Ship replica

A ship replica is a reconstruction of a no longer existing ship. It can either be a real seaworthy ship or one that just looks like the original (in which case it is often a museum ship). This does not include scale models. It can also be a generic replica, one that represents a certain type of ship rather than a particular ship, like the Kamper Kogge, a Cog, which is a type of ship that was used extensively in the Netherlands in the middle ages, as a result of which there is little knowledge of specific ships.

Reasons to build a replica include historic research into Shipbuilding, national pride, exposition at a museum or entertainment (e.g. for a TV series). Apart from making the ship genuine, the construction material, tools and methods can also be genuine, as is the case with the replica of the Batavia.

Some ships are in a sense replicas, but not in the sense meant here. For example, the Mircea is an almost exact copy of the Gorch Fock because that was such a successful ship. So she was not built for nostalgic or research purposes but simply to perform economically, in this case as a training vessel. The Stad Amsterdam is a generic replica, a combination of the best qualities of clippers of the past (with fitting results).

A genuine replica is preferably the same size as the original, but the Kanrin Maru is actually twice the size of the original.

The USS Constitution is strictly speaking not a replica, but everything about the ship has been replaced over time, except the keel. This is a modern version of the philosopher's dilemma over the Ship of Theseus.

Some replicas are temporary and thus cheap and very simple, such as the replica of a Viking ship that was burnt at the Leixlip Festival.

Notable ship replicas

Some sailing ship replicas with their home port (many articles are about the original ship):

Europe

Amsterdam; Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; A Dutch East India Company (VOC) ship
Batavia; Lelystad, The Netherlands; A Dutch VOC ship
Götheborg; Gothenburg, Sweden; A Swedish East India Company East Indiaman
Golden Hind; London; Sir Francis Drake's Tudor Galleon
Grand Turk; Middlesex, UK; the frigate HMS Blandford (built in Turkey), used in the TV series Hornblower.
Jacobstads Wapen; Jakobstad, Finland; An 18th century galleon
Matthew; Bristol, UK; the ship with which John Cabot sailed to North America
Prins Willem; Den Helder, the Netherlands; a Dutch VOC ship
Ra II; Bygdøy maritime museum, Oslo, Norway; Replica Egyptian reed (plant) craft sailed across the Atlantic Ocean by Thor Heyerdahl,
Pinta, Niña and Santa María, replicas of Columbus' ships in his first voyage to America
Zeven Provinciën; Lelystad, The Netherland; Flagship of 17th century Dutch navy (under construction)
De Delft; Delfshaven(Rotterdam), The Netherlands; Late 18th century ship of the line (54 guns)

Australia

Duyfken; Perth, Australia; A Dutch VOC ship
Endeavour; Sydney, Australia; Captain Cook's ship
Enterprize; Melbourne, Australia; the schooner that brought the first Europeans to Melbourne
Lady Nelson; Tasmania, Australia; a 19th century ship that explored the coast of Australia.

North America

Amistad; New Haven, USA; a slave ship
Bluenose II; Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada; a racing schooner.
Californian; San Diego, USA; a replica of the revenue service cutter C.W. Lawrence
Halve Maen; Albany, USA; A Dutch VOC ship known for its voyage under Henry Hudson.
Kalmar Nyckel; Wilmington, USA; a Swedish ship that brought immigrants to Delaware, USA.
Lady Washington; Aberdeen, USA
Lynx (tall ship); Newport Beach, USA; replica of 1812 American privateer square topsail schooner.
Mayflower II; Plymouth, USA; the Pilgrims' ship
Pilgrim: Dana Point, USA; used in the film Amistad
Pride of Baltmore; Baltimore, USA; clipper
Surprise; San Diego Maritime Museum, USA; a replica of the 18th century Royal Navy frigate HMS Rose, portrayed the HMS Surprise in the film Master_and_Commander:_The_Far_Side_of_the_World
Santa María; Columbus, Ohio; one of the three ships with which Columbus made his first Atlantic crossing
HMS Sultana; Chestertown, USA; an 18th Century Royal Navy schooner
Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery; Jamestown Settlement, USA, Arrived at Jamestown, Virginia, in May 1607, establishing the first permanent English settlement in the Americas.
Nonsuch; Manitoba Museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba; a merchant ship that sailed into Hudson Bay in 1668-1669, in the first trading voyage for what was to become the Hudson's Bay Company

Asia

Kanrin Maru; Minami Awaji harbour, Japan; a double-size replica of a Japanese warship
Namihaya; Osaka Maritime Museum, Japan; 5th Century Japanese Ship Replica
San Juan Bautista; Ishinomaki, Japan; a Japanese warship
Turtle ship; a generic replica of a Korean ship
Kaiou; National Museum of Kyusyu, Japan; 6th Century Japanese Ship Replica
Michinoku Maru; Michinoku Traditional Wooden Boat Museum, Japan; 18th Century Japanese Trade Ship (Kitamae Bune) Replica

Other

Bounty; two replicas of this ship have been built for films about the famous mutiny.
Hokule'a; Honolulu, Hawaii; an ancient Hawaiian vessel.
Makali'i; Kawaihae, Hawaii; an ancient Hawaiian vessel.
Muningana Maisu; Kawaihae, Hawaii; an ancient Hawaiian vessel.
Hokualakai; Hilo, Hawaii; an ancient Hawaiian vessel.
Iosepa; Honolulu, Hawaii; an ancient Hawaiian vessel.
Hawaiiloa; Honolulu, Hawaii; an ancient Hawaiian vessel.
Te Aurere; Auckland, New Zealand; an ancient Maori vessel.
Aotearoa One; Auckland, New Zealand; an ancient Maori vessel.
Te Au O Tonga; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; an ancient Polynesian vessel.
Takitumu; Rarotonga, Cook Islands; an ancient Polynesian vessel.
Tahiti Nui; Tahiti, French Polynesia; an ancient Polynesian vessel, formary named "Hawaiki Nui".

Other vessels

Ictineu II is a replica of the first mechanically powered steam driven submarine.
The Hjortspring Boat is replica of a Danish iron age rowing boat.

At the Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde, replicas of Viking ships are built.

External links

Golden Hinde
pages.zoom.co.uk/leveridge/replicas.html An overview of ship replicas all over the world
Replica of Captain Cooks ship, Whitby