19th & 20th Century Ships
Welcome to our page dedicated to the evolution of ships from the gigantic Titanic to the technical wonders of the present.
Ships have come a long, long way from those primitive early day ships made of bamboo and wood, and being not longer than a few feet and having sails to power them across the seas. Then as society progressed, so did the elements of building a ship. The ships grew bigger and bigger and kept growing bigger. Then came a time when felt comfortable in taking his ship and exploring land beyond what his eye could see. Ships became better suited for sailing the Seven Seas and helped in exploring and the discovery of the New World. Now that man had seen the full potential of these planks of wood, he took another step to better this use this invention.
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| The Bismarck. |
In the mid 1800’s, a huge surge of people wanted to go and see what lay beyond the horizon. Ocean liners gave people a perfect opportunity to travel and sight see at the same time. Many companies came into existence during this time and made huge profits. At this time travel time was slow. Liners traveled at a humble speed of 12 to 15 knots. They were still made of wood but now were lavishly furnished with everything from brass to wood carving. Ocean liners had made a reputation for themselves as the most comfortable thing on water.
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| The massive RMS Titanic. |
At the end of the 19th century came an event that would change not only ships but also the whole world, the Industrial Revolution. And with it came steel and the ever-important steam engine. Now with steel at their disposal, liner companies could make their ships stronger and sturdier, which eventually led to the creation of such monsters as the Titanic. The steam engine did a lot for the ship and ocean liner business than probably anything else in its history. Now ships did not have to rely on Mother Nature for power, they would generate it themselves. Speeds now exceeded over 20 knots in some cases maybe even up to 25 knots.
Now just when you thought things could not get any better, came along the internal combustion engine. This gas guzzling, piston-moving engine exploded through the business. By the early 20’s, all liners had changed to the combustion engine. Now the liners could easily break the 40 knots mark, an accomplishment that was considered impossible. Now it was considered that the Golden Era of the ocean liners had finally come. But it was delayed by the shortcomings of the depression and the Second World War. As the fifties rolled by the feeling had come back, could this be the decade? It was in some ways, as ships got faster and class distinction among the ships was diminished and the whole ship was now open for the passenger. It was the golden days. But what ever goes up must come down.
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| An example of a large modern ship. |
After the Second World War, the importance of the airplanes as a travel vehicle was discovered, more and more people took to the skies to explore this new horizon. This led to the demise of liners. More and more people went for the new liners, the airliner. Ocean liners now just turned to the cruise business, abandoning the transport and travel. Now the liner companies offered cruises to exotic places. In this process some companies went under and disappeared but other grew in business and still survive today such as the Holland America Line, Carnival, Princess and many other. Some old ones survived too like the White Star, Cunard, Hamburg America Line, Red Star and many more.
Modern day ships are equipped with the latest technology possible to further enhance the passenger’s experience on the big blue wonder. Ships now days have no class distinction, better navigation, better weather watches, global positioning system (GPS) to help in navigation, communications to the mainland and many more new and improved features. Liners are now just mainly considered for cruises and have found a bonanza in this travel buffs.
No one knows what the future holds for these mammoths of the sea, who run like a cheetah on water but do know that whatever happens, they were their for us when we needed them and will still around when we need them in the future.
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