to him and carries him away before the ship is hit.
The Marea scene The soldier asleep on the giant woman's body as the troop ship burns in the distance.
On set Animated.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
Roman fleet burned by Archimedes' mirrors Fictional
Cabiria (1914)
Directed by Giovanni Pastrone
Starring Lidia Quaranta, Umberto Mozzato, Bartolomeo Pagano
In this landmark silent epic of the Second Punic War, the Roman fleet attacking Syracuse is destroyed when Archimedes turns a giant array of mirrors on the ships and sets their sails ablaze.
The Marea scene Archimedes angling his great mirror as the Roman galleys' sails burst into flame.
On set Full size galley sets and models of 1914.
World Cinema · Italy
Enrico Toti Real ship
Alfa Tau! (1942)
Directed by Francesco De Robertis
Starring Real crew of the Regia Marina
De Robertis followed Uomini sul fondo with this docudrama about a submarine crew played by real sailors, on shore leave and at sea on the Enrico Toti.
The Marea scene The submarine's crew returning to the boat at Taranto after home leave.
On set Real submarine Enrico Toti.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Italy
Provvidenza (the Valastro family boat) Fictional
La terra trema (1948)
Directed by Luchino Visconti
Starring Non professional fishermen of Aci Trezza
The Valastro fishermen mortgage their house to buy their own boat so they can escape the wholesalers. A storm wrecks it and the family is ruined. In Verga's novel the family boat is the Provvidenza.
The Marea scene The family hauling the battered boat up the black lava beach of Aci Trezza after the storm.
On set Real Aci Trezza fishing boats.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The yacht Fictional
L'Avventura (1960)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring Gabriele Ferzetti, Monica Vitti, Lea Massari, Dominique Blanchar
Wealthy Italians cruise to the Aeolian Islands on a yacht. Anna disappears on a barren island during the excursion, and Sandro and Claudia's search for her drives the rest of the film.
The Marea scene Monica Vitti and Gabriele Ferzetti at the yacht's rail off the rocky island of Lisca Bianca, scanning the shore for Anna.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The quarantined ship at Porto Corsini Fictional
Red Desert (Il deserto rosso) (1964)
Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
Starring Monica Vitti, Richard Harris
In fog at Porto Corsini a ship moors beside the shack where Giuliana and her friends idle, and hoists the flag for infectious disease. Giuliana panics and nearly drives off the pier. Ships looming over industrial Ravenna haunt the whole film.
The Marea scene A ship's bow sliding out of the fog behind the red wooden shack.
On set Real ships at Ravenna harbour.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
SS Rex Real ship
Amarcord (1973)
Directed by Federico Fellini
Starring Bruno Zanin, Magali Noël, Pupella Maggio, Armando Brancia
The townspeople of Rimini row out at night to see the Rex, the Fascist regime's proudest technological achievement, pass by. After falling asleep, they wake to its foghorn as the lit liner glides past, and its wake capsizes their boats.
The Marea scene A flotilla of small rowing boats full of villagers in their best clothes waving at the towering illuminated liner in the dark.
World Cinema · Italy
Sandokan's praus Fictional
Sandokan (1976)
Created by Sergio Sollima
Starring Kabir Bedi, Carole André, Philippe Leroy, Adolfo Celi
Emilio Salgari's Tiger of Malaysia leads his pirates from the island of Mompracem in fast praus against the British rajah James Brooke. The 1976 RAI series was a huge European hit and a new version with Can Yaman followed in 2025.
The Marea scene Sandokan standing in the bow of his prau as it closes on a British gunboat.
On set Filmed in Malaysia and India with local sailing craft.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Italy
Folgore Fictional
The Black Corsair (Il Corsaro Nero) (1976)
Directed by Sergio Sollima
Starring Kabir Bedi, Carole André, Mel Ferrer, Angelo Infanti
Emilio di Roccabruna, the Black Corsair, sails the Caribbean for revenge on Governor Van Gould, who murdered his brothers. In Salgari's novels his ship is the Folgore.
The Marea scene The Black Corsair on the quarterdeck of the Folgore as she bears down on a Spanish galleon.
On set Ship name from Salgari's novels.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The emigrant ship Fictional
Nuovomondo (Golden Door) (2006)
Directed by Emanuele Crialese
Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Vincenzo Amato, Aurora Quattrocchi, Vincent Schiavelli
The ship carries a Sicilian peasant family to America in the early 20th century, and class distinctions emerge among its passengers. On board, Salvatore meets Lucy, who proposes marriage for 'administrative reasons' so she can enter America.
The Marea scene The overhead shot of the crowd splitting as the ship pulls away, those on the dock separated from those on board.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
Ernesto's fishing boat Fictional
Terraferma (2011)
Directed by Emanuele Crialese
Starring Filippo Pucillo, Donatella Finocchiaro, Mimmo Cuticchio, Giuseppe Fiorello
The fishing boat of a family on the island of Linosa. Young Filippo at first refuses to help migrants, then changes his mind and rescues a mother, a little boy and a newborn baby adrift at sea.
The Marea scene Filippo's small boat at night surrounded by swimmers reaching up from the dark water.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
Coast guard and migrant boats off Lampedusa Real ship
Fire at Sea (Fuocoammare) (2016)
Directed by Gianfranco Rosi
Presented by Samuele Pucillo, Dr Pietro Bartolo
Rosi's Golden Bear winner contrasts the daily life of a Lampedusa boy with the rescues at sea, as navy and coast guard units answer radio calls from overcrowded migrant boats.
The Marea scene Rescuers in white suits lifting survivors from a crowded boat onto a navy ship at night.
On set Real Italian Navy and Coast Guard units.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Italy
The migrant boat Fictional
Io capitano (Me Captain) (2023)
Directed by Matteo Garrone
Starring Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawagodo
Unable to pay for passage from Libya, the teenager Seydou is made to pilot a boatload of migrants across the Mediterranean himself. He steers towards Sicily through fights and a birth on board, and when a coast guard helicopter appears he cries 'Io capitano!'
The Marea scene Seydou at the wheel of the packed boat, shouting to the helicopter overhead, passengers crowded on deck around him.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Boat on Lake Biwa in the mist Fictional
Ugetsu (Ugetsu Monogatari) (1953)
Directed by Kenji Mizoguchi
Starring Masayuki Mori, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito, Eitaro Ozawa
Two potters and their wives cross Lake Biwa to sell their wares. In the mist they meet a drifting boat with a dying man who warns them of pirates, one of the most famous shots in Japanese cinema.
The Marea scene The potters' boat gliding out of the fog towards a drifting boat carrying a dying man.
On set Shot in a studio pool with smoke effects.
Photo: Daiei, Public domain
World Cinema · Japan
The family's rowing boat Fictional
Hadaka no Shima (The Naked Island) (1960)
Directed by Kaneto Shindō
Starring Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto
A family on a tiny waterless island in the Seto Inland Sea must row fresh water across from a neighbouring island every day to water their crops. The dialogue free film is built around this endless routine.
The Marea scene The mother sculling the small boat with two water buckets balanced in it, across the calm Inland Sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Gotengo (Atragon) Fictional
Atragon (Kaitei Gunkan) (1963)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Starring Jun Tazaki, Tadao Takashima, Yōko Fujiyama
A rogue Imperial Navy captain has secretly built the super submarine Gotengo, with a great drill on its bow and an absolute zero cannon. It is humanity's only defence against the Mu Empire and can also fly.
The Marea scene The Gotengo bursting from the sea and rising into the air with its drill spinning.
On set Five Toho miniatures, the largest 4.5 metres long.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Heike ships at Dan-no-ura Real ship
Kwaidan (Hoichi the Earless) (1964)
Directed by Masaki Kobayashi
Starring Katsuo Nakamura, Tetsurō Tamba
As the blind musician Hoichi chants the Tale of the Heike, the film shows the sea battle of Dan-no-ura in a painted, stylised studio sea, where the Taira clan and the child emperor perished.
The Marea scene Heike warriors on their boats as the court ladies leap into the red sea with the child emperor.
On set Studio sets with painted skies.
World Cinema · Japan
Ferry lost in the Tsugaru Strait (based on the Toya Maru) Fictional
A Fugitive from the Past (Kiga Kaikyō) (1965)
Directed by Tomu Uchida
Starring Rentarō Mikuni, Sachiko Hidari, Ken Takakura, Junzaburō Ban
Crime drama from the novel by Tsutomu Minakami. In 1947 a ferry sinks in a typhoon in the Tsugaru Strait, and among the bodies washed ashore are two men who did not belong on board. The disaster was modelled on the 1954 loss of the train ferry Toya Maru.
The Marea scene A lighthouse and a quiet shore at Hakodate after the storm, rescuers searching the beach.
On set Studio and location filming; the Toya Maru disaster is commemorated at Nanae beach, Hakodate.
Photo: Public domain
World Cinema · Japan
Kermadec Fictional
Japan Sinks (Nihon Chinbotsu) (1973)
Directed by Shirō Moritani
Starring Keiju Kobayashi, Hiroshi Fujioka, Ayumi Ishida
Scientist Tadokoro and pilot Onodera dive in the bathyscaphe Kermadec into the Japan Trench and discover the signs that the whole archipelago will sink into the sea.
The Marea scene The Kermadec's lights revealing a vast underwater crack and turbidity current on the ocean floor.
On set Toho miniature; name from Sakyo Komatsu's novel.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Japan
Sōya Real ship
Nankyoku Monogatari (Antarctica) (1983)
Directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara
Starring Ken Takakura, Tsunehiko Watase, Eiji Okada, Masako Natsume
The Sōya carried Japan's Antarctic expeditions. In 1958 it failed to relieve the first wintering team in time, forcing the men to leave their sled dogs chained at Showa Station.
The Marea scene The Sōya trapped in pack ice as the expedition members look back towards the abandoned huskies.
On set The real Sōya, preserved as a museum ship in Tokyo.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Clover Fictional
Limit of Love: Umizaru (2006)
Directed by Eiichiro Hasumi
Starring Hideaki Itō, Ai Kato, Nene Otsuka, Mitsuru Fukikoshi
The passenger ferry with 620 people aboard which runs aground and begins to sink off Kagoshima. Japan Coast Guard rescue diver Senzaki and his colleagues race to save those trapped inside.
The Marea scene Senzaki in diving gear guiding survivors through the flooded, tilting ferry corridor.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Japan
Ertuğrul Real ship
Kainan 1890 (125 Years Memory; Ertuğrul 1890) (2015)
Directed by Mitsutoshi Tanaka
Starring Seiyo Uchino, Kenan Ece, Shioli Kutsuna, Alican Yücesoy
This Japanese Turkish co-production tells how the villagers of Kushimoto rescued the survivors when the Ottoman frigate Ertuğrul was wrecked off Kii Ōshima in 1890, and how Turkey repaid the debt by evacuating Japanese from Tehran in 1985.
The Marea scene Villagers carrying half drowned Turkish sailors up the cliff beside the Kashinozaki lighthouse.
Photo: Osman Nuri, Public domain
World Cinema · Japan
Yamato (ex Seabat) Fictional
Chinmoku no Kantai (The Silent Service) (2023)
Directed by Kohei Yoshino
Starring Takao Osawa
Adapted from Kaiji Kawaguchi's manga. Captain Shiro Kaieda takes the secretly built nuclear submarine Seabat, renames her Yamato and declares her an independent state.
The Marea scene Kaieda standing calm in the control room of the Yamato as torpedoes close in.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Kuwait
Pearl diving dhow Fictional
The Cruel Sea (Bas Ya Bahar) (1972)
Directed by Khaled Al Siddiq
Starring Mohammed Al-Mansour, Amal Bakr, Saad Al Faraj
Kuwait's first feature film shows life before oil, when young Moussaed goes out with the pearl diving fleet against his father's wishes to earn the money to marry.
The Marea scene Divers dropping from the side of the dhow with stones tied to their feet.
On set Traditional Kuwaiti dhows.
Photo: Fg2, Public domain
World Cinema · Latin America
The canoe Fictional
El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent) (2015)
Directed by Ciro Guerra
Starring Jan Bijvoet, Nilbio Torres, Antonio Bolívar, Brionne Davis
In two journeys decades apart, European and American scientists travel up the Amazon by canoe with the shaman Karamakate in search of the sacred yakruna plant.
The Marea scene Karamakate paddling the canoe through the black and white jungle river.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Martinique / France
Slave ship Fictional
Le Passage du milieu (The Middle Passage) (2000)
Directed by Guy Deslauriers
Starring Maka Kotto (narrator)
Docudrama without dialogue, written by Patrick Chamoiseau, that follows a slave ship's voyage from Senegal to the sugar plantations of Martinique, narrated by the voice of a captive who died on the passage.
The Marea scene The ship at anchor off a West African shore at dawn, canoes coming out from the beach.
On set A sailing ship used for filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Mexico
Trajinera of Xochimilco Fictional
María Candelaria (1944)
Directed by Emilio Fernández
Starring Dolores del Río, Pedro Armendáriz
The indigenous flower seller María Candelaria and her lover Lorenzo Rafael travel the canals of Xochimilco in 1909 by flower laden canoe. At the end Lorenzo carries her body through the Canal of the Dead.
The Marea scene María Candelaria standing in a canoe piled with flowers as it glides along a Xochimilco canal.
On set Real Xochimilco boats.
Photo: Bgabel, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Mexico
Kino's canoe Fictional
The Pearl (La perla) (1947)
Directed by Emilio Fernández
Starring Pedro Armendáriz, María Elena Marqués
The pearl diver Kino finds a huge pearl from his family canoe, and greed around him turns it into a curse. The canoe, his livelihood, is later smashed by those who want the pearl.
The Marea scene Kino surfacing beside his canoe with the great pearl in his hand.
On set Real Mexican dugout canoes; filmed in Acapulco.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Netherlands
Nieuw Hoorn Real ship
The Ship's Boys of Bontekoe (De Scheepsjongens van Bontekoe) (2007)
Directed by Steven de Jong
Starring Martijn Hillenius, Pepijn Schoneveld, Billy Zomerdijk
Based on Johan Fabricius's 1924 children's classic, three ship's boys sail to the Indies with Captain Willem Bontekoe. His real ship Nieuw Hoorn caught fire and blew up in 1619.
The Marea scene The boys scrambling into the longboat as the burning Nieuw Hoorn explodes behind them.
On set Replica East Indiaman.
World Cinema · Netherlands
Willem Barentsz's ship Real ship
Nova Zembla (2011)
Directed by Reinout Oerlemans
Starring Derek de Lint, Robert de Hoog, Victor Reinier, Doutzen Kroes
The first Dutch 3D feature follows Barentsz and Jacob van Heemskerck searching for the Northeast Passage. Their ship is trapped in the ice at Novaya Zemlya and the crew winter in Het Behouden Huys before escaping in open boats.
The Marea scene The ship locked in pack ice with the crew building their hut from its timbers.
On set Replica and effects.
World Cinema · New Zealand
Ship and Māori canoe (waka) Fictional
The Piano (1993)
Directed by Jane Campion
Starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin
Ada and Flora arrive in colonial New Zealand by ship and are left on the beach with their piano. At the end, the piano is tied to a Māori canoe and Ada has it thrown overboard.
The Marea scene The piano standing on the beach with the ship's longboat pulling away.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · North Korea
Ukishima Maru Real ship
Souls Protest (Sarainnun ryonghondul) (2000)
Directed by Kim Chun-song
Starring Kim Chol, Kim Ryon Hwa, Ri Yong Ho
North Korean film about the Ukishima Maru, which was repatriating Korean labourers from Japan when it exploded and sank at Maizuru on 24 August 1945; the film presents the Korean view of the disaster.
The Marea scene The transport crowded with families going home, steaming along the Japanese coast in summer 1945.
On set Studio and location filming.
Photo: Fukui Shizuo, Public domain
World Cinema · Pakistan
Fishermen's boat on the Meghna Fictional
The Day Shall Dawn (Jago Hua Savera) (1959)
Directed by A. J. Kardar
Starring Khan Ataur Rahman, Tripti Mitra, Anees
Written by Faiz Ahmed Faiz, the film follows a fishing family in East Bengal struggling to buy their own boat free of the moneylender. It was Pakistan's first Oscar submission.
The Marea scene The fisherman and his son poling their boat home through a monsoon squall.
On set Real Bengal fishing boats.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Poland
ORP Orzeł Real ship
The Eagle (Orzeł) (1959)
Directed by Leonard Buczkowski
Starring Aleksander Sewruk, Wieńczysław Gliński
The film tells the Orzeł incident of September 1939, when the Polish submarine was interned in neutral Tallinn and escaped under fire, later reaching Britain without charts.
The Marea scene Orzeł slipping out of Tallinn harbour at night under searchlights.
On set The sister submarine ORP Sęp played Orzeł; the real Orzeł was lost in 1940.
Photo: Witold Pikiel, Public domain
World Cinema · Poland
Schleswig-Holstein Real ship
Westerplatte (1967)
Directed by Stanisław Różewicz
Starring Zygmunt Hübner, Arkadiusz Bazak
The film recreates the seven day defence of the Westerplatte depot in September 1939. The German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opened the Second World War by shelling the Polish garrison at dawn on 1 September.
The Marea scene The battleship's guns flashing in the Danzig canal at 4.45 in the morning.
Photo: A. Klein, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
World Cinema · Poland
Vistula river cruise boat Fictional
The Cruise (Rejs) (1970)
Directed by Marek Piwowski
Starring Stanisław Tym, Jan Himilsbach, Zdzisław Maklakiewicz
A stowaway boards a Vistula pleasure cruise and is taken for the cultural officer, then leads the passengers through absurd meetings. The film became Poland's most quoted cult comedy.
The Marea scene The passengers holding a solemn meeting on the open deck as the boat drifts down the Vistula.
On set Real Vistula passenger boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Portugal
Rabelo boats of the Douro Real ship
Douro, Faina Fluvial (Labour on the Douro River) (1931)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira
Presented by Porto dockers and boatmen
Oliveira's first film is a city symphony of the Porto riverside, with rabelo boats, cranes and dockers at work on the Douro.
The Marea scene A rabelo with its square sail passing under the Dom Luís I bridge.
On set Real rabelo boats; several survive at Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Portugal
Cruise liner to Bombay Fictional
A Talking Picture (Um Filme Falado) (2003)
Directed by Manoel de Oliveira
Starring Leonor Silveira, Catherine Deneuve, John Malkovich, Irene Papas
A history lecturer and her daughter take a cruise from Lisbon through the Mediterranean towards Bombay, visiting ancient sites. At the captain's table famous women talk across languages until terrorists plant a bomb on the ship.
The Marea scene Mother and daughter left on the deck as the lifeboats pull away and the captain runs back for them.
On set Real cruise ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Romania
L'Esperance (Speranța) Fictional
All Sails Up (Toate pânzele sus) (1977)
Created by Mircea Mureșan
Starring Ion Besoiu, Ion Dichiseanu, Ilarion Ciobanu, Jean Constantin
Captain Anton Lupan sets out to find his missing French friend Pierre Vaillant and sails their ship across the Atlantic to Tierra del Fuego, facing pirates on the way. It is Romania's best loved adventure series.
The Marea scene Lupan's crew raising every sail as the schooner runs south towards Cape Horn.
On set Probably the Romanian motor schooner Speranța, converted in 1970 for film work.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Duncan Fictional
Captain Grant's Children (Deti kapitana Granta) (1936)
Directed by Vladimir Vainshtok
Starring Nikolai Cherkasov (Paganel), Yakov Segel, Ivan Chuvelev
The Soviet adaptation of Jules Verne's novel sends Lord Glenarvan's yacht Duncan around the world along the 37th parallel in search of the shipwrecked Captain Grant. It was one of the most popular Soviet adventure films of the 1930s.
The Marea scene Paganel and the children at the Duncan's rail as she steams out in search of Captain Grant.
Photo: Édouard Riou, Public domain
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Derbent Fictional
Tanker Derbent (Tanker "Derbent") (1941)
Directed by Aleksandr Faintsimmer
Starring Vasili Merkuryev, Yefim Kopelyan, Tatyana Govorkova
Mechanic Basov turns the slack crew of the Caspian tanker Derbent into a model crew. When the rival tanker Agamali catches fire, the Derbent races to rescue her crew.
The Marea scene The Derbent coming alongside the burning tanker Agamali in a Caspian storm.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Russian Black Sea Fleet at Sinop Real ship
Admiral Nakhimov (1947)
Directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin
Starring Aleksei Dikiy, Ruben Simonov, Vsevolod Pudovkin
Pudovkin's biopic shows Pavel Nakhimov charging into Sinop Bay in 1853 to destroy a larger Turkish squadron. Later, during the siege of Sevastopol, the sailors scuttle their own sailing fleet to block the harbour mouth.
The Marea scene Russian sailors watching their beloved ships go down across the entrance of Sevastopol Bay.
On set Studio models and sets.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
St. Paul (Svyatoy Pavel), Ushakov's flagship Real ship
Admiral Ushakov (1953)
Directed by Mikhail Romm
Starring Ivan Pereverzev, Boris Livanov, Sergei Bondarchuk
The film follows Fyodor Ushakov as he builds the Black Sea Fleet and wins the battles of Fidonisi, Tendra and Kaliakra against the Ottoman navy. His flagship St. Paul leads the line, supported by frigates such as Berislav and Strela.
The Marea scene Ushakov on the quarterdeck of St. Paul as the Russian line closes on the Ottoman fleet at Kaliakra.
On set Large scale studio models and full size deck sets built for the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Ushakov's squadron at the siege of Corfu Real ship
Attack from the Sea (Korabli shturmuyut bastiony) (1953)
Directed by Mikhail Romm
Starring Ivan Pereverzev, Gennadi Yudin, Sergei Bondarchuk
The sequel to Admiral Ushakov follows the Mediterranean campaign of 1798 to 1799. Ushakov's ships bombard the island of Vido before the storming of the French fortress of Corfu, a rare case of a sailing fleet taking a fortified island.
The Marea scene Russian ships of the line firing broadsides at the shore batteries of Vido while landing boats pull for the beach.
On set Studio models and deck sets.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Sadko's ship Fictional
Sadko (1953)
Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko
Starring Sergei Stolyarov, Alla Larionova
The gusli player Sadko sails from Novgorod in search of the bird of happiness, visiting India and Egypt. The Sea Tsar's daughter, charmed by his music, helps him on his voyage in this colourful fairy tale epic.
The Marea scene Sadko playing his gusli on deck while the ship is becalmed and the Sea Tsar demands a tribute.
On set Full size ship built for the film.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Secret Fictional
Alye parusa (Scarlet Sails) (1961)
Directed by Aleksandr Ptushko
Starring Vasily Lanovoy, Anastasiya Vertinskaya
Adapted from Alexander Grin's 1923 novel. Captain Arthur Grey fits his ship Secret with scarlet sails to fulfil the prophecy told to Assol, that a prince would come for her on a ship with scarlet sails.
The Marea scene Assol on the shore, arms outstretched, as the Secret approaches under its scarlet sails.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Medusa (Pedro Zurita's schooner) Fictional
Amphibian Man (Chelovek-amfibiya) (1962)
Directed by Vladimir Chebotaryov and Gennadi Kazansky
Starring Vladimir Korenev, Anastasiya Vertinskaya, Mikhail Kozakov
The pearl dealer Pedro Zurita uses his schooner to hunt the mysterious sea devil, the young Ichthyander, and later keeps him captive to dive for pearls. Based on Alexander Belyaev's novel, it was the top Soviet box office hit of 1962.
The Marea scene Ichthyander trapped in the net beside Zurita's schooner as the crew haul him aboard.
On set Filmed in Baku; schooner name from the novel.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Imperatritsa Mariya Real ship
The Dirk (Kortik) (1973)
Created by Nikolai Kalinin
Starring Sergei Shevkunenko, Andrei Kasyanov, Ivan Pereverzev
The story opens with the explosion of the battleship Imperatritsa Mariya at Sevastopol in 1916, where a naval officer is murdered for his dirk. The dirk hides a secret that the boys Misha and Genka set out to unravel in the 1920s.
The Marea scene The battleship Imperatritsa Mariya ablaze and exploding in Sevastopol harbour.
On set Real ship sank in 1916; film used models and archive style effects.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
The white steamer on Lake Issyk-Kul Fictional
The White Ship (Bely parokhod) (1976)
Directed by Bolotbek Shamshiev
Starring Nurgazy Sydygaliev, Sabira Kumushalieva
Based on Chingiz Aitmatov's novella, a lonely boy on the shore of Issyk-Kul dreams of turning into a fish and swimming to the white steamer where he believes his father serves.
The Marea scene The boy watching the white steamer pass far out on the lake through his grandfather's binoculars.
On set Real Issyk-Kul lake steamer.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
The Flying Ship Fictional
The Flying Ship (Letuchiy korabl) (1979)
Created by Garri Bardin
Starring Mikhail Boyarsky (singing voice), Anatoly Papanov
In this Soyuzmultfilm musical, the chimney sweep Vanya wins the Tsar's daughter by building a ship that sails through the sky, as the folk tale demands.
The Marea scene Vanya and Zabava sailing above the clouds on the little flying ship.
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Mercury Fictional
Piraty XX veka (Pirates of the 20th Century) (1980)
Directed by Boris Durov
Starring Nikolai Yeremenko Jr., Pyotr Velyaminov, Talgat Nigmatulin, Rein Aren
The pirates' ship, which poses as an abandoned vessel to lure the Nezhin into stopping. It then serves as the base for the attack.
The Marea scene Pirates in martial arts poses leaping from the rusty derelict onto the Soviet freighter.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Baltic Fleet ships of 1917 (including the cruiser Rurik) Real ship
Moonzund (1987)
Directed by Aleksandr Muratov
Starring Oleg Menshikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Lyudmila Nilskaya
Based on Valentin Pikul's novel, the film follows young officer Sergey Artenyev through the collapse of discipline in the Baltic Fleet and the defence of the Moon Sound islands against the German Operation Albion in 1917.
The Marea scene Artenyev on the bridge of his destroyer as German battleships force the Moon Sound strait.
On set Soviet navy ships and models.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Russia and Soviet Union
Slavyanka Fictional
72 metra (72 Meters) (2004)
Directed by Vladimir Khotinenko
Starring Sergei Makovetsky, Marat Basharov, Andrey Krasko, Dmitriy Ulyanov
An old Second World War mine drifts into the submarine Slavyanka and sinks her, trapping survivors 72 metres down. The crew must find a way out before their air runs out.
The Marea scene Survivors in the flooded compartment, faces lit by torchlight, tapping on the hull.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Scandinavia
Harry's father's motorboat Fictional
Summer with Monika (Sommaren med Monika) (1953)
Directed by Ingmar Bergman
Starring Harriet Andersson, Lars Ekborg
Two Stockholm teenagers spend their first night in Harry's father's docked boat, then quit their jobs and take it out into the Stockholm archipelago for one idyllic summer, until the food runs out.
The Marea scene Monika sunbathing on the cabin roof as the boat lies at anchor among granite islands.
On set Real archipelago motorboat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Scandinavia
Charlotta Fictional
Utvandrarna (The Emigrants) (1971)
Directed by Jan Troell
Starring Max von Sydow, Liv Ullmann, Eddie Axberg, Allan Edwall
The brig that carries Karl Oskar, Kristina and their fellow Swedish emigrants to New York in the mid 19th century. The long crossing brings sickness, death and a first taste of the hardships of emigration.
The Marea scene Emigrant families crowded in the dark between decks of the brig as it pitches in an Atlantic storm.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Scandinavia
The superyacht (real Christina O) Real ship
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Directed by Ruben Östlund
Starring Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Dolly de Leon, Zlatko Burić
The luxury cruise yacht on which models and super rich guests holiday until a storm and a disastrous captain's dinner turn it into chaos. Its fate strands the survivors on an island where the social order is reversed.
The Marea scene The drunken captain and the Russian oligarch reading Marx and Reagan quotes to each other over the PA as the yacht rolls in a storm.
On set Aristotle Onassis's former yacht Christina O, filmed in the Mediterranean.
Photo: Stef Bravin, CC BY-SA 4.0
World Cinema · Senegal
Liner to France Fictional
Touki Bouki (1973)
Directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
Starring Magaye Niang, Mareme Niang
Mory and Anta scheme to raise the money for passage to Paris. At the last moment on the quay Mory turns back and the ship sails with Anta alone.
The Marea scene Mory running back up the quay as the liner pulls away with Anta at the rail.
On set Believed to be the French liner Ancerville.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Senegal
The pirogue Fictional
The Pirogue (La Pirogue) (2012)
Directed by Moussa Touré
Starring Souleymane Seye Ndiaye, Laïty Fall, Babacar Oualy
Fisherman Baye Laye reluctantly captains a pirogue carrying thirty migrants from Senegal to the Canary Islands. The voyage brings storms, thirst and death.
The Marea scene The painted pirogue alone on a huge Atlantic swell with its passengers huddled under plastic.
On set Real Senegalese pirogue.
Photo: WRI Staff, CC BY 2.0
World Cinema · Senegal
Pirogue to Spain Fictional
Atlantics (Atlantique) (2019)
Directed by Mati Diop
Starring Mame Bineta Sane, Ibrahima Traoré, Amadou Mbow
Unpaid construction workers in Dakar leave by pirogue for Spain and are lost at sea. Their spirits return to haunt the city. It was the first film by a black woman director in competition at Cannes.
The Marea scene The ocean at dusk off Dakar where the pirogue has vanished.
On set Real Senegalese pirogues.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · South Korea
Floating monastery and rowing boat Fictional
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom) (2003)
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Starring Oh Young-soo, Kim Young-min, Seo Jae-kyung, Kim Ki-duk
A tiny Buddhist hermitage floats on a raft on a mountain lake, reached only by rowing boat. A monk grows from child to old man there through the cycle of the seasons.
The Marea scene The old monk rowing the small boat to the floating temple under autumn leaves.
On set Set built on Jusanji Pond, Cheongsong County.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
The old man's fishing boat Fictional
The Bow (Hwal) (2005)
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Starring Jeon Seong-hwan, Han Yeo-reum, Seo Ji-seok
An old man and a girl live on a rotting fishing boat anchored at sea that serves as a platform for weekend anglers. He tells fortunes by shooting arrows at a Buddha painted on the hull past her swing.
The Marea scene The girl swinging over the water as the old man's arrows thud into the painted Buddha on the hull.
On set Real boat anchored off the Korean coast.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Tanker at the Gwangan Bridge Fictional
Tidal Wave (Haeundae) (2009)
Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon
Starring Sol Kyung-gu, Ha Ji-won, Park Joong-hoon, Uhm Jung-hwa
When a mega tsunami hits Busan, a leaking tanker is swept against the Gwangan Bridge and explodes, severing the bridge while shipping containers fly into buildings on the shore.
The Marea scene The tanker jammed against the Gwangan Bridge as flames race along the span.
On set Computer effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Yeo-wol's pirate ship Fictional
Haejeok: Badaro Gan Sanjeok (The Pirates) (2014)
Directed by Lee Seok-hoon
Starring Son Ye-jin, Kim Nam-gil, Lee Geung-young, Yoo Hae-jin
Mountain bandits and pirates led by the female captain Yeo-wol race at sea to catch a whale that swallowed the Ming Emperor's seal in the early Joseon period.
The Marea scene Yeo-wol on her ship's bow with a sword as a whale breaches alongside.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Jeonjinho Fictional
Haemoo (Sea Fog) (2014)
Directed by Shim Sung-bo
Starring Kim Yoon-seok, Park Yoo-chun, Han Ye-ri, Lee Hee-joon
A struggling fishing boat's crew agree to smuggle Korean Chinese migrants, with tragic results in the fog. Based on a stage play inspired by the 2001 Taechangho tragedy.
The Marea scene The rusty fishing boat alone in thick fog, the young crewman looking down into the hold.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
SS Meredith Victory Real ship
Ode to My Father (Gukje Sijang) (2014)
Directed by Yoon Je-kyoon
Starring Hwang Jung-min, Yunjin Kim, Oh Dal-su
The film opens with the Hungnam evacuation of December 1950, when young Deok-su loses his sister while climbing a cargo net onto an American freighter crammed with refugees. The Meredith Victory carried 14,000 refugees on that voyage.
The Marea scene Refugees clinging to the cargo nets on the ship's side as the boy's sister slips from his grip.
On set Effects and set recreation; the real ship was scrapped in 1993.
Photo: Louis Claes, Public domain
World Cinema · South Korea
Nam Chul-woo's fishing boat Fictional
The Net (Geumul) (2016)
Directed by Kim Ki-duk
Starring Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Won-keun, Kim Young-min
A North Korean fisherman's net fouls his engine and his little boat drifts across the maritime border into South Korea, where he is interrogated as a suspected spy.
The Marea scene The fisherman clinging to his drifting boat as the South Korean patrol boat approaches.
On set Real small fishing boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
MV Sewol Real ship
Birthday (Saeng-il) (2019)
Directed by Lee Jong-un
Starring Sol Kyung-gu, Jeon Do-yeon, Kim Bo-min
The first South Korean feature film to address the Sewol disaster. A family who lost their eldest son in the sinking prepare, with other bereaved families, a birthday gathering in his memory. The ferry itself is felt through absence rather than shown.
The Marea scene A memorial gathering with yellow ribbons tied along a harbour rail, facing the sea where the ferry was lost.
On set No ship built; the real ferry was raised in 2017 and is displayed at Mokpo New Port.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Hae-rang's pirate ship Fictional
The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure (Haejeok: Dokkaebi Kitbal) (2022)
Directed by Kim Jeong-hoon
Starring Kang Ha-neul, Han Hyo-joo, Lee Kwang-soo, Kwon Sang-woo
Pirate captain Hae-rang and a band of bandits sail in search of the lost treasure of the Goryeo royal family, fighting a rival fleet and giant waves on the way.
The Marea scene Hae-rang at the helm as her ship rides down a giant whirlpool.
On set Studio ship and effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · South Korea
Maengryong-ho Fictional
Milsu (Smugglers) (2023)
Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan
Starring Kim Hye-soo, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Park Jeong-min
In the 1970s coastal village of Guncheon, haenyeo divers use a fishing boat for underwater smuggling operations.
The Marea scene Haenyeo divers in white suits jumping from the boat's side to retrieve sunken crates.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Spain
Cuban rafts (balsas) of 1994 Real ship
Balseros (2002)
Directed by Carles Bosch and Josep Maria Domènech
Presented by Seven Cuban rafters
The documentary follows seven Cubans who built rafts from inner tubes and scrap during the 1994 exodus, when over 37,000 people set out for Florida, and follows their lives for years afterwards.
The Marea scene A family lashing inner tubes to a timber frame on a Havana beach before launching at night.
On set Real rafts of the 1994 Cuban rafter crisis.
Photo: Ivan Curra, CC BY-SA 3.0
World Cinema · Spain
Gold galleon at Sanlúcar Fictional
Alatriste (2006)
Directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Elena Anaya, Unax Ugalde
Adapting Arturo Pérez-Reverte's novels, the film includes the night boarding of a ship smuggling Indies gold at the mouth of the Guadalquivir, taken from the novel The King's Gold, where the galleon is named Virgen de Regla.
The Marea scene Alatriste's mercenaries climbing the galleon's side from rowing boats in the dark.
On set Set and replica.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Spain
Smugglers' speedboats in the Strait of Gibraltar Fictional
El Niño (2014)
Directed by Daniel Monzón
Starring Luis Tosar, Jesús Castro, Eduard Fernández, Ian McShane
Two young men from Andalusia enter the hashish trade across the Strait of Gibraltar, running speedboats from Morocco, while two police officers hunt the network. The sea chases were filmed at high speed on the Strait.
The Marea scene A speedboat skimming the swell at night with a police helicopter's searchlight on its wake.
On set Real go-fast boats.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
World Cinema · Spain
Galician planeadoras (smuggling speedboats) Fictional
Cocaine Coast (Fariña) (2018)
Created by Carlos Sedes and Jorge Torregrossa (Bambú Producciones)
Starring Javier Rey, Tristán Ulloa, Carlos Blanco
Fisherman and ace speedboat driver Sito Miñanco moves from tobacco smuggling to cocaine in 1980s Galicia. Night runs by the planeadoras across the Ría de Arousa drive the story.
The Marea scene A planeadora running dark across the ría with bales on deck and the Guardia Civil in pursuit.
On set Real speedboats used on location in Galicia.
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Spain
Open Arms rescue vessel Real ship
Mediterraneo: The Law of the Sea (Mediterráneo) (2021)
Directed by Marcel Barrena
Starring Eduard Fernández, Dani Rovira, Anna Castillo, Sergi López
Two Barcelona lifeguards travel to Lesbos after seeing the photo of a drowned child and begin rescuing refugees at sea, founding what became the Open Arms organisation of Òscar Camps.
The Marea scene Lifeguards pulling people from a sinking rubber dinghy off Lesbos.
On set Open Arms NGO vessels (real).
Photo: Wikipedia
World Cinema · Turkey
Oruç Reis's galleys Real ship
Barbaros: Sword of the Mediterranean (Barbaroslar: Akdeniz'in Kılıcı) (2021)
Created by Berat Özdoğan and Doğan Ümit Karaca
Starring Engin Altan Düzyatan, Ulaş Tuna Astepe, Cemre Gümeli
The TRT series follows the brothers Oruç and Hızır Reis, later Barbarossa, as corsairs fighting the Spanish and the Knights across the Mediterranean before joining the Ottoman service.
The Marea scene Oruç Reis leaping from his galley onto a Spanish carrack's deck.
On set Replica galleys built for the series.
Photo: AsiaticLion7, CC0
World Cinema · Vietnam / USA
Refugee boat Fictional
Journey from the Fall (Vượt sóng) (2006)
Directed by Ham Tran
Starring Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Diem Lien, Nguyen Thai Nguyen
After the fall of Saigon a man is sent to a re education camp while his wife, son and mother escape by boat across the South China Sea to Malaysia and a new life in California.
The Marea scene The family crowded aboard a small fishing boat under a starry sky on the South China Sea.
On set Boats filmed in Thailand.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
The shipwrecked ship of the Robinsons Fictional
Der Schweizerische Robinson (The Swiss Family Robinson) (1812)
Written by Johann David Wyss
Screen adaptations Film 1940 (Thomas Mitchell); Film 1960 Disney (John Mills, Dorothy McGuire); TV 1975 (Martin Milner)
The ship carrying a Swiss pastor and his family to the colonies, abandoned by her crew in a storm. The family salvages animals and supplies from the wreck and builds a new life on the island.
The Marea scene The family floating ashore in a raft of tubs with the animals, the wreck behind them.
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Arrow Fictional
The Coral Island (1858)
Written by R. M. Ballantyne
The ship in which Ralph, Jack and Peterkin sail for the South Seas. She is wrecked and the three boys are cast away on a Pacific coral island.
The Marea scene The three boys clinging to an oar as the Arrow founders on the reef.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
The sieve Fictional
The Jumblies (1871)
Written by Edward Lear
The Jumblies go to sea in a sieve in spite of all their friends, with a pea green veil for a sail, and return twenty years later. Their heads are green and their hands are blue.
The Marea scene The Jumblies in the sieve, veil sail billowing, on the moonlit sea.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
The pea green boat Fictional
The Owl and the Pussy-cat (1871)
Written by Edward Lear
The boat in which the Owl and the Pussy-cat go to sea with honey and money. They sail for a year and a day to the land where the Bong-tree grows.
The Marea scene The Owl with his guitar serenading the Pussy-cat in the pea green boat under the moon.
Photo: Edward Lear, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Tom Sawyer's raft Fictional
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876)
Written by Mark Twain
Screen adaptations Film 1938 (Tommy Kelly); film 1973 (Johnny Whitaker)
Tom, Huck and Joe Harper steal a raft and become pirates on Jackson's Island, while the town believes they have drowned. They return in time for their own funeral.
The Marea scene The three boy pirates poling the raft to Jackson's Island by night.
Photo: True Williams, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Hispaniola Fictional
Treasure Island (1883)
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
Screen adaptations Film 1934 (Wallace Beery, Jackie Cooper); Film 1950 Disney (Robert Newton, Bobby Driscoll); Film 1990 (Charlton Heston, Christian Bale); Muppet Treasure Island 1996
The schooner bought by Squire Trelawney to seek Captain Flint's treasure, crewed largely by Long John Silver's pirates. Jim Hawkins overhears their plot from the apple barrel, and later single handedly retakes the ship from Israel Hands.
The Marea scene Jim Hawkins hidden in the apple barrel on deck, listening to Long John Silver.
The real ship The 1950 Disney film used the Baltic trader Ryelands and the 1990 film used the 1960 Bounty replica.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Walrus Fictional
Treasure Island (1883)
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
Captain Flint's pirate ship, never seen in the story, in which the treasure was brought to the island. Her former crew, including Long John Silver, drive the plot.
The Marea scene Flint's men burying the treasure on Skeleton Island with the Walrus at anchor.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
The raft Fictional
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884)
Written by Mark Twain
Screen adaptations Film 1939 (Mickey Rooney); Film 1960 (Eddie Hodges); Film 1993 (Elijah Wood)
The raft on which Huck and the escaped slave Jim drift down the Mississippi. It is their home and refuge from the world on shore.
The Marea scene Huck and Jim on the raft at night with a lantern, the Mississippi wide around them.
Photo: E. W. Kemble, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Covenant Fictional
Kidnapped (1886)
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson
Screen adaptations Film 1938 (Warner Baxter, Freddie Bartholomew); Film 1960 Disney (Peter Finch, James MacArthur); Film 1971 (Michael Caine); TV 2005 (Iain Glen)
The brig of Captain Hoseason, aboard which David Balfour is shanghaied at the orders of his uncle Ebenezer. The ship runs down a boat carrying the Jacobite Alan Breck, and the two defend the roundhouse against the crew before the brig is wrecked off Mull.
The Marea scene David and Alan Breck defending the roundhouse against the Covenant's crew, swords and pistols drawn.
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Aurora Fictional
The Sign of the Four (1890)
Written by Arthur Conan Doyle
Screen adaptations Film 1983 (Ian Richardson); TV 1987 (Jeremy Brett); TV 2001 (Matt Frewer)
The fast steam launch hired by Jonathan Small and Tonga to escape down the Thames with the Agra treasure. Holmes and Watson pursue her in a police launch.
The Marea scene Holmes and Watson in the police launch closing on the Aurora as Tonga raises his blowpipe.
Photo: Lippincott's, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Flying Scud Fictional
The Wrecker (1892)
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne
A wrecked brig on Midway Island whose salvage rights are bought at auction in San Francisco for a suspiciously huge sum. The narrator Loudon Dodd sails to the wreck to discover the mystery behind her.
The Marea scene Dodd searching the abandoned Flying Scud stranded on the reef.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Why Not Fictional
Moonfleet (1898)
Written by J. Meade Falkner
Screen adaptations Film 1955 (Stewart Granger, dir. Fritz Lang); TV 2013 (Ray Winstone)
The lugger of the smuggler Elzevir Block, used to run contraband on the Dorset coast. John Trenchard and Elzevir sail in her before the final wreck in Moonfleet Bay.
The Marea scene Elzevir and John struggling in the surf as the brig breaks up on the Moonfleet beach.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
HMS Thunder Child Fictional
The War of the Worlds (1898)
Written by H. G. Wells
Screen adaptations TV 2019 BBC (Eleanor Tomlinson, Rafe Spall)
A Royal Navy torpedo ram that charges the Martian fighting machines in the Thames estuary, covering the escape of refugee ships. She destroys two tripods before being blown up by the heat ray.
The Marea scene Thunder Child steaming full ahead at three Martian tripods wading in the estuary.
Photo: H. G. Wells, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Dulcibella Fictional
The Riddle of the Sands (1903)
Written by Erskine Childers
Screen adaptations Film 1979 (Michael York, Simon MacCorkindale, Jenny Agutter)
The small yacht in which Davies and Carruthers explore the Frisian sands. Their cruise uncovers German preparations for an invasion of England.
The Marea scene Davies and Carruthers aground on the sands in Dulcibella at low tide.
The real ship Based on Childers's own yacht Vixen.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Ratty's boat Fictional
The Wind in the Willows (1908)
Written by Kenneth Grahame
Screen adaptations Film 1996 (Terry Jones, Steve Coogan); animated 1983 (Cosgrove Hall)
The Water Rat's little blue and white boat, in which he first takes Mole on the river. Ratty tells him there is nothing half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.
The Marea scene Ratty rowing and Mole upsetting the boat as he grabs the sculls.
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Jolly Roger Fictional
Peter and Wendy (Peter Pan) (1911)
Written by J. M. Barrie
Screen adaptations Film 1924 (Betty Bronson); Film 1953 Disney animation; Film 1991 Hook (Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams); Film 2003 (Jason Isaacs)
Captain Hook's pirate ship, anchored in Kidd's Creek in Neverland. The Lost Boys and Wendy are taken aboard to walk the plank before Peter Pan defeats Hook, who is taken by the crocodile.
The Marea scene Hook facing Peter Pan on the Jolly Roger's deck as the ticking crocodile waits below.
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Fuwalda Fictional
Tarzan of the Apes (1912)
Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The ship on which Lord and Lady Greystoke sail for Africa. Her crew mutiny and maroon the couple on the West African coast, where their son is later raised by apes.
The Marea scene The Greystokes set ashore on a jungle beach as the Fuwalda sails away.
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Curlew Fictional
The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (1922)
Written by Hugh Lofting
Screen adaptations Film 1967 Doctor Dolittle (Rex Harrison)
Doctor Dolittle, Tommy Stubbins and Polynesia sail the Curlew to find the naturalist Long Arrow on floating Spider Monkey Island. The Curlew is wrecked, and they return home inside the Great Glass Sea Snail.
The Marea scene The Doctor waving from the Curlew's deck as porpoises push the wreck toward the island.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Floating Bear and The Brain of Pooh Fictional
Winnie-the-Pooh (1926)
Written by A. A. Milne
Screen adaptations Disney Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968)
When Piglet is surrounded by flood water, Pooh floats on an empty honey jar he calls the Floating Bear. Christopher Robin then sails with Pooh in his upturned umbrella, named The Brain of Pooh.
The Marea scene Pooh and Christopher Robin afloat in the upturned umbrella on the way to rescue Piglet.
Photo: E. H. Shepard, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Swallow Fictional
Swallows and Amazons (1930)
Written by Arthur Ransome
Screen adaptations Film 1974 (Virginia McKenna, Ronald Fraser); Film 2016 (Kelly Macdonald, Rafe Spall)
The small dinghy sailed by the Walker children, the Swallows, who camp on a lake island in the Lake District. They wage a mock war with the Amazons and capture their boat.
The Marea scene The four Walker children beaching Swallow on Wild Cat Island.
The real ship Based on a dinghy Ransome owned.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Amazon Fictional
Swallows and Amazons (1930)
Written by Arthur Ransome
Screen adaptations Film 1974 (Virginia McKenna); Film 2016 (Kelly Macdonald)
The dinghy of Nancy and Peggy Blackett, the Amazon pirates, flying a skull and crossbones. The Swallows capture her in a night raid.
The Marea scene Nancy Blackett at Amazon's tiller under the pirate flag.
The real ship Based on Ransome's dinghy Mavis, preserved at the Ruskin Museum, Coniston.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Pound of Candles Fictional
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson (1930)
Written by Beatrix Potter
Little Pig Robinson is lured aboard the ship by the cook, who plans to eat him. The ship's cat helps him escape in the ship's boat to the land where the Bong tree grows.
The Marea scene Pig Robinson rowing away from the Pound of Candles in the little boat.
Photo: Public domain (US)
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Wild Cat Fictional
Peter Duck (1932)
Written by Arthur Ransome
The Swallows and Amazons sail the schooner Wild Cat to the Caribbean with Captain Flint and the old sailor Peter Duck, hunting buried treasure. The pirate Black Jake chases them in the Viper.
The Marea scene Peter Duck at the wheel of the Wild Cat as the Viper closes astern.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
The wise eyed boat Fictional
The Story About Ping (1933)
Written by Marjorie Flack and Kurt Wiese
The duckling Ping lives with his large family on a boat with two eyes painted on the bow. Afraid of being last aboard and punished, he stays out overnight on the Yangtze.
The Marea scene The ducks marching over the gangplank to the boat at sunset.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Teasel and Titmouse Fictional
Coot Club (1934)
Written by Arthur Ransome
Screen adaptations BBC TV 1984 Coot Club
On the Norfolk Broads, Dorothea and Dick learn to sail aboard the cruiser Teasel, while Tom Dudgeon hides in the little dinghy Titmouse after setting adrift a hire cruiser full of rowdy Hullabaloos.
The Marea scene Tom in the Titmouse under the reeds as the Hullabaloos' motor cruiser roars past.
Photo: wwoods, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Goblin Fictional
We Didn't Mean to Go to Sea (1937)
Written by Arthur Ransome
A small cruising yacht on which the Walker children are accidentally carried out of Harwich harbour in fog and must sail her across the North Sea to Holland.
The Marea scene John at Goblin's tiller in the fog as the lightship slides past.
The real ship Based on Ransome's yacht Nancy Blackett, preserved by the Nancy Blackett Trust.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Paddle-to-the-Sea Fictional
Paddle-to-the-Sea (1941)
Written by Holling C. Holling
Screen adaptations Short film 1966 (National Film Board of Canada)
A small carved figure in a canoe, set in the snow near Lake Nipigon by an Indigenous boy. It travels through the Great Lakes and the St Lawrence to the Atlantic.
The Marea scene The carved canoe going over Niagara Falls.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Wasp Fictional
Stuart Little (1945)
Written by E. B. White
Screen adaptations Film 1999 (Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie, Michael J. Fox)
A toy schooner that Stuart, a mouse, skippers in a race on the Central Park boat pond against the Lillian B. Womrath. He wins despite a collision and a stray paper bag.
The Marea scene Stuart at the Wasp's wheel racing across the Central Park pond.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Scuffy the Tugboat Fictional
Scuffy the Tugboat (1946)
Written by Gertrude Crampton, illustrated by Tibor Gergely
A toy tugboat wants to do bigger things than float in the bathtub and sails away down a brook to the river and the sea. A Little Golden Book classic.
The Marea scene Scuffy bobbing among the great ships of the harbour.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Hoppetossa (Hoptoad) Fictional
Pippi in the South Seas (1948)
Written by Astrid Lindgren
Screen adaptations Film 1970 Pippi in the South Seas (Inger Nilsson)
The ship of Pippi's father, Captain Efraim Longstocking, king of an island in the South Seas. Pippi, Tommy and Annika sail in her to visit his island.
The Marea scene Pippi lifting her father over her head on the Hoppetossa's deck.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Dawn Treader Fictional
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)
Written by C. S. Lewis
Screen adaptations TV 1989 BBC; Film 2010 (Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Will Poulter)
King Caspian's ship, which sails east from Narnia to find seven lost lords and the end of the world. Lucy, Edmund and their cousin Eustace are drawn aboard through a painting.
The Marea scene The children tumbling out of the painting into the sea beside the Dawn Treader.
The real ship Full scale ship set built for the 2010 film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Emma Fictional
Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer (Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver) (1960)
Written by Michael Ende
Screen adaptations Augsburger Puppenkiste 1961 and 1976; film 2018 (Solomon Gordon, Henning Baum)
When the island of Lummerland is too small for her, Luke's tank engine Emma is caulked and sails across the sea with Jim and Luke. She later becomes a steamship again to reach China.
The Marea scene Emma floating on the waves with a sail rigged on her cab and Jim at the lookout.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Max's private boat Fictional
Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
Written by Maurice Sendak
Screen adaptations Film 2009 (Max Records, dir. Spike Jonze)
The boat that carries Max, in his wolf suit, to the island where the wild things are. He sails back in and out of weeks and almost over a year to his room.
The Marea scene Max in his wolf suit sailing away with the wild things waving from the shore.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Mr Gumpy's boat Fictional
Mr Gumpy's Outing (1970)
Written by John Burningham
Screen adaptations Animated short
Mr Gumpy takes his boat on the river and lets the children and animals aboard, each promising to behave. They all squabble and the boat tips over.
The Marea scene The punt tipping over with goat, calf, children and Mr Gumpy all going into the river.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Seahawk Fictional
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (1990)
Written by Avi
In 1832 thirteen year old Charlotte sails from Liverpool to Rhode Island aboard the Seahawk and finds herself between a tyrannical captain and a mutinous crew. She ends up as a sailor.
The Marea scene Charlotte climbing the Seahawk's rigging in her skirt to the royal yard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Peggy Sue Fictional
Kensuke's Kingdom (1999)
Written by Michael Morpurgo
Screen adaptations Animated film 2023 (Cillian Murphy, Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe)
Michael's family sail round the world in the Peggy Sue until he and his dog are swept overboard in the Pacific and washed up on an island ruled by the old Japanese man Kensuke.
The Marea scene Michael and his dog Stella washed off the Peggy Sue's deck into the night sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Queequeg Fictional
The Grim Grotto (A Series of Unfortunate Events) (2004)
Written by Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler)
Screen adaptations Netflix series 2019 (Neil Patrick Harris)
The battered submarine of Captain Widdershins, a member of V.F.D., which carries the Baudelaire orphans in search of the sugar bowl. It is named after Queequeg in Moby-Dick.
The Marea scene The Baudelaires peering out of the Queequeg's porthole at the dark Gorgonian Grotto.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Princess Andromeda Fictional
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson) (2006)
Written by Rick Riordan
Screen adaptations Film 2013 (Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario)
Luke's ship full of monsters, where the coffin of Kronos is kept. Percy, Annabeth and Tyson are carried aboard it by the hippocampi.
The Marea scene Percy creeping through the gleaming cruise ship's corridors past sleeping monsters.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
CSS Birmingham Fictional
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson) (2006)
Written by Rick Riordan
Screen adaptations Film 2013 (Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario)
Clarisse's quest ship, an old ironclad given by her father Ares and crewed by undead Confederate soldiers. It is wrecked in the passage between Scylla and Charybdis.
The Marea scene The Birmingham's boilers exploding as Charybdis sucks the ironclad in.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Queen Anne's Revenge Fictional
The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson) (2006)
Written by Rick Riordan
Screen adaptations Film 2013 (Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario)
Percy and Annabeth take Blackbeard's old ship from Circe's island, and Percy's power over the sea makes it sail itself toward the Sea of Monsters.
The Marea scene The Queen Anne's Revenge sailing crewless toward the island of the Cyclops.
The real ship Fictional use of the real pirate ship.
Ships in Famous Books · Adventure and children's books
Argo II Fictional
The Lost Hero and The Heroes of Olympus (2010 to 2014)
Written by Rick Riordan
Leo Valdez builds the flying warship Argo II, with the bronze dragon Festus as figurehead, to carry seven demigods to Rome and Greece. It is the heroes' home through the series.
The Marea scene The Argo II hovering over Camp Jupiter, Festus's head blazing at the prow.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Chinese literature
The bottomless boat Fictional
Xiyou ji (Journey to the West) (1592)
Written by Wu Cheng'en (attributed)
Screen adaptations Many adaptations including TV 1986
At the end of the pilgrimage, the monk Tang Sanzang and his disciples are ferried across a river to the Buddha's mountain in a boat with no bottom. As they cross, Tang sees his own mortal body float away downstream.
The Marea scene Monkey pushing a nervous Tang Sanzang into the bottomless boat while his old corpse drifts past.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Robinson Crusoe's ship Fictional
Robinson Crusoe (1719)
Written by Daniel Defoe
Screen adaptations Film 1954 (Dan O'Herlihy); Film 1997 (Pierce Brosnan); TV 1964 French series (Robert Hoffmann)
Crusoe sails from Brazil on a slaving voyage to Africa, and the ship is wrecked in a storm off an uninhabited island. He salvages tools, food and weapons from the stranded wreck before it breaks up, which lets him survive 28 years.
The Marea scene Crusoe rafting goods ashore from the wreck lodged on the reef.
The real ship Inspired partly by the real castaway Alexander Selkirk.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Antelope and Adventure Fictional
Gulliver's Travels (1726)
Written by Jonathan Swift
Screen adaptations Film 1939 animated (Fleischer); Film 1960 The 3 Worlds of Gulliver (Kerwin Mathews); TV 1996 (Ted Danson); Film 2010 (Jack Black)
Gulliver is wrecked in the Antelope and swims ashore to Lilliput, then sails in the Adventure to reach Brobdingnag. On a later voyage he commands an Adventure himself, whose crew mutiny and maroon him in the land of the Houyhnhnms.
The Marea scene Gulliver wading across the channel towing the Blefuscudian fleet by cables.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
The Mariner's ship Fictional
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798)
Written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
The ship driven into the icy south, where the Mariner shoots an albatross and brings a curse on the crew. Becalmed, the crew die, and the ship is sailed home by spirits before sinking in the harbour.
The Marea scene The Mariner with the dead albatross hung round his neck on the becalmed deck.
Photo: Gustave Doré, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Walton's ship Fictional
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818)
Written by Mary Shelley
Screen adaptations Film 1994 (Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro); Film 2025 (Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi)
The ship of the explorer Robert Walton, trapped in Arctic ice, which frames the novel. Walton rescues the exhausted Victor Frankenstein from the ice and hears his story, and the creature later appears aboard beside Victor's body.
The Marea scene Victor Frankenstein's dog sledge found beside the ice bound ship in the polar twilight.
Photo: Mary Shelley, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Grampus and Jane Guy Fictional
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838)
Written by Edgar Allan Poe
Pym stows away on the whaler Grampus, which suffers mutiny, storm and starvation before he is rescued by the schooner Jane Guy. The Jane Guy carries him deep into the Antarctic towards a mysterious white figure.
The Marea scene Survivors on the dismasted, overturned Grampus drifting under a blazing sun.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Pilgrim Real ship
Two Years Before the Mast (1840)
Written by Richard Henry Dana Jr.
Screen adaptations Film 1946 (Alan Ladd, Brian Donlevy)
The real brig in which Harvard student Dana sailed as a common seaman from Boston round Cape Horn to California in 1834. His memoir exposed harsh treatment of sailors, including a flogging aboard the Pilgrim; he returned in the ship Alert.
The Marea scene A sailor flogged at the gangway while Dana watches from the rigging.
The real ship Lost by fire at sea in 1856.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Hesperus Fictional
The Wreck of the Hesperus (1842)
Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The schooner in Longfellow's ballad whose proud skipper ignores warnings of a storm and takes his daughter to sea. She is wrecked on the reef of Norman's Woe and the girl is found lashed to a mast.
The Marea scene The skipper lashing his daughter to the mast as the Hesperus drives towards the reef.
Photo: John Gilbert, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Dolly Fictional
Typee (1846)
Written by Herman Melville
The whaler from which the narrator Tommo deserts at Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas. He and his companion Toby live among the Typee people, fearing they may be cannibals.
The Marea scene Tommo and Toby slipping away from the Dolly's boat into the jungle.
The real ship Based on Melville's real ship, the whaler Acushnet.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Julia Fictional
Omoo (1847)
Written by Herman Melville
The ramshackle whaler that picks up the narrator after his escape from Typee. Her crew refuse duty at Tahiti and are held ashore, leading to his wanderings in the islands.
The Marea scene The crew of the Julia lounging in the stocks under Tahitian palm trees.
The real ship Based on the Lucy Ann on which Melville sailed.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Highlander Fictional
Redburn (1849)
Written by Herman Melville
The merchant ship on which young Wellingborough Redburn sails as a green hand from New York to Liverpool. He sees poverty in Liverpool and death among emigrants on the voyage home.
The Marea scene Redburn aloft for the first time, clinging to the yard in a heavy sea.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Neversink Fictional
White-Jacket (1850)
Written by Herman Melville
A US Navy frigate, modelled on the USS United States in which Melville served, sailing home from the Pacific round Cape Horn. The book depicts life on a man of war and campaigned against flogging.
The Marea scene The narrator in his home made white jacket falling from the yardarm into the sea.
The real ship Based on the frigate USS United States.
Photo: William Brady, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Pequod Fictional
Moby-Dick (1851)
Written by Herman Melville
Screen adaptations Film 1926 The Sea Beast (John Barrymore); Film 1956 (Gregory Peck); TV 1998 (Patrick Stewart); TV 2011 (William Hurt)
The Quaker owned whaler that carries Ishmael, Queequeg and Captain Ahab on Ahab's obsessive hunt for the white whale. The ship becomes a floating world of many nations and, in the end, is destroyed by Moby Dick, leaving Ishmael as the sole survivor.
The Marea scene Ahab, ivory leg braced on the quarterdeck, nails the gold doubloon to the mainmast before his assembled crew.
The real ship Inspired by the real whaler Essex. For the 1956 film the Baltic trader Ryelands was dressed as the Pequod.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Rachel Fictional
Moby-Dick (1851)
Written by Herman Melville
Screen adaptations Film 1956 (Gregory Peck); TV 1998 (Patrick Stewart)
A whaler searching the ocean for its captain's lost son, whose plea for help Ahab refuses. After the Pequod sinks, the Rachel finds Ishmael floating on Queequeg's coffin and rescues him.
The Marea scene Ishmael clinging to Queequeg's coffin lifebuoy as the Rachel's sails loom on the horizon.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
We're Here Fictional
Captains Courageous (1897)
Written by Rudyard Kipling
Screen adaptations Film 1937 (Spencer Tracy, Freddie Bartholomew); TV 1977 (Karl Malden)
The Gloucester cod schooner of Captain Disko Troop that picks up Harvey Cheyne, a spoilt rich boy who has fallen from a liner. Over a season on the Grand Banks, Harvey learns the value of work and grows up.
The Marea scene Harvey hauled from the sea into a dory by the Portuguese fisherman Manuel.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Demeter Fictional
Dracula (1897)
Written by Bram Stoker
Screen adaptations Film 2023 The Last Voyage of the Demeter (Corey Hawkins, Liam Cunningham)
The schooner from Varna that carries Count Dracula and his boxes of earth to England. Her crew vanish one by one and she runs aground at Whitby with her dead captain lashed to the wheel.
The Marea scene The Demeter driving into Whitby harbour in a storm, the dead captain tied to the wheel.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Narcissus Fictional
The Narcissus (published in the United States as The Children of the Sea) (1897)
Written by Joseph Conrad
A merchant sailing ship homeward bound from Bombay to London whose crew is unsettled by a dying West Indian sailor, James Wait. Conrad's short novel, now often republished under its American title The Children of the Sea, follows the ship through a violent storm off the Cape of Good Hope.
The Marea scene The Narcissus knocked flat on her beam ends in the Cape gale, crew clinging to the weather rail.
The real ship Based on the real Narcissus on which Conrad sailed in 1884.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Judea Fictional
Youth (1898)
Written by Joseph Conrad
An old barque, with the motto Do or Die, bound for Bangkok with a cargo of coal on which the young Marlow sails as second mate. The coal smoulders and explodes, and Marlow commands a small boat to reach the East, a memory of youth he recalls with longing.
The Marea scene The burning Judea blazing at sea at night while her crew pull away in open boats.
The real ship Based on the barque Palestine on which Conrad served.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Nellie, and the river steamer Fictional
Heart of Darkness (1899)
Written by Joseph Conrad
Screen adaptations Loosely adapted as Apocalypse Now 1979 (Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando); TV film 1993 (Tim Roth, John Malkovich)
Marlow tells his story aboard the yawl Nellie, anchored in the Thames estuary at dusk. In his tale he commands a battered river steamer up the Congo to reach the ivory trader Kurtz.
The Marea scene Marlow at the wheel of the little river steamer as arrows rain from the riverbank.
The real ship Conrad himself commanded the Congo steamer Roi des Belges in 1890.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Patna Fictional
Lord Jim (1900)
Written by Joseph Conrad
Screen adaptations Film 1925 (Percy Marmont); Film 1965 (Peter O'Toole)
An old steamer carrying Muslim pilgrims across the Arabian Sea on which young Jim serves as chief mate. When the ship seems about to sink, Jim jumps overboard with the officers, a moment of cowardice that haunts the rest of his life when the Patna is later found afloat.
The Marea scene Jim poised at the rail in the dark as the officers call to him from the lifeboat below the listing steamer.
The real ship Inspired by the real SS Jeddah incident of 1880.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Nan-Shan Fictional
Typhoon (1902)
Written by Joseph Conrad
The steamer commanded by the stolid, unimaginative Captain MacWhirr, carrying Chinese coolies home. MacWhirr steers straight into a typhoon rather than around it, and the ship survives the storm while chaos erupts in the hold.
The Marea scene Captain MacWhirr and mate Jukes lashed on the storm swept bridge as a wall of water breaks over the bows.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Silver lighter Fictional
Nostromo (1904)
Written by Joseph Conrad
Screen adaptations TV 1996 BBC (Colin Firth, Claudio Amendola)
The lighter in which Nostromo and Decoud try to smuggle the silver of the San Tomé mine out of Sulaco during a revolution. It is struck by a steamer in the dark gulf and they hide the silver on the Great Isabel island.
The Marea scene Nostromo and Decoud in the dark lighter, the silver crates at their feet.
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Ghost Fictional
The Sea-Wolf (1904)
Written by Jack London
Screen adaptations Film 1941 (Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, John Garfield); TV 1993 (Charles Bronson); TV 2009 (Sebastian Koch, Tim Roth)
The sealing schooner of the brutal Captain Wolf Larsen, which picks up the literary gentleman Humphrey van Weyden after a ferry wreck in San Francisco Bay. Forced to work as cabin boy, Humphrey hardens under Larsen's rule.
The Marea scene Wolf Larsen on the Ghost's deck, lecturing Humphrey on the philosophy of force.
Photo: W.J.Aylward, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
Elsinore Fictional
The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1914)
Written by Jack London
Screen adaptations Film 1937 (Paul Lukas)
A four-masted barque sailing from Baltimore round Cape Horn to Seattle with a brutal crew. After the officers die, mutiny breaks out and the passenger narrator takes charge.
The Marea scene The Elsinore labouring off Cape Horn, sails in rags, as the crew gather aft.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Classics of the sea
HMS Bellipotent Fictional
Billy Budd, Sailor (1924)
Written by Herman Melville
Screen adaptations Film 1962 (Terence Stamp, Peter Ustinov, Robert Ryan); opera Britten 1951
The warship onto which the innocent Billy Budd is impressed from the merchantman Rights of Man in 1797. Accused by the master at arms Claggart, Billy strikes him dead and Captain Vere has him hanged; published posthumously, earlier editions call the ship Indomitable.
The Marea scene Billy Budd standing on the gratings at dawn beneath the yardarm, the crew mustered below.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
HMS Thrush Fictional
Mansfield Park (1814)
Written by Jane Austen
Screen adaptations Film 1999 (Frances O'Connor); TV 2007 (Billie Piper)
Fanny Price's beloved brother William is promoted lieutenant into the sloop Thrush, and on her visit to Portsmouth the whole family talks of little else. Austen had two brothers in the navy.
The Marea scene Fanny and William on the ramparts at Portsmouth looking out at the Thrush at Spithead.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Laconia and Asp Fictional
Persuasion (1817)
Written by Jane Austen
Screen adaptations Film 1995 (Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds); film 2007 (Sally Hawkins, Rupert Penry-Jones); film 2022 (Dakota Johnson)
Captain Frederick Wentworth made his name and fortune in the sloop Asp and then the frigate Laconia during the Napoleonic Wars. His return, rich from prize money, rekindles Anne Elliot's hopes.
The Marea scene Wentworth describing the leaky old Asp to the ladies at Uppercross.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Ariel Fictional
The Pilot (1824)
Written by James Fenimore Cooper
In the American War of Independence a frigate and the schooner Ariel raid the English coast, guided by a mysterious pilot modelled on John Paul Jones. The Ariel is wrecked in a storm, and the novel is often called the first sea novel.
The Marea scene Long Tom Coffin lashed by the Ariel's wreck with his harpoon as the schooner breaks up.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Dolphin Fictional
The Red Rover (1827)
Written by James Fenimore Cooper
Screen adaptations Film 1928
The ship of the mysterious pirate Red Rover, which lurks in Newport harbour disguised as a slaver. The young naval officer Wilder joins her crew under cover.
The Marea scene The Dolphin slipping out of Newport harbour at night under a press of sail.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
The ghost ship of MS. Found in a Bottle Fictional
MS. Found in a Bottle (1833)
Written by Edgar Allan Poe
After a wreck in the Indian Ocean the narrator is hurled aboard a gigantic ship crewed by ancient, unseeing old men. It sails south toward a whirlpool at the pole.
The Marea scene The huge black ship on the crest of a wave above the doomed narrator.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Mr Peggotty's boat house Fictional
David Copperfield (1850)
Written by Charles Dickens
Screen adaptations Film 1935 (W. C. Fields, Freddie Bartholomew); film 2019 The Personal History of David Copperfield (Dev Patel)
At Yarmouth, young David stays with the Peggottys in an old black barge turned upside down on the beach and made into a snug home. It becomes a symbol of warmth and loss in the novel.
The Marea scene Young David peering in delight at the upturned boat house with its chimney smoking on the sands.
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
The prison hulks Fictional
Great Expectations (1861)
Written by Charles Dickens
Screen adaptations Film 1946 (John Mills, Valerie Hobson); film 1998; TV 2011, 2023
The escaped convict Magwitch comes from the prison ships moored in the Thames marshes, which loom like a wicked Noah's ark in Pip's childhood. Magwitch is later recaptured in a boat on the Thames.
The Marea scene The black hulk lying off the misty marshes, lit by the convicts' lanterns.
The real ship Prison hulks were real; the specific hulk is fictional.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Revenge Real ship
The Revenge: A Ballad of the Fleet (1878)
Written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Tennyson's ballad of Sir Richard Grenville's last fight off the Azores in 1591, when the Revenge fought fifty three Spanish ships alone for a night and a day. The ship sank in a storm soon after her capture.
The Marea scene The battered Revenge ringed by Spanish galleons, Grenville wounded on the deck.
The real ship Lost in 1591.
Photo: Charles Dixon, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Marie Celeste Real ship
J. Habakuk Jephson's Statement (1884)
Written by Arthur Conan Doyle
Conan Doyle's early story offered a fictional solution to the real Mary Celeste mystery, and his misspelling Marie Celeste has stuck ever since. A passenger tells of a vengeful crewman seizing the ship.
The Marea scene The empty brigantine drifting under partial sail as the boarding party find the table laid.
The real ship Real ship Mary Celeste, fictionalised.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Farallone Fictional
The Ebb-Tide (1894)
Written by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne
Three beachcombers stranded in Tahiti take over the Farallone, whose crew died of smallpox, and plan to steal her cargo of champagne. They land on a pearl island ruled by the sinister Attwater.
The Marea scene The drunken captain at the helm of the Farallone, discovering the champagne is only water.
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Quinquireme, galleon and coaster Fictional
Cargoes (1903)
Written by John Masefield
Masefield's poem contrasts a quinquireme of Nineveh with ivory and apes, a stately Spanish galleon with gems and gold moidores, and a dirty British coaster butting through the Channel with Tyne coal. It is one of the best known sea poems in English.
The Marea scene The salt caked coaster with its smoke stack punching through a mad March sea.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
The captain's barque (Otago) Fictional
The Shadow-Line (1917)
Written by Joseph Conrad
Screen adaptations Film 1976 Smuga cienia by Andrzej Wajda
A young officer takes his first command, a barque whose crew is struck by fever while becalmed in the Gulf of Siam. The story draws on Conrad's own first command, the Otago.
The Marea scene The new captain alone at the wheel of the becalmed barque while the fever stricken crew lie on deck.
The real ship Based on the real Otago, whose remains lie near Hobart.
Photo: Public domain (US)
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
The Ramsays' sailing boat Fictional
To the Lighthouse (1927)
Written by Virginia Woolf
Screen adaptations TV film 1983 (Rosemary Harris, Michael Gough)
Ten years after Mrs Ramsay's death, Mr Ramsay finally makes the long postponed trip to the lighthouse with James and Cam, sailed by the fisherman Macalister. Its arrival closes the novel.
The Marea scene Mr Ramsay leaping ashore at the lighthouse rock from the little boat.
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Narcissus Fictional
Tugboat Annie (1931)
Written by Norman Reilly Raine
Screen adaptations Film 1933 (Marie Dressler, Wallace Beery); TV 1957
The tough widow Annie Brennan skippers the tug Narcissus in Puget Sound in Raine's popular Saturday Evening Post stories. The 1933 film was a big hit.
The Marea scene Annie at the wheel of the Narcissus, bellowing at a liner she is nudging into berth.
Photo: MGM, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
The Snow Goose's sailing boat Fictional
The Snow Goose (1941)
Written by Paul Gallico
Screen adaptations TV film 1971 (Richard Harris, Jenny Agutter)
The lonely painter Philip Rhayader sails his small boat to Dunkirk again and again to ferry soldiers to the waiting ships, watched over by the snow goose. He does not return.
The Marea scene Rhayader's little boat crowded with soldiers off the Dunkirk beach, the white goose circling above.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · English and American literature
Unnamed passenger ship to Australia Fictional
Rites of Passage (To the Ends of the Earth trilogy) (1980)
Written by William Golding
Screen adaptations TV 2005 To the Ends of the Earth (Benedict Cumberbatch, Jared Harris)
An old, decaying warship carries emigrants to Australia around 1812, seen through the journal of the snobbish young Edmund Talbot. Rites of Passage won the Booker Prize.
The Marea scene Talbot writing his journal in his cramped cabin as the old ship labours in the swell.
The real ship The TV series used a replica set.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Fantasy novels
Vivacia Fictional
Ship of Magic (The Liveship Traders) (1998)
Written by Robin Hobb
Built of magical wizardwood, the Vivacia quickens when three generations of the Vestrit family have died aboard. She is taken over by the pirate Kennit.
The Marea scene The Vivacia's figurehead opening her eyes for the first time.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Fantasy novels
Paragon Fictional
The Liveship Traders trilogy (1998 to 2000)
Written by Robin Hobb
The mad liveship Paragon, beached and shunned, whose figurehead's face has been hacked away. He is refloated for a rescue mission and his dark past is revealed.
The Marea scene Paragon lying beached on his side while Althea talks to his blind, scarred figurehead.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Fantasy novels
Dragon Wing Fictional
Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle) (2005)
Written by Christopher Paolini
Roran leads the villagers of Carvahall to the coast and seizes the new ship Dragon Wing at Teirm to carry them to Surda. The ship escapes through the Boar's Eye whirlpool.
The Marea scene The Dragon Wing skirting the edge of the Boar's Eye maelstrom.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Fantasy novels
Poison Orchid Fictional
Red Seas Under Red Skies (2007)
Written by Scott Lynch
The con men Locke and Jean become pirates aboard the Poison Orchid under Captain Zamira Drakasha, while playing a double game with the rulers of Tal Verrar.
The Marea scene Captain Drakasha on the Poison Orchid's deck with her two children as the ship prepares to board a prize.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Fantasy novels
Sweet Judy Fictional
Nation (2008)
Written by Terry Pratchett
Screen adaptations Stage adaptation 2009 at the National Theatre
A tidal wave throws the schooner Sweet Judy into the forest of a Pacific island, where the only survivor, Daphne, meets Mau, the sole survivor of his nation.
The Marea scene The wrecked Sweet Judy lodged high among the trees after the wave.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Fantasy novels
Wind's Pleasure Fictional
The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive) (2010)
Written by Brandon Sanderson
Shallan travels aboard Captain Tozbek's ship from Kharbranth toward the Shattered Plains. The ship is attacked by assassins of the Ghostbloods in Words of Radiance.
The Marea scene Shallan sketching the santhid swimming alongside the Wind's Pleasure.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · German literature
The ghost ship Fictional
Die Geschichte von dem Gespensterschiff (The Tale of the Ghost Ship) (1826)
Written by Wilhelm Hauff
In this tale from Hauff's Die Karawane, a young merchant and his servant board an abandoned ship whose dead crew rise every night to repeat their crime. The captain is nailed to the mast.
The Marea scene The dead captain nailed to the mainmast as the crew rise at midnight.
Photo: J. Behringer, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · German literature
Yorikke Fictional
Das Totenschiff (The Death Ship) (1926)
Written by B. Traven
Screen adaptations Film 1959 (Horst Buchholz, Mario Adorf, Elke Sommer)
An American sailor without papers ends up in the stokehold of the Yorikke, a rusting coffin ship worth more sunk than afloat, crewed by stateless men. Traven's novel is a bitter satire on borders and passports.
The Marea scene Stokers shovelling coal into the glowing furnaces of the filthy Yorikke.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Italian literature
Folgore (Thunder) Fictional
Il Corsaro Nero (The Black Corsair) (1898)
Written by Emilio Salgari
Screen adaptations Film 1937 (Ciro Verratti); film 1976 (Kabir Bedi, Carole André); animated series 1999
The ship of Emilio di Roccanera, the Black Corsair, who hunts Governor Van Guld of Maracaibo to avenge his brothers. The Folgore carries his buccaneers alongside L'Olonnais and Morgan.
The Marea scene The Black Corsair standing on the poop of the Folgore at night, black flag above him.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Italian literature
Sandokan's praus Fictional
Le tigri di Mompracem (The Tigers of Mompracem) (1900)
Written by Emilio Salgari
Screen adaptations TV series 1976 Sandokan (Kabir Bedi, Carole André, Philippe Leroy)
The fast Malay praus of Sandokan, the Tiger of Malaysia, and his friend Yanez, raiding British shipping from the island of Mompracem. They carry the pirates to Labuan and to war against James Brooke.
The Marea scene Sandokan's prau racing through the surf off Labuan under a huge lateen sail.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Italian literature
Daphne Fictional
L'isola del giorno prima (The Island of the Day Before) (1994)
Written by Umberto Eco
After being shipwrecked from the Amaryllis, the young Roberto della Griva finds himself aboard the deserted Daphne, anchored off an island near the date line. He explores its decks full of clocks and birds while unable to swim ashore.
The Marea scene Roberto alone on the empty deck of the Daphne, gazing at the island he cannot reach.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Japanese literature
Hakuai-maru Fictional
Kanikōsen (The Crab Cannery Ship) (1929)
Written by Takiji Kobayashi
Screen adaptations Film 1953 (So Yamamura); film 2009 (Ryuhei Matsuda, Hidetoshi Nishijima)
An old factory ship canning crab in the Sea of Okhotsk, where poor workers are brutally exploited by the foreman Asakawa. The workers finally rise in a strike; the novel became a classic of Japanese proletarian literature.
The Marea scene Exhausted workers boiling crab in the steaming hold while the foreman looks on.
The real ship Based on real 1920s crab factory ships.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Japanese literature
Utajima-maru Fictional
Shiosai (The Sound of Waves) (1954)
Written by Yukio Mishima
Screen adaptations Films 1954, 1964 (Sayuri Yoshinaga), 1975 (Momoe Yamaguchi)
The young fisherman Shinji joins the crew of the freighter and wins his bride's father over by swimming a lifeline to a buoy in a typhoon. The novel is set on the island of Kamishima.
The Marea scene Shinji swimming through the typhoon with the line held in his teeth.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Japanese literature
Rakuyo Fictional
Gogo no eikō (The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea) (1963)
Written by Yukio Mishima
Screen adaptations Film 1976 (Kris Kristofferson, Sarah Miles)
The ship on which the second officer Ryuji serves, and which he gives up for love of a widow in Yokohama. To her son and his gang, he fell from grace when he left the sea.
The Marea scene Ryuji on the deck of the Rakuyo as she docks at Yokohama, the boy watching through binoculars.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Saint-Géran Real ship
Paul et Virginie (1788)
Written by Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre
The ship bringing Virginie home to Île de France (Mauritius) from France. She is wrecked in a hurricane off the island, and Virginie drowns in sight of Paul rather than undress to swim ashore.
The Marea scene Virginie on the wreck's deck in the storm, Paul trying to swim out to her from the shore.
The real ship Wrecked off Île d'Ambre, Mauritius in 1744; relics are held in Mauritius.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Méduse raft Real ship
Naufrage de la frégate la Méduse (1817)
Written by Jean Baptiste Henri Savigny and Alexandre Corréard
The survivors' account of the French frigate Méduse, wrecked off Mauritania in 1816, and the raft on which about 150 people were set adrift. Only a handful survived, and the book inspired Géricault's painting The Raft of the Medusa.
The Marea scene Survivors on the raft waving a cloth at the distant brig Argus.
The real ship Wrecked on the Bank of Arguin in 1816.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Pharaon Fictional
Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (The Count of Monte Cristo) (1844)
Written by Alexandre Dumas
Screen adaptations Film 1934 (Robert Donat); TV 1998 (Gérard Depardieu); Film 2002 (Jim Caviezel); Film 2024 (Pierre Niney)
The Marseille merchant ship on which young Edmond Dantès is first mate. He brings her home after her captain dies and is about to be made captain when he is betrayed and imprisoned; later, as the Count, he secretly saves her owner Morrel.
The Marea scene The Pharaon entering Marseille harbour with Dantès at the helm.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Orion Fictional
Les Misérables (1862)
Written by Victor Hugo
Screen adaptations Film 1934 (Harry Baur); Film 1958 (Jean Gabin); Film 1998 (Liam Neeson); Film 2012 (Hugh Jackman)
A warship in the harbour at Toulon where the convict Jean Valjean, working on board, climbs the rigging to save a sailor hanging from a yard. He then drops into the sea and is believed drowned, allowing him to escape.
The Marea scene Valjean swinging from the yardarm to seize the dangling sailor above a watching crowd.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Lidenbrock's raft Fictional
Voyage au centre de la Terre (Journey to the Centre of the Earth) (1864)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1959 (James Mason, Pat Boone, Arlene Dahl); film 2008 (Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson)
Hans builds a raft from fossilised wood so that Professor Lidenbrock, his nephew Axel and he can cross the vast underground Lidenbrock Sea. The raft carries them through a battle between prehistoric sea monsters and an electric storm before being thrown up a volcanic chimney.
The Marea scene The little raft pitching on the subterranean sea while an ichthyosaurus and a plesiosaurus fight in the water beside it.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Dolphin Fictional
Les Forceurs de blocus (The Blockade Runners) (1865)
Written by Jules Verne
A fast steamer built in Glasgow by James Playfair to run the Union blockade into Charleston during the American Civil War. The voyage becomes a mission to rescue the imprisoned father of a young woman on board.
The Marea scene The Dolphin racing into Charleston harbour under fire from the blockading squadron.
The real ship Inspired by real Clyde built blockade runners.
Photo: R.G. Skerrett, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Durande Fictional
Les Travailleurs de la mer (The Toilers of the Sea) (1866)
Written by Victor Hugo
Screen adaptations Film 1918 (dir. André Antoine)
The steamer of Mess Lethierry linking Guernsey and Saint-Malo, wrecked on the Douvres rocks by a treacherous captain. The fisherman Gilliatt spends weeks alone on the reef salvaging her engine, fighting a giant octopus, to win Lethierry's niece.
The Marea scene Gilliatt struggling with the octopus in a sea cave below the Durande's wreck on the Douvres.
The real ship Hugo wrote the novel in exile on Guernsey.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Forward Fictional
Voyages et aventures du capitaine Hatteras (The Adventures of Captain Hatteras) (1866)
Written by Jules Verne
A strengthened brig built in secret for Captain Hatteras's attempt to reach the North Pole. The crew mutiny and burn the ship, but Hatteras presses on to find an open polar sea and a volcano at the Pole.
The Marea scene The Forward locked in Arctic pack ice, her crew hauling sledges across the floes.
Photo: Édouard Riou, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Duncan Fictional
Les Enfants du capitaine Grant (In Search of the Castaways) (1867)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1936 Soviet (dir. Vladimir Vainshtok); Film 1962 Disney (Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier); TV 1985 Soviet miniseries
Lord Glenarvan's steam yacht, in which he sets off to rescue Captain Grant after a message in a bottle is found inside a shark. The search takes the party along the 37th parallel through South America, Australia and New Zealand.
The Marea scene Glenarvan's party opening the bottle found in the shark's belly on the deck of the Duncan.
Photo: Édouard Riou, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Britannia Fictional
Les Enfants du capitaine Grant (In Search of the Castaways) (1867)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1962 Disney (Hayley Mills)
Captain Grant's ship, lost two years before the story begins. The damaged message in the bottle about her wreck sets the whole search in motion.
The Marea scene Captain Grant and two sailors casting the bottle into the sea from the wreck.
Photo: Édouard Riou, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Nautilus Fictional
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas) (1870)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1916 (Allen Holubar); Film 1954 Disney (Kirk Douglas, James Mason); TV 1997 (Michael Caine)
Captain Nemo's electrically powered submarine, which carries Professor Aronnax, Conseil and the harpooner Ned Land as captives round the world under the sea. It visits the ruins of Atlantis, reaches the South Pole and is finally caught in the Maelstrom; it reappears in The Mysterious Island.
The Marea scene Nemo and the crew fighting off the giant squid on the Nautilus's surfaced deck.
The real ship The 1954 Disney film prop design is famous, and Disney parks displayed Nautilus models.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Abraham Lincoln Fictional
Vingt mille lieues sous les mers (Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas) (1870)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1954 Disney (Kirk Douglas, James Mason)
The American frigate under Commander Farragut sent to hunt the sea monster believed to be sinking ships. When she attacks the creature, the Nautilus rams her and Aronnax, Conseil and Ned Land are thrown overboard.
The Marea scene Ned Land poised with his harpoon in the frigate's bows as the glowing monster approaches.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Great Eastern Real ship
Une ville flottante (A Floating City) (1871)
Written by Jules Verne
Verne's novel is set aboard the real Great Eastern, then the largest ship in the world, on which he crossed the Atlantic in 1867. A love story and a duel unfold among the passengers of this floating city.
The Marea scene Passengers crowding the huge deck beneath the Great Eastern's five funnels and six masts.
The real ship Broken up in 1889 to 1890.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Henrietta Fictional
Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in Eighty Days) (1872)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1956 (David Niven, Cantinflas); TV 1989 (Pierce Brosnan); Film 2004 (Jackie Chan, Steve Coogan); TV 2021 (David Tennant)
The steamer Phileas Fogg charters from New York to cross the Atlantic. When coal runs out, Fogg buys the ship from her captain and burns her wooden upperworks as fuel to keep going.
The Marea scene Crew tearing down the Henrietta's masts and cabins to feed the furnaces.
Photo: Jean Engel, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Tankadere Fictional
Le Tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours (Around the World in Eighty Days) (1872)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1956 (David Niven, Cantinflas)
A small pilot boat that Fogg hires in Hong Kong after missing the steamer to Yokohama. She battles a typhoon before meeting the American steamer General Grant off Shanghai.
The Marea scene The tiny Tankadere heeled over in a typhoon, Fogg calm in the cockpit.
Photo: Jean Engel, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Claymore Fictional
Quatrevingt-treize (Ninety-Three) (1874)
Written by Victor Hugo
A royalist corvette carrying the Marquis de Lantenac to Brittany in 1793. A loose cannon rolls across her gun deck in a storm and is captured by a gunner who is then decorated and shot for his negligence.
The Marea scene The gunner wrestling the loose carronade on the storm tossed gun deck.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Nautilus (final voyage) Fictional
L'Île mystérieuse (The Mysterious Island) (1875)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1929 (Lionel Barrymore); Film 1961 (Michael Craig, Herbert Lom)
The Nautilus is hidden in a sea cave beneath Lincoln Island, where the dying Captain Nemo has secretly helped the castaways. After his death the island volcano erupts and the submarine becomes his tomb.
The Marea scene The castaways kneeling by the dying Nemo in the grotto where the Nautilus is moored.
Photo: Jules Férat, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Chancellor Fictional
Le Chancellor (The Survivors of the Chancellor) (1875)
Written by Jules Verne
A Liverpool ship whose cargo of cotton catches fire in the Atlantic. The survivors take to a raft and endure starvation and despair, told as a diary.
The Marea scene Survivors huddled on a makeshift raft beside the smoking hulk.
Photo: Édouard Riou, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Dobryna Fictional
Hector Servadac (Off on a Comet) (1877)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1970 Na kometě (On the Comet) by Karel Zeman
Count Timascheff's yacht, which Captain Servadac uses to explore the strange new world after a comet carries off part of the Mediterranean. The Dobryna sails the altered sea and becomes an ice yacht when the waters freeze.
The Marea scene The Dobryna fitted with runners and skating across the frozen sea of the comet.
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Pilgrim Fictional
Un capitaine de quinze ans (Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen) (1878)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1945 Soviet (dir. Vasili Zhuravlyov); Film 1974 (dir. Jesús Franco)
A whaler on which the fifteen year old apprentice Dick Sand takes command after the captain and crew are lost hunting a whale. The villain Negoro tampers with the compass and the Pilgrim is wrecked on the coast of Africa instead of South America.
The Marea scene Dick Sand at the helm of the Pilgrim with the sabotaged compass before him.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
The jangada Fictional
La Jangada (Eight Hundred Leagues on the Amazon) (1881)
Written by Jules Verne
Joam Garral builds an immense raft of felled timber, complete with house, chapel and gardens, to float his family and his fortune down the Amazon from Iquitos to Belém. The voyage is overshadowed by a false accusation of murder from his past.
The Marea scene The whole floating village drifting down the Amazon with the family house and its little chapel on deck.
The real ship The jangada is a traditional Brazilian raft type.
Photo: Léon Benett, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Dream Fictional
L'École des Robinsons (Godfrey Morgan) (1882)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1981 Mystery on Monster Island (Terence Stamp, Peter Cushing, Ian Sera)
The steamer that carries the rich young Godfrey Morgan and his dancing master Tartelett on a world tour arranged by his uncle. Its apparent wreck strands them on a Pacific island for a staged test of survival.
The Marea scene Godfrey and Tartelett in the surf as the Dream appears to founder in the night.
Photo: Léon Benett, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Le Bateau ivre (the drunken boat) Fictional
Le Bateau ivre (1883)
Written by Arthur Rimbaud
The narrator of Rimbaud's poem is the boat itself, which loses its haulers and drifts down American rivers into the sea. Its hallucinatory voyage ends with longing for a puddle in Europe.
The Marea scene An abandoned river barge drifting out into a luminous, storm lit ocean.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Savarena Fictional
Mathias Sandorf (1885)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations TV miniseries 1979
The yacht of the mysterious Doctor Antekirtt, the identity taken by the Hungarian patriot Mathias Sandorf, which carries him around the Mediterranean on his long revenge. Verne modelled it on his own steam yacht bought from the Marquis de Préaulx.
The Marea scene The Savarena lying off the Dalmatian coast at dusk as Antekirtt watches through a telescope.
The real ship Based on Verne's own yacht Saint-Michel III.
Photo: Jean Engel, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Marie and Léopoldine Fictional
Pêcheur d'Islande (An Iceland Fisherman) (1886)
Written by Pierre Loti
Screen adaptations Film 1924 (dir. Jacques de Baroncelli); Film 1959 (dir. Pierre Schoendoerffer)
The Breton schooner Marie, on which the fisherman Yann Gaos spends each season in Icelandic waters. After his marriage to Gaud he sails on the Léopoldine and never returns, taken by the sea.
The Marea scene Gaud standing on the Paimpol cliffs watching the fleet leave for Iceland.
The real ship Based on real Paimpol goélettes.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Sloughi Fictional
Deux ans de vacances (Two Years' Vacation) (1888)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1967 Ukradená vzducholoď, loosely (dir. Karel Zeman); TV 1974 French miniseries
A schooner that breaks from her moorings in Auckland with a group of schoolboys aboard and no crew. She is wrecked on an uninhabited island where the boys must organise themselves to survive for two years.
The Marea scene The boys fighting the wheel as the Sloughi drives through breakers towards the island.
Photo: Léon Benett, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Franklin Fictional
Mistress Branican (1891)
Written by Jules Verne
The ship of Captain John Branican, which vanishes in the Pacific. His wife Dolly spends fourteen years searching for him, first by sea and then across the Australian desert.
The Marea scene Dolly Branican on the quay at San Diego watching the Franklin sail out for the last time.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Standard Island Fictional
L'Île à hélice (Propeller Island) (1895)
Written by Jules Verne
An artificial island built by American billionaires, driven by giant propellers across the Pacific and carrying the city of Milliard City. A travelling string quartet is kidnapped to play there, and rivalry between the two halves of the island finally tears it apart.
The Marea scene The huge flat island steaming between Pacific atolls with its city skyline and observatory.
Photo: Léon Benett, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
HMS Sword Fictional
Face au drapeau (Facing the Flag) (1896)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1958 Vynález zkázy (The Fabulous World of Jules Verne) by Karel Zeman
A British submarine sent to find the hidden base of the pirate Ker Karraje inside the hollow island of Back Cup, where the inventor Thomas Roch is held with his Fulgurator weapon. The Sword is discovered, attacked and sunk by the pirates.
The Marea scene The little submarine surfacing in the lagoon inside the hollow volcanic island.
Photo: Jean Engel, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Halbrane Fictional
Le Sphinx des glaces (An Antarctic Mystery) (1897)
Written by Jules Verne
Verne's sequel to Poe's Arthur Gordon Pym: Captain Len Guy takes the schooner Halbrane south in search of his brother William, lost with the Jane. The ship breaks through the pack ice, is carried off on an iceberg and ends near the magnetic Ice Sphinx.
The Marea scene The Halbrane perched on the flank of a drifting iceberg in the Antarctic pack.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Gallinetta and Maripare Fictional
Le Superbe Orénoque (The Mighty Orinoco) (1898)
Written by Jules Verne
Two roofed piraguas carry the travellers up the Orinoco in search of the source of the river and of a missing colonel. The boats are poled and sailed through rapids and flooded forest.
The Marea scene The two piraguas, with palm thatched cabins, being poled against the current of the Orinoco.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Maule Fictional
Le Phare du bout du monde (The Lighthouse at the End of the World) (1905)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1971 The Light at the Edge of the World (Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Samantha Eggar)
The pirates of Staten Island, led by Kongre, capture the Maule and plan to escape in her, while keeper Vasquez and John Davis, sole survivor of the wrecked Century, try to cripple her with a cannon and an underwater charge. The pirates had put out the lighthouse to wreck passing ships such as the Century.
The Marea scene Vasquez and Davis firing the small cannon at the Maule anchored in the bay below the lighthouse.
Photo: George Roux, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Santa-Fé Fictional
Le Phare du bout du monde (The Lighthouse at the End of the World) (1905)
Written by Jules Verne
Screen adaptations Film 1971 The Light at the Edge of the World (Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner)
The Argentine naval aviso that builds the lighthouse on Staten Island and leaves three keepers there. Its promised return is the keepers' hope throughout the novel, and it arrives for the final reckoning with the pirates.
The Marea scene The Santa-Fé steaming into the bay as the lighthouse flares back into life.
Photo: George Roux, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Jonathan Fictional
Les Naufragés du Jonathan (The Survivors of the Jonathan) (1909)
Written by Jules Verne (revised by Michel Verne)
An emigrant ship bound for Africa that is wrecked on Hoste Island near Cape Horn. Its castaways try to found a colony, and the story follows the mysterious anarchist Kaw-djer as reluctant leader.
The Marea scene Emigrants dragging stores ashore from the stranded Jonathan on a Fuegian beach.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Altaïr Real ship
Les Secrets de la mer Rouge (Secrets of the Red Sea) (1931)
Written by Henry de Monfreid
Screen adaptations TV series 1968 Les Secrets de la mer Rouge (Pierre Massimi)
The adventurer Henry de Monfreid's own dhow, in which he smuggled, pearled and ran arms around Djibouti and the Red Sea. His memoir novels made the boat famous in France.
The Marea scene The Altaïr running under her lateen sail past the Red Sea islands with Monfreid at the tiller.
The real ship Real boat sailed by Henry de Monfreid in the 1910s and 1920s.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Zeta Fictional
Le Chercheur d'or (The Prospector) (1985)
Written by J. M. G. Le Clézio
The schooner on which Alexis sails from Mauritius to Rodrigues in search of a corsair's treasure. The voyage opens the adventure of Le Clézio's novel of Mauritian childhood and loss.
The Marea scene Alexis on the schooner's deck as Rodrigues rises out of the Indian Ocean.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Jules Verne and French literature
Ava Fictional
La Quarantaine (1995)
Written by J. M. G. Le Clézio
The steamer bringing Léon and his brother to Mauritius in 1891; after smallpox breaks out on board, passengers are quarantined on Flat Island off the Mauritian coast.
The Marea scene Passengers landed on the bare shore of Flat Island, the steamer anchored offshore.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
The skiff Fictional
Three Men in a Boat (1889)
Written by Jerome K. Jerome
Screen adaptations Film 1956 (Jimmy Edwards, Laurence Harvey); TV 1975 (Tim Curry, Michael Palin); TV 2005 (Griff Rhys Jones, Dara Ó Briain, Rory McGrath)
The camping skiff in which J., George and Harris, with the dog Montmorency, row up the Thames from Kingston to Oxford. Their mishaps with tins, tents and towlines made the book a comic classic.
The Marea scene The three friends failing to open a tin of pineapple in the moored skiff.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Titan Fictional
Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan (1898)
Written by Morgan Robertson
A giant liner called unsinkable, with too few lifeboats, that strikes an iceberg in the North Atlantic in April. Written fourteen years before the Titanic disaster, the novella seemed to predict it.
The Marea scene The Titan ploughing into the iceberg at full speed on a foggy April night.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Wedding party's boat Fictional
The Wreck (Nouka Dubi) (1906)
Written by Rabindranath Tagore
Screen adaptations Milan (1947) with Dilip Kumar; Nouka Dubi (2011) by Rituparno Ghosh with Raima Sen and Jisshu Sengupta
Two wedding parties are caught in a storm on a river and the boats capsize. The groom of one wedding wakes beside the wrong bride, and the whole plot grows from this mistaken identity.
The Marea scene The wedding boats overturning in the storm with lanterns scattering on the dark river.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Cotton Blossom Fictional
Show Boat (1926)
Written by Edna Ferber
Screen adaptations Film 1929 (Laura La Plante); Film 1936 (Irene Dunne, Paul Robeson); Film 1951 (Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ava Gardner)
The floating theatre of Captain Andy Hawks on the Mississippi, where his daughter Magnolia grows up and meets the gambler Gaylord Ravenal. The book became the famous 1927 stage musical.
The Marea scene The Cotton Blossom tied up at a river landing with the cast parading on the gangplank.
The real ship The 1951 film showboat was built at MGM.
Photo: T.B. Harms Co, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Karnak Fictional
Death on the Nile (1937)
Written by Agatha Christie
Screen adaptations Film 1978 (Peter Ustinov, Bette Davis); TV 2004 (David Suchet); Film 2022 (Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot)
The Nile cruise steamer on which the heiress Linnet Doyle is murdered on her honeymoon. Hercule Poirot solves the crime among the passengers.
The Marea scene Poirot gathering the passengers in the Karnak's saloon.
The real ship The 1978 film used the paddle steamer SS Sudan, which still cruises the Nile.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Queen Conch Fictional
To Have and Have Not (1937)
Written by Ernest Hemingway
Screen adaptations Film 1944 (Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall); Film 1950 The Breaking Point (John Garfield); Film 1958 The Gun Runners (Audie Murphy)
Harry Morgan's boat, which he uses for fishing charters from Key West and then for smuggling to Cuba in the Depression. His last run carrying bank robbers ends in a fatal gunfight.
The Marea scene Harry Morgan at the wheel of the Queen Conch crossing the Gulf Stream at night.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Je Reviens Fictional
Rebecca (1938)
Written by Daphne du Maurier
Screen adaptations Film 1940 (Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, dir. Alfred Hitchcock); TV 1979; TV 1997; Film 2020 (Lily James, Armie Hammer)
Rebecca de Winter's sailing boat, whose wreck is found in the bay below Manderley. The discovery of Rebecca's body inside reveals that her death was not an accident.
The Marea scene Divers bringing up the sunken Je Reviens with its cabin holes deliberately opened.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Van der Wijck Real ship
The Sinking of van der Wijck (Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck) (1938)
Written by Hamka
Screen adaptations 2013 film by Sunil Soraya with Herjunot Ali, Pevita Pearce and Reza Rahadian
Hamka's romance ends when Hayati sails home aboard the Van der Wijck and the ship sinks, taking her from Zainuddin forever. The real KPM steamer sank off Java in 1936.
The Marea scene The Van der Wijck heeling over in the Java Sea as lifeboats are lowered.
The real ship The 2013 production commissioned a replica model from the Netherlands, where the original was built.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Mont-Blanc Real ship
Barometer Rising (1941)
Written by Hugh MacLennan
Classic Canadian novel set in Halifax in December 1917, whose climax is a carefully researched description of the explosion of the munitions ship Mont-Blanc in the harbour.
The Marea scene The burning Mont-Blanc drifting towards Pier 6 while crowds gather on the waterfront.
The real ship Destroyed in 1917.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
La Mouette Fictional
Frenchman's Creek (1941)
Written by Daphne du Maurier
Screen adaptations Film 1944 (Joan Fontaine, Arturo de Córdova); TV 1998 (Tara Fitzgerald)
The ship of the French pirate Jean-Benoit Aubéry, hidden in a creek on the Helford river in Cornwall. Lady Dona St Columb joins his raids and falls in love with him.
The Marea scene Dona and the pirate captain aboard La Mouette in the moonlit creek.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Red Witch Fictional
Wake of the Red Witch (1946)
Written by Garland Roark
Screen adaptations Film 1948 (John Wayne, Gail Russell)
The ship of Captain Ralls, sunk with a cargo of gold in the East Indies after a feud with her owner. Ralls later dives to recover the gold from her wreck.
The Marea scene Ralls in a diving helmet descending to the sunken Red Witch.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Kon-Tiki Real ship
The Kon-Tiki Expedition (1948)
Written by Thor Heyerdahl
Screen adaptations Documentary 1950 (Academy Award); Film 2012 (Pål Sverre Hagen)
The balsa raft on which Heyerdahl and five companions drifted from Peru to Polynesia in 1947, to show that South Americans could have settled the Pacific. The book became an international best seller.
The Marea scene The raft riding the Pacific swell with the crew beneath the Kon-Tiki sail face.
The real ship The original raft is in the Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo.
Photo: Bahnfrend, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Santiago's skiff Fictional
The Old Man and the Sea (1952)
Written by Ernest Hemingway
Screen adaptations Film 1958 (Spencer Tracy); TV 1990 (Anthony Quinn); animated short 1999 (Aleksandr Petrov, Academy Award)
The small skiff in which the old Cuban fisherman Santiago hooks a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. He lashes it alongside, but sharks eat it before he returns to harbour.
The Marea scene Santiago in the skiff with the great marlin lashed alongside, sharks circling.
The real ship Hemingway's own boat Pilar was based at Cojímar, Cuba, where the story is set.
Photo: Scribner, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
RMS Titanic Real ship
A Night to Remember (1955)
Written by Walter Lord
Screen adaptations Film 1958 (Kenneth More, dir. Roy Ward Baker)
Lord's minute by minute account of the sinking of the Titanic on 15 April 1912, based on interviews with survivors. It shaped how the disaster has been told ever since.
The Marea scene The Titanic's stern rising high as the band plays and the lifeboats pull away.
The real ship Wreck on the North Atlantic seabed.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Mary Deare Fictional
The Wreck of the Mary Deare (1956)
Written by Hammond Innes
Screen adaptations Film 1959 (Gary Cooper, Charlton Heston)
A tramp steamer found drifting in the Channel with only her mate Patch aboard. The salvage man John Sands boards her and uncovers an insurance fraud.
The Marea scene Sands climbing aboard the ghostly Mary Deare in a gale in the Channel.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Exodus Fictional
Exodus (1958)
Written by Leon Uris
Screen adaptations Exodus (1960, Otto Preminger)
The best selling novel opens with the Exodus, a small ship smuggling Jewish children from Cyprus to Palestine; the author based it partly on the voyage of the real Exodus 1947, though his ship is smaller and fictional.
The Marea scene The small ship lying in Famagusta harbour, children on deck, with British destroyers watching offshore.
The real ship Inspired by the real Exodus 1947.
Photo: Fritz Cohen, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Endurance Real ship
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (1959)
Written by Alfred Lansing
Ernest Shackleton's ship, trapped and crushed by the ice of the Weddell Sea in 1915. Lansing tells how all 28 men survived, including the open boat voyage of the James Caird to South Georgia.
The Marea scene The crew watching the Endurance crushed and sinking in the pack ice.
The real ship The wreck was found in the Weddell Sea in 2022.
Photo: Frank Hurley, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Vera Fictional
Ship of Fools (1962)
Written by Katherine Anne Porter
Screen adaptations Film 1965 (Vivien Leigh, Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Lee Marvin)
A German liner sailing from Veracruz to Bremerhaven in 1931, whose passengers represent the tensions of pre war Europe. Porter's allegory takes its title from Sebastian Brant's medieval satire.
The Marea scene Passengers dancing on the Vera's deck while steerage passengers watch from below.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
USS Thresher (SSN-593) Real ship
The Death of the USS Thresher (1964)
Written by Norman Polmar
The first full account of the loss of the nuclear submarine Thresher during deep diving trials east of Cape Cod on 10 April 1963, with all 129 aboard, which led to the SUBSAFE programme.
The Marea scene The submarine rescue ship Skylark on station above the dive area, her crew listening to the underwater telephone.
The real ship Wreck lies 2,500 metres down in the Atlantic.
Photo: J.L. Snell, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Poseidon Fictional
The Poseidon Adventure (1969)
Written by Paul Gallico
Screen adaptations Film 1972 (Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters); TV 2005; Film 2006 Poseidon (Josh Lucas, Kurt Russell)
An old liner on a Christmas cruise capsized by a tidal wave. A small group led by a rebellious clergyman climbs up through the upside down hull to reach the propeller shaft.
The Marea scene Survivors climbing the Christmas tree towards the upturned ballroom floor.
The real ship The 1972 film used the RMS Queen Mary, now at Long Beach, California, for reference and interiors.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Thomas Hudson's boat Fictional
Islands in the Stream (1970)
Written by Ernest Hemingway
Screen adaptations Film 1977 (George C. Scott)
The boat of the painter Thomas Hudson, used for fishing in Bimini and later for hunting German submarine crews off Cuba in the war. Published after Hemingway's death, the novel draws on his Pilar patrols.
The Marea scene Hudson's son fighting a giant swordfish from the boat's fighting chair.
The real ship Based on Hemingway's boat Pilar, preserved at Finca Vigía, Cuba.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Orca Fictional
Jaws (1974)
Written by Peter Benchley
Screen adaptations Film 1975 (Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, dir. Steven Spielberg)
Quint's shark fishing boat, in which he, police chief Brody and the scientist Hooper hunt the great white shark of Amity. The shark attacks and sinks her.
The Marea scene Brody on the sinking Orca's mast taking aim at the shark as it charges.
The real ship The film boat was a converted fishing boat; replicas are on display at Universal parks.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Erasmus Fictional
Shōgun (1975)
Written by James Clavell
Screen adaptations TV 1980 (Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune); TV 2024 (Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai)
The Dutch ship piloted by the Englishman John Blackthorne, wrecked on the coast of Japan in 1600. Blackthorne is drawn into the power struggle of the warlord Toranaga.
The Marea scene The storm battered Erasmus driving onto the Japanese coast.
The real ship Based on the real Liefde of William Adams.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Mekong ferry Fictional
The Lover (L'Amant) (1984)
Written by Marguerite Duras
Screen adaptations 1992 film by Jean-Jacques Annaud with Jane March and Tony Leung Ka-fai
A French schoolgirl in a man's fedora meets a rich Chinese man on the ferry crossing the Mekong at Sa Dec, the start of their affair. The ferry image is the heart of Duras's Prix Goncourt novel.
The Marea scene The girl leaning on the ferry rail in her fedora as the black limousine sits on the deck behind her.
The real ship Real Mekong car ferry used for the 1992 film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Republic Fictional
Middle Passage (1990)
Written by Charles Johnson
National Book Award winning novel. In 1830 Rutherford Calhoun, a freed man, stows away on the Republic, a slaver bound for Africa, and survives the voyage home, a mutiny and a storm.
The Marea scene The Republic under sail at night, Calhoun hiding among the casks below deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Quoyle's boat Fictional
The Shipping News (1993)
Written by Annie Proulx
Screen adaptations Film 2001 (Kevin Spacey, Julianne Moore, Judi Dench)
Quoyle, a hapless newspaperman, moves to Newfoundland and writes the shipping news for the local paper. He buys a poorly made boat that capsizes, and later learns about boats from the builder Alvin Yark.
The Marea scene Quoyle clinging to his capsized boat in a grey Newfoundland bay.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Zong Real ship
Feeding the Ghosts (1997)
Written by Fred D'Aguiar
Novel based on the Zong, imagining Mintah, a woman thrown overboard who climbs back aboard, and the trial that followed.
The Marea scene The ship becalmed under a heavy sky in the Atlantic, crew at the rail.
The real ship No remains known.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
HMT Rohna Real ship
Forgotten Tragedy: The Sinking of HMT Rohna (1997)
Written by Carlton Jackson
History of the loss of the Rohna in convoy KMF-26, drawn from survivor accounts and records long kept classified.
The Marea scene The minesweeper USS Pioneer picking up survivors from the water at dusk.
The real ship Wreck off Algeria.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Andrea Gail Real ship
The Perfect Storm (1997)
Written by Sebastian Junger
Screen adaptations Film 2000 (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, dir. Wolfgang Petersen)
A Gloucester swordfishing boat lost with all six crew in the great North Atlantic storm of October 1991. Junger reconstructs her last voyage and the storm.
The Marea scene The Andrea Gail climbing a giant wave in the darkness of the storm.
The real ship Real boat, lost at sea in 1991; the film used a similar Gloucester boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
USS Scorpion (SSN-589) Real ship
Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage (1998)
Written by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew
Best selling history of Cold War submarine operations, with chapters on the loss of Scorpion in May 1968 with all 99 aboard and the search that found her wreck southwest of the Azores.
The Marea scene The oceanographic ship Mizar towing a camera sled over the search area.
The real ship Wreck lies about 3,000 metres down southwest of the Azores.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Henrietta Marie Real ship
The Wreck of the Henrietta Marie: An African American's Spiritual Journey (1999)
Written by Michael H. Cottman
A journalist and member of the National Association of Black Scuba Divers dives on the wreck and follows the ship's route between England, West Africa and Jamaica.
The Marea scene The dive boat anchored over New Ground Reef, divers going down to the memorial plaque.
The real ship The real wreck near Key West.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Essex Real ship
In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex (2000)
Written by Nathaniel Philbrick
Screen adaptations Film 2015 In the Heart of the Sea, dir. Ron Howard (Chris Hemsworth, Ben Whishaw, Cillian Murphy)
The real whaler rammed and sunk by a sperm whale in the Pacific in November 1820, the event that inspired Moby-Dick. Philbrick's National Book Award winning account follows the crew's ordeal in open whaleboats after the sinking.
The Marea scene The enraged sperm whale striking the Essex's bow as the whaleboats watch helplessly.
The real ship Sunk in the Pacific in 1820; the 2015 film used a full size replica deck built at Warner Bros. Leavesden.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
The lifeboat, and the Tsimtsum Fictional
Life of Pi (2001)
Written by Yann Martel
Screen adaptations Film 2012 (Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, dir. Ang Lee)
When the cargo ship Tsimtsum sinks in the Pacific, the Indian boy Pi survives for 227 days in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker.
The Marea scene Pi on his raft of oars tethered to the lifeboat, the tiger watching from the bow.
The real ship Filmed in a wave tank in Taiwan.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Mayaguez Real ship
The Last Battle: The Mayaguez Incident and the End of the Vietnam War (2001)
Written by Ralph Wetterhahn
Non fiction account of the May 1975 seizure of the American container ship Mayaguez by Khmer Rouge forces and the US rescue operation at Koh Tang, the last battle of the Vietnam War. The crew were released unharmed.
The Marea scene The container ship lying at anchor off Koh Tang at dawn, a US destroyer escort approaching.
The real ship The real Mayaguez was scrapped in 1979.
Photo: USAF, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
MV Wilhelm Gustloff Real ship
Crabwalk (Im Krebsgang) (2002)
Written by Günter Grass
Novel narrated by a journalist born on the night the Wilhelm Gustloff was torpedoed in January 1945 while evacuating civilians and servicemen from East Prussia, with more than 9,000 deaths. Grass uses the ship to look at how German civilian suffering was remembered.
The Marea scene The liner leaving Gotenhafen on a freezing January afternoon, crowds of refugees along her decks.
The real ship The wreck lies in the Baltic off Poland and is a protected war grave.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Arctic Real ship
The Sea Shall Embrace Them: The Tragic Story of the Steamship Arctic (2002)
Written by David W. Shaw
History of the Collins Line flagship Arctic, which sank after colliding with the French steamer Vesta off Newfoundland in fog in September 1854; no women or children survived.
The Marea scene The paddle steamer driving through fog on the Grand Banks, her bell ringing and lookouts forward.
The real ship Wreck never located.
Photo: Edwin Weedon, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
PS General Slocum Real ship
Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum (2003)
Written by Edward T. O'Donnell
History of the excursion steamer that caught fire in the East River on 15 June 1904 carrying a Lutheran church outing from Little Germany, with more than 1,000 deaths, and of the community it devastated.
The Marea scene The white excursion steamer leaving the East Third Street pier on a sunny June morning, flags flying and a band playing.
The real ship The hull became the barge Maryland, lost in 1911.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Eastland Real ship
The Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy (2004)
Written by Jay Bonansinga
Non fiction account of the Eastland disaster and the rescue work of the Chicago river men, firemen and the crowds on the bank.
The Marea scene Rescuers standing on the exposed hull of the capsized steamer in the Chicago River.
The real ship Scrapped in 1947.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
RMS Lancastria Real ship
The Sinking of the Lancastria (2005)
Written by Jonathan Fenby
History of the loss of the Lancastria off St Nazaire on 17 June 1940 during the evacuation of British troops and civilians from France, the heaviest single loss of life in British maritime history.
The Marea scene The liner at anchor in the Charpentier Roads off St Nazaire, small boats ferrying troops out from shore.
The real ship The wreck lies off St Nazaire and is protected as a war grave.
Photo: CC BY 2.0
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
RMS Leinster Real ship
Torpedoed! The R.M.S. Leinster Disaster (2005)
Written by Philip Lecane
History of the Kingstown to Holyhead mail boat torpedoed by UB-123 on 10 October 1918 with at least 564 dead, the largest loss of life in the Irish Sea.
The Marea scene The mail boat leaving Kingstown pier on a bright October morning with passengers and postal sorters aboard.
The real ship The wreck lies in the Irish Sea; her anchor is a memorial at Dún Laoghaire.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
K-278 Komsomolets Real ship
Fire at Sea: The Tragedy of the Soviet Submarine Komsomolets (2006)
Written by D. A. Romanov (edited by K. J. Moore)
Written by the submarine's chief designer, the book examines the fire aboard Komsomolets in the Norwegian Sea on 7 April 1989, which cost the lives of 42 of those aboard, and argues that crew training rather than design was at fault.
The Marea scene Survivors on the casing of the surfaced submarine awaiting the fishing vessel Aleksey Khlobystov.
The real ship Wreck lies 1,680 metres down in the Norwegian Sea and is monitored for radiation.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
HMS Erebus and HMS Terror Real ship
The Terror (2007)
Written by Dan Simmons
Screen adaptations TV 2018 AMC (Jared Harris, Ciarán Hinds, Tobias Menzies)
The two ships of Sir John Franklin's lost 1845 expedition, trapped in ice in the Canadian Arctic. The novel adds a supernatural predator to the historical disaster.
The Marea scene Crozier on the ice beside the trapped Terror, lanterns glowing in the polar night.
The real ship Real ships; wrecks found in 2014 (Erebus) and 2016 (Terror) in Nunavut, Canada.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
USS Scorpion (SSN-589) Real ship
All Hands Down: The True Story of the Soviet Attack on the USS Scorpion (2008)
Written by Kenneth Sewell and Jerome Preisler
Book presenting a contested theory on the loss of Scorpion in 1968; the official US Navy view remains that the cause is undetermined.
The Marea scene Scorpion surfaced off Rota, Spain, crew on deck in the Atlantic sun before her last voyage.
The real ship Wreck southwest of the Azores.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Piper Alpha Real ship
Fire in the Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster (2008)
Written by Stephen McGinty
Screen adaptations Documentary: Fire in the Night (2013, Anthony Wonke)
Account of the Piper Alpha disaster built on interviews with survivors and the crews of the vessels that came to help, including the standby ship Silver Pit and the fire fighting vessel Tharos.
The Marea scene The semi submersible Tharos standing off the platform with her fire monitors trained, smaller boats nearby.
The real ship Platform lost; memorial in Aberdeen.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Ibis Fictional
Sea of Poppies (2008)
Written by Amitav Ghosh
A former slave ship carrying indentured labourers and convicts from Calcutta to Mauritius in 1838. The first book of the Ibis trilogy follows a mixed company united by the voyage.
The Marea scene The Ibis leaving the Hooghly with migrants crowded on deck.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
Zong Real ship
Zong! (2008)
Written by M. NourbeSe Philip
Book length poem built entirely from the words of the legal judgment Gregson v Gilbert on the Zong case, giving voice to the Africans killed in 1781.
The Marea scene A memorial of flowers cast on calm Caribbean water.
The real ship No remains known.
Ships in Famous Books · Modern novels and non fiction
SS Patria Real ship
Patria Israel
Written by Rudolf Hirsch
Novel by the German Jewish writer Rudolf Hirsch about the Patria, on which the British were deporting some 1,800 Jewish refugees from Haifa to Mauritius in November 1940 when a Haganah bomb meant to disable her sank the ship, killing 267 people. The survivors of a later group were interned in Mauritius until 1945.
The Marea scene The liner at anchor in Haifa Bay under the slopes of Mount Carmel, refugees along the rails.
The real ship The real Patria sank in Haifa harbour in 1940.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Manu's boat Fictional
Matsya Purana and Shatapatha Brahmana (c. 1st millennium BC)
Written by Traditional Hindu
The god Vishnu, as the fish Matsya, warns Manu of a great flood and tells him to build a boat carrying the seven sages and the seeds of all life. Matsya tows it to safety by a rope tied to his horn.
The Marea scene The great horned fish towing Manu's boat through the flood with the serpent Vasuki as rope.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Theseus's ship Fictional
Life of Theseus (Parallel Lives) (c. 100 AD)
Written by Plutarch
Theseus sails to Crete to kill the Minotaur and forgets to change the black sail for white on his return, so his father Aegeus throws himself into the sea. The Athenians kept the ship for centuries, giving rise to the paradox of the Ship of Theseus.
The Marea scene Aegeus on the cliff at Sounion seeing the black sail on the horizon.
Photo: Yosemite, CC BY 4.0
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Naglfar Fictional
Prose Edda (c. 1220)
Written by Snorri Sturluson
In Norse myth Naglfar is built from the untrimmed nails of the dead. At Ragnarök it breaks free and carries the giants into the final battle against the gods.
The Marea scene Naglfar breaking loose on the flood with its giant crew at the start of Ragnarök.
Photo: Travpeter, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Skíðblaðnir Fictional
Prose Edda (c. 1220)
Written by Snorri Sturluson
The best of ships, made by the dwarf sons of Ivaldi for the god Freyr. It always has a fair wind and can be folded up and carried in a pouch.
The Marea scene Freyr folding the ship into a pouch like a cloth.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Hringhorni Fictional
Prose Edda (Gylfaginning) (c. 1220)
Written by Snorri Sturluson
The ship of the god Baldr, the greatest of all ships, which becomes his funeral pyre. It is so heavy that the gods need the giantess Hyrrokkin, riding a wolf, to launch it.
The Marea scene Baldr's pyre blazing on Hringhorni as Thor hallows it with his hammer.
Photo: Emil Doepler, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Ormen Lange (Long Serpent) Real ship
Heimskringla (Saga of Olaf Tryggvason) (c. 1230)
Written by Snorri Sturluson
The largest longship of its age, built for King Olaf Tryggvason of Norway. Snorri describes her last fight at the battle of Svolder in about 1000, when Olaf leapt overboard rather than surrender.
The Marea scene King Olaf in shining mail leaping from the Long Serpent's rail as the enemy swarm aboard.
The real ship Historical ship known only from the sagas.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Solar barque of Ra Fictional
Ancient Egyptian mythology (Book of the Dead, Amduat) (c. 1550 BC onwards)
Written by Traditional
The sun god Ra sails across the sky by day and through the underworld by night in his barque, defended against the serpent Apophis. Real ritual boats were buried to serve kings in the afterlife.
The Marea scene Ra enthroned in the barque as Set spears the serpent Apophis at the prow.
The real ship The real Khufu ship is a buried royal barque.
Photo: Matthäus Wander, CC0
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
The Flying Dutchman Fictional
Flying Dutchman legend (legend, 18th century onwards)
Written by Traditional; Wagner opera Der fliegende Holländer 1843
Screen adaptations Film 1951 Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (James Mason, Ava Gardner)
A legendary ghost ship doomed to sail forever, never able to make port, often sighted off the Cape of Good Hope as an omen of disaster. The legend inspired Wagner, Marryat and many later stories.
The Marea scene The phantom ship with blood red sails glowing in a storm off the Cape.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Väinämöinen's boat Fictional
Kalevala (1835)
Written by Elias Lönnrot (compiler)
The old sage Väinämöinen sings a boat into being, searching for three missing words of magic, and later sails with Ilmarinen and Lemminkäinen to steal the Sampo from Pohjola. At the end of the epic he leaves Finland in a copper boat.
The Marea scene Väinämöinen playing his kantele in the boat as the fish rise to listen.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
The funeral barge to Avalon Fictional
Morte d'Arthur (Idylls of the King) (1842)
Written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
After the last battle Sir Bedivere carries the dying Arthur to the shore, where a dark barge with three queens takes him to the island valley of Avilion. The scene draws on Malory.
The Marea scene Bedivere on the shore as the barge with the three black clad queens glides away.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Aeneas's fleet (Centaur, Chimaera, Pristis, Scylla) Fictional
Aeneid (19 BC)
Written by Virgil
The Trojan fleet carrying Aeneas from burning Troy to Italy, wrecked by Juno's storm and delayed at Carthage. At the funeral games in Sicily four of the ships race round a rock.
The Marea scene The four galleys rounding the turning rock in the boat race of Book Five.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Charon's skiff Fictional
Greek mythology (Aeneid Book VI, Dante's Inferno) (19 BC)
Written by Virgil; Dante Alighieri
The ferryman Charon rows the souls of the buried dead across the Styx or Acheron for a coin. Aeneas crosses with the Sibyl, and Dante in Inferno Canto III.
The Marea scene Charon with his pole and glowing eyes loading pale souls into his dark skiff.
Photo: Carole Raddato, CC BY-SA 2.0
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Corsair ships of Umbar Fictional
The Return of the King (1955)
Written by J. R. R. Tolkien
Screen adaptations Film 2003 (Viggo Mortensen, Elijah Wood, dir. Peter Jackson)
The fleet of the Corsairs of Umbar sailing up the Anduin towards Minas Tirith. Aragorn captures them with the Army of the Dead and brings reinforcements to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.
The Marea scene Aragorn's standard unfurled on the lead black ship at the Harlond.
The real ship Built as models and sets for the 2003 film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
The elven ships of the Grey Havens Fictional
The Return of the King (1955)
Written by J. R. R. Tolkien
Screen adaptations Film 2003 (Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett)
The white ships built by Círdan that carry the Elves, and at the end Frodo, Bilbo and Gandalf, over the sea into the West. Frodo's departure closes The Lord of the Rings.
The Marea scene Frodo turning to wave from the grey ship as it leaves the Havens at dusk.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Lookfar Fictional
A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
Written by Ursula K. Le Guin
Screen adaptations TV 2004 Legend of Earthsea; Film 2006 Tales from Earthsea (Studio Ghibli)
The small boat Ged sails in pursuit of his shadow across the Earthsea archipelago to the edge of the world. It returns in The Farthest Shore.
The Marea scene Ged in Lookfar confronting his shadow on the dark sea at the edge of the world.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Vingilot Fictional
The Silmarillion (1977)
Written by J. R. R. Tolkien
The ship of Eärendil the mariner, who sails to Valinor to plead for help against Morgoth. Set in the sky with a Silmaril on his brow, he becomes the evening star.
The Marea scene Eärendil at the prow of Vingilot with the Silmaril blazing as she rises into the sky.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Brendan Real ship
The Brendan Voyage (1978)
Written by Tim Severin
Severin built a replica of an early Irish leather boat to test the medieval legend of Saint Brendan's voyage to a promised land. In 1976 to 1977 he sailed it from Ireland to Newfoundland via the Faroes and Iceland.
The Marea scene The ox hide currach riding the swell beside an Arctic ice floe.
The real ship The boat Brendan is displayed at Craggaunowen, County Clare, Ireland.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Durmstrang ship Fictional
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
Written by J. K. Rowling
Screen adaptations Film 2005 (Daniel Radcliffe, dir. Mike Newell)
The skeletal looking ship that carries the Durmstrang students, including Viktor Krum, to Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament. It rises from the depths of the lake.
The Marea scene The ship surfacing from the Black Lake in the moonlight before the watching students.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Utnapishtim's boat Fictional
Epic of Gilgamesh (c. 2100 to 1200 BC)
Written by Anonymous (Mesopotamian)
The great boat built by Utnapishtim on the god Ea's advice to survive the flood. He tells Gilgamesh the story as the hero seeks immortality.
The Marea scene Utnapishtim releasing a raven from his boat as the waters subside.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Argo Fictional
Argonautica (3rd century BC)
Written by Apollonius of Rhodes
Screen adaptations Film 1963 Jason and the Argonauts (Todd Armstrong, Ray Harryhausen effects); TV 2000 (Jason London)
The ship built by Argus with Athena's help, carrying Jason and the Argonauts to Colchis for the Golden Fleece. A beam from the oracle of Dodona in her prow could speak.
The Marea scene The Argo rowing hard between the Clashing Rocks as a dove flies ahead.
The real ship Tim Severin sailed a replica Argo in 1984.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Jonah's ship Fictional
Book of Jonah (c. 5th century BC)
Written by Hebrew Bible
Screen adaptations Film 2002 Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie
Fleeing God's command, Jonah takes ship at Joppa for Tarshish. In the storm the sailors cast lots, throw him overboard and he is swallowed by a great fish.
The Marea scene The sailors heaving Jonah over the side as the great fish rises from the waves.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Noah's Ark Fictional
Book of Genesis (c. 6th century BC)
Written by Hebrew Bible (traditional authorship)
Screen adaptations Film 1928 Noah's Ark (dir. Michael Curtiz); Film 2014 Noah (Russell Crowe)
The vessel God commands Noah to build to save his family and pairs of every animal from the Flood. It comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat and Noah sends out a dove.
The Marea scene Noah releasing the dove from the ark's window over the flood.
The real ship Full size modern interpretations include the Ark Encounter in Kentucky and Johan's Ark in the Netherlands.
Photo: Edward Hicks, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Scyld Scefing's funeral ship Fictional
Beowulf (c. 700 to 1000)
Written by Anonymous (Old English)
Screen adaptations Film 2007 (Ray Winstone); Seamus Heaney translation 1999
Beowulf opens with the funeral of the Danish king Scyld, laid in his ship heaped with treasure and given back to the sea. The scene recalls real ship burials such as Sutton Hoo.
The Marea scene Scyld's body laid by the mast amid weapons and treasure as the ship drifts out.
The real ship Compare the real Sutton Hoo ship burial.
Photo: Alex Healing, CC BY 2.0
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Odysseus's ship Fictional
The Odyssey (c. 8th century BC)
Written by Homer
Screen adaptations Film 1954 Ulysses (Kirk Douglas); TV 1997 (Armand Assante); Film 2026 The Odyssey (Matt Damon, dir. Christopher Nolan)
The black ship of Odysseus on his ten year voyage home from Troy to Ithaca. His crew are lost one by one, and the ship is destroyed by Zeus after they eat the cattle of the sun god.
The Marea scene Odysseus bound to the mast as his crew row past the Sirens with wax in their ears.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Máel Dúin's currach Fictional
Immram Curaig Maíle Dúin (The Voyage of Máel Dúin) (c. 8th to 10th century)
Written by Traditional Irish
Máel Dúin sets out with his foster brothers to avenge his father and visits a series of marvellous islands in the Atlantic. The tale is one of the great Irish voyage stories alongside Brendan's.
The Marea scene The currach passing beneath the silver column rising from the sea with its silver net.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Prydwen Fictional
Preiddeu Annwfn (The Spoils of Annwn) (c. 900)
Written by Anonymous (Book of Taliesin)
Arthur sails in his ship Prydwen into the otherworld of Annwn to seize a magic cauldron, and only seven return. The ship also appears in the Welsh tale Culhwch and Olwen.
The Marea scene Prydwen sailing into the mist toward the glass fortress of Annwn.
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Sinbad's ships Fictional
One Thousand and One Nights (c. 9th to 14th century)
Written by Anonymous
Screen adaptations Film 1947 Sinbad the Sailor (Douglas Fairbanks Jr.); Film 1958 The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (Kerwin Mathews); Film 1973 The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (John Phillip Law)
The merchant ships on which Sinbad sails from Basra on seven voyages, wrecked in turn by storms, whales mistaken for islands and the giant roc.
The Marea scene Sinbad's crew lighting a fire on an island that turns out to be a waking whale.
The real ship Tim Severin sailed the replica dhow Sohar from Oman to China in 1980 to 1981.
Photo: Milo Winter, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Myths and epics
Takarabune Fictional
Seven Lucky Gods (Japanese folklore) (Edo period tradition)
Written by Traditional
The treasure ship that sails in on New Year's Eve carrying the Seven Lucky Gods and their riches. Pictures of it are placed under pillows to bring a lucky first dream of the year.
The Marea scene The seven gods laughing aboard the ship heaped with treasure, sail marked with the character baku.
Photo: Rama, CC BY-SA 3.0 fr
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Harpy Fictional
Mr Midshipman Easy (1836)
Written by Frederick Marryat
Screen adaptations Film 1935 (Hughie Green, dir. Carol Reed)
The sloop in which the philosophical young Jack Easy serves as a midshipman, arguing for equality aboard a man of war. His adventures in the Mediterranean cure him of his theories.
The Marea scene Jack Easy debating the rights of man with the boatswain on the Harpy's deck.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
The Flying Dutchman (Vanderdecken's ship) Fictional
The Phantom Ship (1839)
Written by Frederick Marryat
Marryat's novel follows Philip Vanderdecken, son of the cursed Dutch captain, who sails the world to lift the curse. The ghost ship appears to bring disaster to all who see her.
The Marea scene The spectral ship bearing down with all sails set against the wind.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Astrea Fictional
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880)
Written by Lew Wallace
Screen adaptations Film 1925 (Ramon Novarro); Film 1959 (Charlton Heston)
The Roman galley of the tribune Quintus Arrius, where Judah Ben-Hur is chained as an oarsman. She is rammed by pirates and Ben-Hur saves Arrius, who adopts him.
The Marea scene Ben-Hur rowing in chains below deck as the pirate ram smashes through the hull.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Sakr-el-Bahr's galley Fictional
The Sea-Hawk (1915)
Written by Rafael Sabatini
Screen adaptations Film 1924 (Milton Sills); Film 1940 (Errol Flynn, story changed)
Sir Oliver Tressilian, betrayed and sold as a galley slave, becomes the Barbary corsair Sakr-el-Bahr. He raids the Cornish coast in his galley to seize the woman who scorned him.
The Marea scene Sir Oliver chained to a galley oar beside his treacherous brother.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Arabella Fictional
Captain Blood (1922)
Written by Rafael Sabatini
Screen adaptations Film 1924 (J. Warren Kerrigan); Film 1935 (Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland)
Peter Blood, a doctor sold into slavery in Barbados, seizes the Spanish ship Cinco Llagas and renames her Arabella after the woman he loves. She becomes the flagship of his buccaneer fleet.
The Marea scene Peter Blood leading the escaped slaves up the side of the Spanish ship in Bridgetown harbour.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Ziethen Fictional
Brown on Resolution (1929)
Written by C. S. Forester
Screen adaptations Film 1935 (John Mills, Betty Balfour); film 1953 Sailor of the King
A damaged German cruiser hides at the island of Resolution in the Galápagos in 1914 to make repairs. Able Seaman Albert Brown, a prisoner who has escaped, holds up the repairs alone with a rifle until the Royal Navy arrives.
The Marea scene Brown in the rocks above the cove, firing on the Ziethen's working party.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Bounty Real ship
Mutiny on the Bounty (1932)
Written by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall
Screen adaptations Film 1935 (Clark Gable, Charles Laughton); Film 1962 (Marlon Brando, Trevor Howard); Film 1984 The Bounty (Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins)
The ship sent to Tahiti for breadfruit under Lieutenant Bligh, whose crew mutiny under Fletcher Christian in 1789. The trilogy continues with Bligh's open boat voyage in Men Against the Sea and the mutineers on Pitcairn's Island.
The Marea scene Bligh cast adrift in the launch as Christian watches from the Bounty's rail.
The real ship Burnt at Pitcairn in 1790; the 1962 replica sank in Hurricane Sandy in 2012; the 1984 replica later served as a tourist ship.
Photo: Dan Kasberger, CC BY-SA 3.0
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
African Queen Fictional
The African Queen (1935)
Written by C. S. Forester
Screen adaptations Film 1951 (Humphrey Bogart, Katharine Hepburn, dir. John Huston)
A battered river launch on which the gin drinking engineer Allnutt and the missionary Rose escape down an African river in 1914. They turn her into a torpedo boat to attack a German gunboat on the lake.
The Marea scene Rose and Allnutt hauling the African Queen through reeds and leeches.
The real ship The 1951 film boat was the steam launch Livingstone, built 1912, now restored and operating at Key Largo, Florida.
Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Lydia Fictional
The Happy Return (US: Beat to Quarters) (1937)
Written by C. S. Forester
Screen adaptations Film 1951 Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck, Virginia Mayo)
Hornblower's frigate on a secret mission to the Pacific coast of Central America, where she fights the Spanish two decker Natividad. Lady Barbara Wellesley takes passage aboard.
The Marea scene The Lydia raking the dismasted Natividad at close range in the Gulf of Fonseca.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Sutherland Fictional
A Ship of the Line (Ship of the Line) (1938)
Written by C. S. Forester
Screen adaptations Film 1951 Captain Horatio Hornblower (Gregory Peck)
An ugly Dutch built two decker that Hornblower commands in the Mediterranean. She fights four French ships of the line alone and is forced to strike her colours.
The Marea scene The shattered Sutherland engaging four French ships in the Bay of Rosas.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Delaware Fictional
The Captain from Connecticut (1941)
Written by C. S. Forester
Captain Josiah Peabody breaks the British blockade in the frigate Delaware during the War of 1812 and raids commerce in the Caribbean.
The Marea scene The Delaware slipping out past the British blockade in a snowstorm.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Artemis Fictional
The Ship (1943)
Written by C. S. Forester
A light cruiser escorting a Malta convoy in the Mediterranean, told through the eyes of her crew over a single afternoon. She drives off a superior Italian fleet.
The Marea scene Artemis charging out of the smoke screen to fire torpedoes at Italian battleships.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Reluctant Fictional
Mister Roberts (1946)
Written by Thomas Heggen
Screen adaptations Film 1955 (Henry Fonda, James Cagney, Jack Lemmon, William Powell)
A supply ship plying the backwaters of the Pacific under a petty tyrant of a captain. Lieutenant Roberts longs for combat, and Ensign Pulver finally throws the captain's palm tree overboard.
The Marea scene Ensign Pulver hurling the captain's potted palm tree over the side.
The real ship The 1955 film used the USS Hewell (AG-145).
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Indefatigable Real ship
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower (1950)
Written by C. S. Forester
Screen adaptations TV 1998 to 2003 Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay)
The frigate of Captain Pellew in which young Hornblower serves as a midshipman and learns his trade. She is based on the real ship commanded by Sir Edward Pellew.
The Marea scene Midshipman Hornblower climbing to the maintop in his first action.
The real ship Based on the real HMS Indefatigable (1784); the TV series used the replica frigate Grand Turk, later sold to France as Étoile du Roy (Saint-Malo).
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Caine Fictional
The Caine Mutiny (1951)
Written by Herman Wouk
Screen adaptations Film 1954 (Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray); Film 2023 The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial (Kiefer Sutherland)
An old destroyer minesweeper in the Pacific commanded by the paranoid Lieutenant Commander Queeg. During a typhoon the executive officer Maryk relieves him of command, leading to a court martial.
The Marea scene Queeg rolling steel balls in his hand on the bridge as the typhoon strikes.
The real ship The 1954 film used the destroyer minesweeper USS Thompson (DMS-38), scrapped.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Compass Rose Fictional
The Cruel Sea (1951)
Written by Nicholas Monsarrat
Screen adaptations Film 1953 (Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden)
A corvette escorting Atlantic convoys under Lieutenant Commander Ericson. She is torpedoed and sunk, and Ericson later commands the frigate Saltash.
The Marea scene Ericson ordering depth charges dropped among men in the water to attack a U-boat.
The real ship The film Compass Rose was played by the Greek Navy corvette Kriezis, formerly HMS Coreopsis.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Saltash Fictional
The Cruel Sea (1951)
Written by Nicholas Monsarrat
Screen adaptations Film 1953 (Jack Hawkins)
The frigate Ericson commands after losing Compass Rose. She hunts and sinks a U-boat after a long chase in the last years of the war.
The Marea scene Saltash's crew watching the U-boat surface after the long hunt.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Belinda Fictional
Away All Boats (1954)
Written by Kenneth M. Dodson
Screen adaptations Film 1956 (Jeff Chandler, George Nader)
An attack transport landing troops across the Pacific campaign. She is hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa and her crew fight to save her.
The Marea scene Landing craft leaving the Belinda for the invasion beach.
The real ship The 1956 film used the attack transport USS Randall.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Ulysses Fictional
HMS Ulysses (1955)
Written by Alistair MacLean
A worn out cruiser and her exhausted crew escort an Arctic convoy to Murmansk through storms, ice and constant attack. It was MacLean's first novel.
The Marea scene Ulysses iced over in an Arctic gale, her guns frozen, with the convoy astern.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Walrus and USS Eel Fictional
Run Silent, Run Deep (1955)
Written by Edward L. Beach Jr.
Screen adaptations Film 1958 (Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster)
Commander Richardson's submarines in the Pacific War, hunting a Japanese destroyer that has sunk several American boats. In the film the submarine is named Nerka.
The Marea scene Richardson at the periscope as the destroyer charges down the torpedo tracks.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Scorpion Fictional
On the Beach (1957)
Written by Nevil Shute
Screen adaptations Film 1959 (Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner); TV 2000 (Armand Assante)
After a nuclear war the submarine takes refuge in Melbourne and sails north to investigate a radio signal from Seattle. Her crew face the approaching radioactive cloud; the films rename her Sawfish and Charleston.
The Marea scene A crewman in protective gear ashore in deserted Seattle tracing the radio signal.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Hotspur Fictional
Hornblower and the Hotspur (1962)
Written by C. S. Forester
Screen adaptations TV 2003 Hornblower: Duty (Ioan Gruffudd)
Hornblower's sloop blockading Brest at the start of the Napoleonic war. Working close inshore, she scouts the French coast and fights French frigates.
The Marea scene Hotspur creeping through the Goulet at night under the guns of Brest.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
SS Campari Fictional
The Golden Rendezvous (1962)
Written by Alistair MacLean
Screen adaptations Film 1977 (Richard Harris, Ann Turkel, David Janssen)
Chief Officer Johnny Carter fights a gang that hijacks the Campari in the Caribbean with a stolen nuclear warhead aboard, to hold a treasure ship to ransom.
The Marea scene Carter creeping along the Campari's dark boat deck with a gun as the hijackers patrol.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS San Pablo Fictional
The Sand Pebbles (1962)
Written by Richard McKenna
Screen adaptations Film 1966 (Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Candice Bergen)
An old gunboat patrolling the Yangtze in 1926 amid Chinese revolution. Engineer Jake Holman, loyal to his engines, is caught up in the crew's conflict with local people.
The Marea scene Holman in the engine room of the San Pablo as she forces the boom on the river.
The real ship A full size working San Pablo was built for the 1966 film.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
USS Dolphin Fictional
Ice Station Zebra (1963)
Written by Alistair MacLean
Screen adaptations Film 1968 (Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan)
The submarine that forces its way under the Arctic ice to rescue the men of a burning weather station. A saboteur aboard nearly sinks her; the film renames her Tigerfish.
The Marea scene The submarine's sail breaking up through the polar ice beside the ruined station.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
China Cloud Fictional
Tai-Pan (1966)
Written by James Clavell
Screen adaptations Film 1986 (Bryan Brown, Joan Chen)
The flagship clipper of Dirk Struan's trading house at the founding of Hong Kong in 1841. The fleets of Struan and his rival Brock fight for mastery of the China trade.
The Marea scene The China Cloud at anchor off Hong Kong island as Struan claims the new colony.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Phalarope Fictional
To Glory We Steer (1968)
Written by Alexander Kent (Douglas Reeman)
Richard Bolitho takes command of the frigate Phalarope, whose crew is sullen after a mutiny, and wins them over in the West Indies. It was the first Bolitho novel written.
The Marea scene Bolitho on the quarterdeck of the Phalarope as she beats to quarters off the Saintes.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Sophie Fictional
Master and Commander (1969)
Written by Patrick O'Brian
Jack Aubrey's first command, a small brig sloop based at Port Mahon in 1800. Aubrey meets the surgeon Stephen Maturin and takes a string of prizes, including the much larger Spanish xebec frigate Cacafuego.
The Marea scene Aubrey's boarders swarming over the side of the Cacafuego from the tiny Sophie.
The real ship Based on the real brig HMS Speedy under Lord Cochrane.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Surprise Real ship
Post Captain; H.M.S. Surprise; The Far Side of the World (1972)
Written by Patrick O'Brian
Screen adaptations Film 2003 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany)
Aubrey's favourite ship, a fast and weatherly frigate that appears across much of the Aubrey and Maturin series. In the film she chases a powerful French privateer round Cape Horn to the Galápagos.
The Marea scene Aubrey on the Surprise's quarterdeck, Maturin with his cello below, as she rounds the Horn.
The real ship Based on the real HMS Surprise (1796); the film used the replica HMS Rose, now named HMS Surprise at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
U-96 Real ship
Das Boot (1973)
Written by Lothar-Günther Buchheim
Screen adaptations Film 1981 (Jürgen Prochnow, dir. Wolfgang Petersen); TV 2018 series
A U-boat on patrol in the Atlantic in 1941, seen through a war correspondent aboard. After convoy attacks she is ordered through the Strait of Gibraltar and sinks to the seabed.
The Marea scene The crew frozen in silence in the control room as depth charges rock the hull.
The real ship Based on the real U-96 on which Buchheim sailed; the film's full size mock ups were at Bavaria Studios, Munich.
Photo: Andrey Belenko, CC BY 2.0
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Leopard Real ship
Desolation Island (1978)
Written by Patrick O'Brian
An old fourth rate that Aubrey commands carrying convicts to New South Wales. Chased by a Dutch 74 in the Southern Ocean, she strikes an iceberg and limps to the Kerguelen Islands.
The Marea scene The Leopard's crew manning the pumps beside the towering iceberg.
The real ship Based on the real HMS Leopard (1790).
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Warlock Fictional
Hungry as the Sea (1978)
Written by Wilbur Smith
Nick Berg, ousted from his shipping line, takes his salvage tug Warlock to the rescue of the stricken cruise liner Golden Adventurer in the Antarctic ice.
The Marea scene The Warlock getting a tow line aboard the Golden Adventurer in a Southern Ocean blizzard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Red October Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1984)
Written by Tom Clancy
Screen adaptations Film 1990 (Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, dir. John McTiernan)
A Soviet missile submarine with a silent caterpillar drive whose captain, Marko Ramius, intends to defect to the United States. The CIA analyst Jack Ryan works out his plan while both navies hunt him.
The Marea scene Ramius and Ryan on the Red October's bridge surfacing off the American coast.
The real ship Based on the Typhoon class; the film used USS Houston for the submarine Dallas scenes.
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
CSS Texas Fictional
Sahara (1992)
Written by Clive Cussler
Screen adaptations Film 2005 (Matthew McConaughey, Penélope Cruz, Steve Zahn)
At the end of the Civil War the ironclad Texas broke out down the James River and vanished. Dirk Pitt tracks her to the Sahara, where she lies buried in an ancient river bed.
The Marea scene Pitt standing on the sand scoured casemate of the Texas in the desert.
The real ship Fictional ship (a Confederate ironclad CSS Texas was real but never saw action).
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
Calliope and Pucelle Fictional
Sharpe's Trafalgar (2000)
Written by Bernard Cornwell
Richard Sharpe sails home from India in the East Indiaman Calliope, which is captured by the French ship Pucelle. The ships end up in the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Marea scene Sharpe leading boarders onto the Pucelle's deck amid the smoke of Trafalgar.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Naval fiction
HMS Allegiance Fictional
Throne of Jade (Temeraire) (2006)
Written by Naomi Novik
A huge naval ship built to carry dragons, which takes Temeraire and Captain Laurence to China under Captain Tom Riley. The voyage brings assassination attempts and illness.
The Marea scene Temeraire curled across the Allegiance's vast dragondeck as the ship ploughs through tropical seas.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Portuguese literature
São Gabriel Real ship
Os Lusíadas (The Lusiads) (1572)
Written by Luís Vaz de Camões
Camões's national epic celebrates Vasco da Gama's first voyage to India in 1497 and 1498. The fleet rounds the Cape of Storms, where the giant Adamastor rises from the sea to warn them.
The Marea scene The São Gabriel rounding the Cape as the giant Adamastor looms out of the storm clouds.
The real ship Flagship of da Gama's 1497 fleet.
Ships in Famous Books · Portuguese literature
The Unknown Island Fictional
O Conto da Ilha Desconhecida (The Tale of the Unknown Island) (1997)
Written by José Saramago
A man asks the king for a boat to find an unknown island and is given an old caravel. With the palace cleaning woman as crew, he renames it The Unknown Island.
The Marea scene The man and the cleaning woman painting the new name on the bow of the caravel.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Russian literature
Pallada Real ship
Fregat Pallada (The Frigate Pallada) (1858)
Written by Ivan Goncharov
The novelist Goncharov sailed as secretary to Admiral Putyatin's mission to Japan from 1852 to 1855. His travel book describes life aboard the frigate and the ports she visited.
The Marea scene The Pallada at anchor off Nagasaki surrounded by Japanese guard boats.
The real ship Real frigate of 1832; scuttled in 1856.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Russian literature
Korshun Fictional
Vokrug sveta na 'Korshune' (Around the World on the Korshun) (1895)
Written by Konstantin Stanyukovich
A young cadet sails round the world aboard the corvette Korshun, learning the sea and seeing the harsh and humane sides of naval life. Stanyukovich drew on his own service in the Russian navy.
The Marea scene The cadet aloft on the Korshun as she crosses the line under full sail.
The real ship Based on Russian navy corvettes of the 1860s.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Russian literature
Oryol Real ship
Tsushima (1932 to 1935)
Written by Alexey Novikov-Priboy
Novikov-Priboy served as a paymaster's steward aboard the battleship Oryol on the Second Pacific Squadron's voyage to defeat at Tsushima in 1905. His documentary novel is the classic Russian account of the battle.
The Marea scene The burning Oryol under Japanese fire at Tsushima.
The real ship Captured by Japan in 1905 and renamed Iwami.
Ships in Famous Books · Russian literature
Beda (ex Pobeda) Fictional
Priklyucheniya kapitana Vrungelya (The Adventures of Captain Vrungel) (1937)
Written by Andrei Nekrasov
Screen adaptations Animated series 1976 to 1979 (Kievnauchfilm); film 1955
Captain Vrungel names his yacht Pobeda (Victory), but two letters fall off and she sails round the world as Beda (Trouble). The comic tall tales became a favourite of Soviet children.
The Marea scene Vrungel on deck as the letters P and O splash from the stern into the sea.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Russian literature
Svyataya Mariya (St Maria) Fictional
Dva kapitana (The Two Captains) (1938 to 1944)
Written by Veniamin Kaverin
Screen adaptations Film 1955 (Aleksandr Mikhaylov); TV 1976 (Boris Tokarev)
Captain Tatarinov's expedition ship, lost in the ice after reaching Severnaya Zemlya. Sanya Grigoriev spends his life clearing the captain's name and finds the remains of the expedition.
The Marea scene The schooner frozen fast in the pack ice as the crew leave on sledges.
The real ship Inspired by real expeditions such as the Svyataya Anna and Svyatoy Foka.
Photo: Detizdat, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Scandinavian literature
The prince's ship Fictional
Den lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) (1837)
Written by Hans Christian Andersen
Screen adaptations Disney film 1989 and 2023; Soviet film 1976
On her fifteenth birthday the little mermaid rises to see a ship celebrating a prince's birthday with fireworks. A storm wrecks it and she saves the prince, which begins her tragedy.
The Marea scene The mermaid clinging to the ship's side watching the prince amid the fireworks.
Photo: Edmund Dulac, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Scandinavian literature
The paper boat Fictional
Den standhaftige Tinsoldat (The Steadfast Tin Soldier) (1838)
Written by Hans Christian Andersen
Screen adaptations Disney Fantasia 2000 segment
Two boys put the one legged tin soldier into a paper boat and send him down the gutter into a sewer, where a rat demands his passport. The boat sinks and he is swallowed by a fish.
The Marea scene The tin soldier standing upright in the sinking paper boat in the gutter.
Ships in Famous Books · Scandinavian literature
Oshun Oxtra Fictional
Muminpappans bravader (The Exploits of Moominpappa) (1950)
Written by Tove Jansson
Screen adaptations Moomin animated series (1990, 2019)
In his memoirs Moominpappa tells how, as a young Moomin, he set off with the inventor Hodgkins, Joxter and the Muddler aboard the Oshun Oxtra, whose name was misspelt. The boat takes them to sea and to the Mymble's family.
The Marea scene The young Moominpappa at the bow of the Oshun Oxtra with its crooked name board.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Santísima Trinidad Real ship
Trafalgar (Episodios nacionales) (1873)
Written by Benito Pérez Galdós
Screen adaptations TV series 1970s Episodios nacionales
The young Gabriel Araceli serves aboard the huge Spanish flagship at Trafalgar in the first of Galdós's national episodes. He witnesses her dismasting, surrender and sinking in the storm after the battle.
The Marea scene The dismasted Santísima Trinidad rolling in the storm after the battle as boats take off the wounded.
The real ship Real Spanish four decker, sunk 1805.
Photo: Jacob Hagg, Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Mare Nostrum Fictional
Mare Nostrum (1918)
Written by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez
Screen adaptations Film 1926 by Rex Ingram (Antonio Moreno, Alice Terry)
The ship of Ulises Ferragut, a Spanish captain drawn into German espionage in the Mediterranean in the First World War. When his own son dies after a U-boat attack, he turns his steamer against the submarines.
The Marea scene The Mare Nostrum ploughing through Mediterranean swell as a periscope breaks the surface.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Lehg II Real ship
Los cuarenta bramadores (Alone Through the Roaring Forties) (1944)
Written by Vito Dumas
The Argentine sailor Vito Dumas sailed Lehg II single handed round the world through the Southern Ocean in 1942 and 1943, during the war. His account made the boat a legend of solo sailing.
The Marea scene Lehg II running before a towering Southern Ocean sea off Cape Horn.
The real ship Preserved in Argentina.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Stranded Spanish galleon Fictional
Cien años de soledad (One Hundred Years of Solitude) (1967)
Written by Gabriel García Márquez
Screen adaptations Netflix series 2024 (Claudio Cataño, Marco González)
Searching for the sea, José Arcadio Buendía and his men find an old Spanish galleon stranded in the jungle, far from any coast, covered in orchids. It convinces him that Macondo is surrounded by water.
The Marea scene The white galleon rising from ferns and orchids in the jungle clearing.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
ARC Caldas Real ship
Relato de un náufrago (The Story of a Shipwrecked Sailor) (1970)
Written by Gabriel García Márquez
Sailor Luis Alejandro Velasco was washed overboard from the destroyer Caldas in 1955 and survived ten days on a raft. García Márquez's account revealed that contraband cargo on deck caused the loss, not a storm.
The Marea scene Velasco alone on the small life raft, watching the Caldas disappear.
The real ship Real Colombian destroyer.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Nueva Fidelidad (New Fidelity) Fictional
El amor en los tiempos del cólera (Love in the Time of Cholera) (1985)
Written by Gabriel García Márquez
Screen adaptations Film 2007 (Javier Bardem, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Benjamin Bratt)
After fifty years of waiting, Florentino Ariza takes Fermina Daza up the Magdalena on a riverboat of his company. To stay alone together he hoists the yellow cholera flag and the boat sails up and down the river for ever.
The Marea scene The old couple at the rail of the riverboat under the yellow cholera flag.
Photo: Wikipedia
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Dei Gloria Fictional
La carta esférica (The Nautical Chart) (2000)
Written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
Screen adaptations Film 2007 (Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Carmelo Gómez)
A Jesuit ship sunk by a corsair off the Spanish coast in 1767, supposedly with a secret cargo. The sailor Coy and the enigmatic Tánger Soto hunt for its wreck with an old nautical chart.
The Marea scene Divers finning down to the timbers of the Dei Gloria on the sea bed.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Spanish and Latin American literature
Antilla Fictional
Cabo Trafalgar (Cape Trafalgar) (2004)
Written by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
The novel follows the battle of Trafalgar in 1805 from the gun decks of a single ship of the Combined Fleet, told with sailors' slang and gallows humour.
The Marea scene Gun crews on the smoke filled lower deck as the British line closes.
The real ship Fictional ship in a real battle.
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
La Boudeuse Real ship
Voyage autour du monde (A Voyage Round the World) (1771)
Written by Louis Antoine de Bougainville
The frigate in which Bougainville made the first French circumnavigation from 1766 to 1769, with the store ship Étoile. His account of Tahiti shaped European ideas of the South Seas.
The Marea scene La Boudeuse anchored off Tahiti, surrounded by outrigger canoes.
The real ship French frigate of the 1760s.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
HMS Beagle Real ship
The Voyage of the Beagle (1839)
Written by Charles Darwin
Screen adaptations TV 1978 The Voyage of Charles Darwin (Malcolm Stoddard); film Creation 2009
Darwin sailed as naturalist on the Beagle's survey voyage round the world from 1831 to 1836 under Robert FitzRoy. His journal, and the Galápagos, set him on the road to natural selection.
The Marea scene Darwin in the Beagle's crowded poop cabin sorting specimens beside FitzRoy's chart table.
The real ship Broken up in the 1870s, remains believed found in Essex.
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Quaker City Real ship
The Innocents Abroad (1869)
Written by Mark Twain
Twain sailed on the Quaker City's 1867 pleasure cruise to Europe and the Holy Land, and his mocking account became his best selling book in his lifetime.
The Marea scene Passengers gathered on the Quaker City's deck as she leaves New York harbour.
The real ship Real paddle steamer.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Fram Real ship
Fram over Polhavet (Farthest North) (1897)
Written by Fridtjof Nansen
Nansen designed the round hulled Fram to be squeezed up by the ice and drift across the Arctic. He and Johansen left her to try for the pole on skis while she drifted on.
The Marea scene The Fram frozen in the Arctic ice under the northern lights.
The real ship Preserved in the Fram Museum, Oslo.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Spray Real ship
Sailing Alone Around the World (1900)
Written by Joshua Slocum
Slocum rebuilt the old sloop Spray and sailed her alone round the world between 1895 and 1898, the first solo circumnavigation. His book is a classic of sea writing.
The Marea scene Slocum spreading tacks on the Spray's deck against barefoot raiders in the Strait of Magellan.
The real ship Lost with Slocum in 1909.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Snark Real ship
The Cruise of the Snark (1911)
Written by Jack London
Jack and Charmian London built the Snark to sail round the world and set out in 1907, reaching Hawaii, the Marquesas and the Solomons. Illness ended the voyage in Australia.
The Marea scene Jack London learning to surf at Waikiki with the Snark at anchor behind.
The real ship Sold after the voyage.
Photo: Public domain
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Firecrest Real ship
Seul à travers l'Atlantique (The Fight of the Firecrest) (1924)
Written by Alain Gerbault
The old British racing cutter in which Alain Gerbault made the first solo east to west crossing of the Atlantic in 1923 and then a circumnavigation. His books made him a French national hero.
The Marea scene Gerbault alone at the tiller of Firecrest in heavy Atlantic seas, mainsail torn.
The real ship Later lost.
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Western Flyer Real ship
Sea of Cortez (The Log from the Sea of Cortez) (1941)
Written by John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts
Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts chartered the sardine boat for a six week collecting trip in the Gulf of California in 1940. The book mixes science and philosophy and made the boat famous.
The Marea scene Steinbeck and Ricketts on the deck of the Western Flyer sorting specimens in buckets.
The real ship Restored and relaunched as a research vessel in 2022.
Photo: Kelly Cabal, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
L'Hérétique Real ship
Naufragé volontaire (The Voyage of the Heretic) (1953)
Written by Alain Bombard
Alain Bombard crossed the Atlantic in 1952 in this small inflatable with no stores, living on fish and plankton to prove castaways could survive. The book tells of the 65 day drift to Barbados.
The Marea scene Bombard in the tiny inflatable, squeezing fish for water under a small square sail.
Photo: Philippe Roos, CC BY-SA 2.0
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Gipsy Moth IV Real ship
Gipsy Moth Circles the World (1967)
Written by Francis Chichester
Chichester sailed round the world alone with one stop in Sydney in 1966 and 1967 and was knighted on his return. The book is his account.
The Marea scene Chichester being knighted by the Queen at Greenwich with Gipsy Moth IV alongside.
The real ship Preserved and sailing, Greenwich.
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Suhaili Real ship
A World of My Own (1969)
Written by Robin Knox-Johnston
Screen adaptations Documentary Deep Water (2006)
Knox-Johnston won the 1968 Golden Globe race in Suhaili, becoming the first person to sail single handed and non stop round the world. His book tells the ten month voyage.
The Marea scene Knox-Johnston diving under Suhaili's hull to caulk a leak with sharks nearby.
The real ship Still sailing.
Photo: Thomas Keyser, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Joshua Real ship
La Longue Route (The Long Way) (1971)
Written by Bernard Moitessier
Screen adaptations Documentary 2006 Deep Water (about the 1968 Golden Globe race)
Moitessier's red steel ketch, in which he was on course to win the 1968 Golden Globe race but chose to keep sailing on to Tahiti instead, firing a message onto a ship's deck by slingshot. The book tells that voyage of one and a half circumnavigations.
The Marea scene Moitessier firing his message by slingshot onto the deck of a passing tanker off Cape Town.
The real ship Preserved and sailing from the Musée maritime de La Rochelle.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Dove Real ship
Dove (1972)
Written by Robin Lee Graham with Derek Gill
Screen adaptations Film 1974 The Dove (Joseph Bottoms, Deborah Raffin)
Robin Lee Graham set out at sixteen in 1965 to sail round the world alone in Dove, meeting his wife on the way. He finished in a larger boat, Return of Dove.
The Marea scene Dove anchored in a Pacific lagoon with Robin and his kittens on deck.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Lucette and the dinghy Ednamair Real ship
Survive the Savage Sea (1973)
Written by Dougal Robertson
Screen adaptations TV film 1992 (Robert Urich, Ali MacGraw)
In 1972 killer whales sank the Robertson family's schooner Lucette west of the Galápagos. The six survived 38 days in a raft and the little dinghy Ednamair until rescued by a Japanese trawler.
The Marea scene The family crammed into the tiny Ednamair, sail rigged from an oar.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Auralyn Real ship
117 Days Adrift (1974)
Written by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey
A whale holed the Baileys' yacht Auralyn in the Pacific in 1973. The couple survived 117 days on a raft before a Korean fishing boat rescued them.
The Marea scene Maurice and Maralyn on the raft playing cards made from paper.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Napoleon Solo Real ship
Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea (1986)
Written by Steven Callahan
Callahan's small sloop sank after striking something at night in the Atlantic in 1982. He survived 76 days on an inflatable raft before reaching Guadeloupe.
The Marea scene Callahan spearfishing dorados from the tiny raft.
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Varuna Real ship
Maiden Voyage (1989)
Written by Tania Aebi
When Tania Aebi was eighteen, her father gave her a choice between college and sailing round the world. She sailed Varuna alone from 1985 to 1987 and became the first American woman to circumnavigate solo.
The Marea scene Tania and her cat Tarzoon at Varuna's tiller as New York comes into view.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ships in Famous Books · Voyage narratives
Kingfisher Real ship
Taking on the World (2002)
Written by Ellen MacArthur
Ellen MacArthur's autobiography culminates in her second place in the 2000 to 2001 Vendée Globe aboard Kingfisher, at twenty four.
The Marea scene MacArthur up the Kingfisher's mast repairing gear in the Southern Ocean.
Photo: Amplified2010, CC BY 2.0
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How a Marea screen ship comes to life
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