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This is a timeline of the world's largest passenger ships based upon internal volume, initially measured by gross register tonnage and later by gross tonnage. This timeline reflects the largest extant passenger ship in the world at any given time. If a given ship was superseded by another, scrapped, or lost at sea, it is then succeeded. Some records for tonnage outlived the ships that set them - notably the SS Great Eastern, and RMS Queen Elizabeth. The term "largest passenger ship" has evolved over time to also include ships by length as supertankers built by the 1970s were over 400 metres (1,300 ft) long. In the modern era the term has gradually fallen out of use in favor of "largest cruise ship" as the industry has shifted to cruising rather than transatlantic ocean travel.[1]
^The tonnage was increased on Normandie in August 1936 to reclaim the title of "largest ship" from the Queen Mary.[54]
^Although Queen Elizabeth was completed on 2 March 1940 as an ocean liner, she was converted into a troop ship due to the outbreak of World War II. She became the largest ship in the world in 1942 when SS Normandie burned and sank at her moorings. Transatlantic service was not resumed until after the war ended, and Queen Elizabeth officially entered into passenger service on 16 October 1946.
^SS France increased her tonnage in 1980, when she was refurbished into a cruise ship. Her final size peaked at 76,049 GRT in 1990.[62] She was the last ship on this list to be measured by "GRT", as the term was changed to "GT" on 18 July 1994.[63][64]
^Freedom of the Seas never held the title of "largest passenger ship" after 2007. While she was later extended to match her sister ship Liberty of the Seas (in 2015), by this time the title had passed on to Oasis of the Seas.
^Oasis was initially launched at 225,282 GT.[75] This was tied a year later by Allure of the Seas, although the latter was 50 mm (2.0 in) longer.[76]Oasis of the Seas was expanded to 226,838 GT in November 2019.[77]
Referencesedit
^Bleecker, Arline; Bleeker, Sam (26 March 2006). "Cruise ships keep getting bigger and bigger and . . ". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 25 February 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
^Boileau, John (2006). Samuel Cunard: Nova Scotia's Master of the North Atlantic. Formac Publishing Company Limited. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-88780-712-1.
^John Wilton Cuninghame Haldane (1905). Life as an engineer: its lights, shades and prospects. E. & F. N. Spon. p. 27. Royal William largest launched 1831.
^Freeman Hunt (1844). Merchants' Magazine and Commercial Review, Volume 10. New York City: 142 Fulton Street. p. 383.
^Anchor Line (1872). A Souvenir of the Anchor Line Agents Excursion on the Steamer California, 14 August 1872. D. Appleton & Company. p. 87.
^Corlett, Ewan (1975). The Iron Ship: the Story of Brunel's ss Great Britain. Conway.
^Hereward Philip Spratt (1951). Transatlantic Paddle Steamers. Brown, Son & Ferguson. p. 36. At the time of her launch, the "British Queen" was the largest vessel afloat
^Gerhard Falk (2013). Twelve Inventions which Changed America: The Influence of Technology on American Culture. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 8. ISBN 9780761860808.
^Robinson, Robb (January 2009). "The Cookman Story: Reform in Hull and the United States" (PDF). FAR HORIZONS – to the ends of the Earth. Maritime Historical Studies Centre, University of Hull. Retrieved 27 December 2009. In March 1841 the liner, SS President, then reputedly the largest steamship in the world, disappeared without trace in the vast tracts of the still wintry Atlantic, sometime after leaving New York en route for Liverpool. The SS President was the first steamship to founder on the transatlantic run and there was universal lamentation for the 136 crew and passengers.
^William L. Garrison & David M. Levinson (2005). The Transportation Experience: Policy, Planning, and Deployment. Oxford University Press. p. 210. ISBN 9780195346732.
^Wynford Davies (2012). SS Great Britain: Transatlantic Liner 1843. Seaforth Publishing. p. 10. ISBN 9781848322882.
^"Atrato (1013926)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 19 September 2019.
^"Atrato". clydeships.co.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
^"The" Illustrated London News. Elm House. 1853. p. 352.
^"Thing - SS Adriatic 12 Cent Stamp - 1869 - Historic photos, documents, and people". Archive Project. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
^Bowen, Frank C. (March 2009). "The Collins Liner 'Adriatic' of 1856" (PDF). The Bulletin. The Liverpool Nautical Research Society. 52 (4): 39–41.
^Dawson, Philip S. (2005). The Liner. Chrysalis Books. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-85177-938-6.
^Gillian Dale (2005). BTEC National Travel and Tourism. Heinemann. p. 2. ISBN 9780435446451.
^Frank Braynard & Robert Hudson Westover (2002). S.S. United States. Turner Publishing Company. p. 13. ISBN 9781563118241.
^"City of New York". clydeships.co.uk. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
^"S/S City of New York (3), Inman Line". www.norwayheritage.com. Retrieved 18 September 2019. At the time of her launch the City of New York was the largest passenger steamer afloat.
^Mark Chirnside (2015). RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister. The History Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780750963480.
^Neil McCart (1990). Atlantic Liners of the Cunard Line: From 1884 to the Present Day. Stephens. p. 22. ISBN 9781852600655.
^Congressional Edition, Volume 5796. U.S. Government Printing Office. 1909. p. 114.
^ abWade Sisson (2011). Racing Through the Night: Olympic's Attempt to Reach Titanic. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445608914.
^"Cedric (1115354)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
^ abPaul Oldfield (2017). Victoria Crosses on the Western Front: Third Ypres 1917: 31 July 1917 – 6 November 1917. Pen and Sword. ISBN 9781473884854.
^Mark Chirnside (2015). RMS Olympic: Titanic's Sister. The History Press. ISBN 9780750963480.
^Anne Sinkler Whaley LeClercq (2012). Elizabeth Sinkler Coxe's Tales from the Grand Tour, 1890-1910. Univ of South Carolina Press. ISBN 9781611172102.
^Labor Unions (1906). The American Marine Engineer, Volumes 1-2. p. 24.
^ abWatts, Philip (1911). "Ship" . In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 880–970, see page 970. ....arrangements are made for fitting up fast vessels such as the "Mauretania" and "Lusitania" with a number of 6-in...guns for service as merchant cruisers in time of war, when they would be used as ocean-going scouts, or for the protection of trade routes
^J. Kent Layton (2010). Lusitania: An Illustrated Biography. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781445623702.
^ abEngineering News (1914). The Cunard Liner "Aquitania". Vol. 71. McGraw-Hill. p. 1317.
^William H. Miller (1981). The Great Luxury Liners, 1927-1954: A Photographic Record. Courier Corporation. ISBN 9780486240565.
^Chirnside, Mark (2011). The 'Olympic' Class Ships. The History Press. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-7524-5895-3.
^Caroline Rochford (2016). Titanic's Big Sister... and how she nearly sank. Pen and Sword. p. 106. ISBN 9781473878655. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ abAdam Scott (1913). Some Notes On The Increase In Size. Vol. 44. Wendell Lansing Company. p. 115. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ abBallard, Robert D. (1987). The Discovery of the Titanic. New York: Warner Books. ISBN 978-0-446-51385-2.
^ abJ. Kent Layton (2009). "Imperator". AtlanticLiners.com. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
^"Vaterland/Leviathan". The Great Ocean Liners. Archived from the original on 2 June 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
^Merchant Vessels of the United States 1924-1925. Washington, D.C.: Department of Commerce, Bureau of Navigation. 1925. p. 132. hdl:2027/osu.32435066707100. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
^The Steamship Vaterland. Vol. 28. Modern Publishing. 1914. p. 729. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ abMajestic - The Latest and Largest of Ships. Vol. 127. Munn & Company. 1922. p. 10. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Haws, Duncan (1990). White Star Line. Merchant Fleets. Vol. 17. Hereford: TCL Publications. p. 90. ISBN 0-946378-16-9. OCLC 50214776.
^The Floating Palace from France. Vol. 147. American Architect. 135. p. 29. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ abSuper Liners. Vol. 103. Life magazine. 1936. p. 13. By August, the Normandie, having increased her tonnage, was again the World's Largest Liner
^"Normandie's End". Life Magazine. Vol. 21. Time Incorporated. 1946. p. 38.
^ abPeter C. Smith (2008). Midway: Dauntless Victory. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 9781848847057. The French Transatlantic liner Normandie (71,300 tons) was the world's largest ship when built, and, although surpassed by 1942 by the British liners Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in tonnage, was still the longest vessel afloat at 1,029 feet overall.
^
Layton, J. Kent. "R.M.S. Queen Mary". Atlantic Liners. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
^ abRoger and June Cartwright (2011). Introduction. History Press. ISBN 9780752467719. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Peter Plowman (2003). The Third Convoy. Rosenberg Publishing. p. 114. ISBN 9781922013132. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^William H. Miller (2021). A New Age-A New Queen. Fonthill Media. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Ships Monthly. Vol. 35. Waterway Productions Limited. 2000. p. 12. ISBN 9781861761170.
^Office of the Federal Register (2017). 2017 CFR Annual Print Title 46 Shipping Parts 41 to 69. LLC and Claitor's Law Publishing. p. 390. ISBN 9781640241992.
^N. Wijnolst, Tor Wergeland (2009). Ship Innovation. IOS Press. p. 395. ISBN 9781586039431. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^Arnold Kludas (1985). The France. Vol. 5. p. 131. France, since 1972 the largest passenger ship in the world...{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^ abBrian J. Cudahy (2001). Royal Caribbean International. Cornell Maritime Press. p. 67.
^Shipowners/Managers/Operators: Norway. Vol. 2. Lloyd's of London Press. 2006. p. 731. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
^"Navigator of the Seas (22759)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
^The Motor Ship, Volume 85. IPC Industrial Press Limited. 2004. p. 9.
^"2016-2017 Royal Caribbean Fleet Guide" (PDF). Royal Caribbean International. 26 February 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016.
^"Independece of the Seas (26180)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
^Sam Dodge, Ana Franca, and Mark Oliver (5 February 2016). "Oasis of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, in numbers". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 12 March 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Oasis Of The Seas / Allure of the Seas". Royal Caribbean International. 2010. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 11 June 2010.
^Goldstein, Adam (1 November 2010). "Is a Small Difference a Big Deal?". Sea Views. Royal Caribbean International. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
^"Oasis of the Seas (27091)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
^"Harmony of the Seas (33249)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
^"Symphony of the Seas (34719)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
^"Wonder of the Seas Fact Sheet". Royal Caribbean Press Center. Royal Caribbean Group. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
^"Icon of the Seas (38545)". Vessel Register for DNV. DNV. Retrieved 14 January 2024.