Because Lists: Timeline of Largest Passenger Ships
This is a listing of the largest passenger ships built, by completion date, from 1831 to 2018, with tonnage and length.
With some edits and gawk, we can get a listing of the span elapsed (in years) from the previous record-holder:
# | Launched | Previous | Span |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1831 | 1831 | * |
2 | 1837 | 1831 | 6 |
3 | 1839 | 1837 | 2 |
4 | 1840 | 1839 | 1 |
5 | 1843 | 1840 | 3 |
6 | 1853 | 1843 | 10 |
7 | 1858 | 1853 | 5 |
8 | 1888 | 1858 | 30 |
9 | 1893 | 1888 | 5 |
10 | 1897 | 1893 | 4 |
11 | 1899 | 1897 | 2 |
12 | 1901 | 1899 | 2 |
13 | 1903 | 1901 | 2 |
14 | 1904 | 1903 | 1 |
15 | 1906 | 1904 | 2 |
16 | 1907 | 1906 | 1 |
17 | 1907 | 1907 | 0 |
18 | 1911 | 1907 | 4 |
19 | 1912 | 1911 | 1 |
20 | 1912 | 1912 | 0 |
21 | 1913 | 1912 | 1 |
22 | 1914 | 1913 | 1 |
23 | 1922 | 1914 | 8 |
24 | 1935 | 1922 | 13 |
25 | 1936 | 1935 | 1 |
26 | 1936 | 1936 | 0 |
27 | 1946 | 1936 | 10 |
28 | 1962 | 1946 | 16 |
29 | 1987 | 1962 | 25 |
30 | 1995 | 1987 | 8 |
31 | 1996 | 1995 | 1 |
32 | 1998 | 1996 | 2 |
33 | 1999 | 1998 | 1 |
34 | 2000 | 1999 | 1 |
35 | 2002 | 2000 | 2 |
36 | 2003 | 2002 | 1 |
37 | 2006 | 2003 | 3 |
38 | 2007 | 2006 | 1 |
39 | 2009 | 2007 | 2 |
40 | 2016 | 2009 | 7 |
41 | 2018 | 2016 | 2 |
41 | 2021 | 2018 | 3 |
Sorting by span, we see the years in which the longest records ended:
Rank | Launched | Previous | Span |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 1888 | 30 | |
2 | 1987 | 25 | |
3 | 1962 | 16 | |
4 | 1935 | 13 | |
5 | 1853 | 10 | |
6 | 1946 | 10 | |
7 | 1922 | 8 | |
8 | 1995 | 8 | |
9 | 2016 | 7 | |
10 | 1837 | 6 |
And of we count the instances of decades we can see the decades in which the most record-breaking ships were launched.
Sorted by year:
Ships | Decade |
---|---|
3 | |
2 | |
2 | |
0 | |
0 | |
0 | |
1 | |
3 | |
6 | |
5 | |
1 | |
3 | |
1 | |
0 | |
1 | |
0 | |
1 | |
4 | |
6 | |
2 | |
1 |
And sorted by launches:
Ships | Decade |
---|---|
6 | |
6 | |
5 | |
4 | |
3 | |
3 | |
3 | |
2 | |
2 | |
2 | |
1 | |
1 | |
1 | |
1 | |
1 | |
1 | |
0 | |
0 | |
0 | |
0 | |
0 |
That's interestingly bi-modal. The 1900s peak was expected. The 2000s one somewhat less so, though it speaks to how much the cruise industry had grown since the 1980s. The long nearly-dry spell from 1936 to 1996 is particularly notable. That's 60 years, and though there were some entrants, the SS Normandie at 314m (1,029 ft) and 83,404 GRT was very nearly the longest and highest-tonnage vessel through the entire period. The RMS Queen Elizabeth and SS France managed to just edge her out in length, and the Elizabeth was just slightly higher in tonnage. The post-1990 era ships are heavier (to 137,308 GT), but remain shorter than the Normandie. The age of transoceanic airline travel (beginning seriously in the 1950s) and jet airliners (especially with the Boeing 707, beginning in October 1958) heralded the end of regular transoceanic commercial passenger service (and much continental passenger rail travel), as well as the notable subsidies of postal delivery ("RMS" stands for "royal mail ship", and carried mail under contract to the British Royal Mail. Other countries' ships offered similar services, and postal trains, with dedicated mail-sorting cars, were a huge boon to domestic rail service, being phased out in the US with the introduction of the Zone Improvement Plan, or ZIP code, in 1963). The subsequent cruise industry was dedicated far more to the voyage than the destination.
The SS Great Eastern, launched in 1858, at a time of very heavy reliance on trans-Atlantic sea shipping, is even more notable. At 18,915 GRT and 211m (692 ft), she held records for 41 years (tonnage) and 43 years (overall length), with her reign ending with her scrapping, and the title-holders from 1888-1899/1900 actually being smaller in dimension or displacement. The Great Eastern was near the limits of technology of the time, and proved uneconomical for much of her life.
The period since 2018 has seen no new recordbreaking ships commissioned, and in a post-Covid world, that spell may last a while.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_largest_passenger_ships
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