A ship replica is a reconstruction of a no longer existing ship. Replicas can range from authentically reconstructed, fully seaworthy ships, to ships of modern construction that give an impression of a historic vessel. Some replicas may not even be seaworthy, but built for other educational or entertainment purposes.

The term "replica" in this context does not normally include scale models. The term museum ship is used for an old ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public.

A ship replica may also be a generic replica, one that represents a certain type of ship rather than a particular historic example, like the Kamper Kogge, replicating the Cogs that were used extensively in Northern Europe by the Hanseatic League in the Middle Ages, but where 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), and/or education programs for the unemployed. For example, see the project to build a replica of the Continental brigantine Andrew Doria. Apart from building a genuine replica of the ship, sometimes the construction materials, tools and methods can also copied from the ships' original era, as is the case with the replica of the Batavia in Lelystad and the replica of ship of the line De Delft in Rotterdam (Delfshaven).

Some generic type replicas such as Thor Heyerdahl's Ra II, qualify as true replicas as these ships were built to investigate the craft and or culture of the original era. That they do not replicate a specific vessel is mainly because no details of such a specific vessel are available.

Some other ships that are modeled after ships of a certain type or era (and are in that sense replicas) do not quality as true replicas. Some ships may be borderline cases, such as the Kanrin Maru, which is actually twice the size of the original, but built following the plans of the original.

Replicas can be temporary, cheap and very simple, such as the replica of a Viking ship that was burnt at the Leixlip Festival.

Notable historic type ships that are not replicas include:

• USS Constitution (1795) is strictly speaking not a replica but the original vessel. However, every part of the ship, except the keel, has been replaced over time. This is a modern version of the philosopher's dilemma concerning replica versus original; known as the Ship of Theseus dilemma.
• HMS Victory (1765) is still the original vessel, although unlike the Constitution, it is in dry dock and does not sail. This has meant that many parts of the ship are still original even though there have been restorations carried out over the years.
• Mircea, which is an almost exact copy of the Gorch Fock. The Mircea was built as a copy because the Gorch Fock was a very successful ship. Thus Mircea was not built as a replica per se, but as a copy for other reasons (i.e. to perform economically, in this case as a training vessel).
• Stad Amsterdam also is not a true replica as this is a generic clipper type ship combining the best qualities of clippers of the past with modern materials and technologies.

Another ambiguous case subject to the Ship of Theseus dilemma is the US Brig Niagara. The original was sunk in 1820 for preservation, and the ship has been rebuilt three times since. The third reconstruction was considerably more extensive, and the only parts from the original which were retained are non-structural, leading many authorities to classify her as a replica, rather than a reconstructed original.

Notable ship replicas

Some sailing ship replicas with their home port; and key information of the original (many articles are about the original ship):

Europe, Middle East, Australia, America

Ship name	Type	Current porta	Current affiliation	Country	Original affiliation	Original built	Notable for	End	Remark
Ra II	Reed boat	Oslo, Norway	Bygdøy maritime museum			app. 4000BC	Ancient Egypt merchant. Heyerdahl crossed Atlantic in it	app. 2000BC	Class replica
ULUBURUN II[176138]	Merchant	Bodrum, Turkey	Bodrum Underwater Archaeological Museum			app. 14th century BC	Late Bronze Age merchant	sank app. 1316-1305 BC	Oldest known merchant shipwreck.
Olympias	Trireme	Faliro, Greece	dama			app. 700BC	Main warship of ancient Greece	app. 400BC	Class replica
Kyrenia II	Merchant	?				app. 4th century BC	Merchant ship of ancient Greece	sank app. 288BC
Sea Stallion from Glendalough	Viking ship	Roskilde	Viking Ship Museum in Roskilde			1042 in Dublin Ireland	Main warship of the Viking age	was scuttled in Roskilde Fjord app. 1100
Lisa von Lübeck	Caravel	Lübeck, Germany				app. 1200	Main medieval merchant	app. 1500	Class replica
Kamper Kogge	Hanseatic cog	Kampen, the Netherlands				app. 1200	Main medieval merchant	app. 1500	Class replica
Santa María	Carrack	1)Palos de la Frontera, Spain 2)Columbus, Ohio, US 3)Edmonton, Canada 4)Funchal, Portugal				app. 1490	Columbus 1492 squadron	ran aground 1492	Several replicas, all based on conjectures
Pinta	Caravel	1)Palos de la Frontera, Spain 2)Bayona, Spain				app. 1490	Columbus 1492 squadron		Several replicas, all based on conjectures
Niña	Caravel	1)Palos de la Frontera, Spain 2)Grand Cayman, UK				app. 1490	Columbus 1492 squadron		Several replicas, all based on conjectures
Matthew		Bristol, UK				app. 1495	John Cabot's ship to America in 1497
Victoria	Carrack	Seville, Spain				app. 1515	Only survivor of Magellan's 1519-1522 travel		Achieved to survive the circumnavigation of the globe again in 2006.
Real	Galley	Barcelona, Spain				app. 1570	Flagship of Don John of Austria in the Battle of Lepanto
Golden Hind	Tudor	1)London, UK 2)Brixham, UK				app. 1575	1577-1580 circumnavigation
Duyfken	East Indies Explorer	Perth, Australia				1595	discovery of Australia 1606	irreparable damage 1608
Discovery	Barque	Jamestown, USA				1602	first UK settlement, 1607
Godspeed	Brigantine	Jamestown, USA				app 1605	first UK settlement, 1607		The 1984/85 replica sailed the Atlantic (without the aid of engines) departing London on April 30, 1985 with a crew of 14.
Susan Constant	Merchant	Jamestown, USA				app 1605	first UK settlement, 1607
Halve Maen	Maine to Virginia Explorer	Albany, USA				app 1608	original explorer of what is now called the Hudson River, Henry Hudson, 1609
Mayflower II	Merchant	Plymouth, USA				app 1607?	Pilgrim ship 1620	dismantled 1623?
Kalmar Nyckel	Dutch Pinnace 280 tonne ship rigged	Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, USA				1625	Founded New Sweden colony at Fort Christina (Wilmington, Delaware, USA)	late 17th century	Charters, Daysails, Appearances
Batavia	East Indies Merchant	Lelystad, The Netherlands				1628	mutiny 1629	wrecked 1629
Prins Willem	East Indies Merchant	Den Helder, the Netherlands				1649		sank 1662	replica destroyed in fire, July 2009
Nonsuch	Merchant	Winnipeg, Canada	Manitoba Museum			1650	First trading in Hudson Bay 1668-69	unknown (possibly sunk in 1670's)
De Zeven Provinciën	Ship of the Line (80 guns)	Lelystad, the Netherlands				1665	Flagship of Michiel de Ruyter	decommissioned 1694	Under construction
Götheborg	East Indies Merchant	Gothenburg, Sweden	Globetrotter		SOIC	app. 1740		sank 1745	Sail training vessel (volunteers)
Amsterdam	East Indies Merchant	Amsterdam, the Netherlands	Scheepvaart Museum			1749		grounded 1749
Lady Washington	Brig	Aberdeen, USA			Private Owner	app 1750	first US merchant to reach Japan	foundered 1798
Jacobstads Wapen	Galleon	Jakobstad, Finland				app. 1750
Surprise/Rose	Frigate	San Diego, USA	San Diego Maritime Museum			1757	1776 attack New York. Master and Commander	scuttled 1779	Renamed Surprise after movie
HMS Sultana	Schooner	Chestertown, USA				1767	US colony coast patrol	auctioned 1772
Endeavour	Bark	Sydney, Australia				1768	Captain Cook's ship	unclear
Endeavour	Bark	Stockton-on-tees, United Kingdom				1768	Captain Cook's ship	unclear
Santísima Trinidad	Ship of the line (144 guns)	Málaga, Spain				1769	battles of Cape St Vincente & Trafalgar	sank 1805
De Delft[176139]	Ship of the Line (54-60 guns)	Rotterdam, the Netherlands	Scheepswerf 'De Delft'			1783	Battle of Camperdown	sank 1797	Under Construction
Bounty	Armed Transport	Discovery Bay, Hong Kong				1787	Mutiny 1789	burned 1790
Grand Turk	Frigate	Middlesex, UK				app. 1790			Generic Nelson age war ship replica used in Hornblower
Lady Nelson	Brig	Tasmania, Australia				1799	Explored Australian coastline	1825 capture by pirates
Lynx	Schooner	Newport Beach, USA				app 1810	UK blockade running privateer
Pride of Baltimore II	Topsail Schooner	Baltimore, USA				app 1812	UK blockade running privateer		Type replica
Niagara	Brig	Erie, Pennsylvania, USA	Erie Maritime Museum			1813	Battle of Lake Erie	Sunk for preservation 1820, rebuilt three times since	Sail training vessel and museum
USS Monitor	Ironclad warship	Newport News, Virginia, USA	Mariners' Museum			1862	Battle of Hampton Roads	Original vessel sunk in storm off Cape Hatteras, NC, 13 Dec 1862, rediscovered 1973; propeller, anchor, engine, turret, cannons and other artifacts raised 1998, 2001 and 2002, displayed or undergoing restoration at Mariners' Museum	full-size exterior replica; museum exhibit
Amistad	Schooner	New Haven, USA			private owner	app 1825	Involved in Slave trading incident 1839	unknown after 1844
Enterprize	Schooner	Melbourne, Australia	Enterprize Trust, Melbourne			1829	Transported European settlers to Melbourne		Replica of Australian built ship. Charters, School Trips, daysails
William the Fourth	Steam Paddle Wheeler	Newcastle, NSW, Australia	Newcastle City Council		25 px	1831	Ocean going steam powered side paddlewheeler		Replica of Australian built ship
Pilgrim	Brig	Dana Point, USA	Ocean Institute		Private owner	1825	1834 novel by Richard Henry Dana, Jr.	burned at sea 1856	Used in Amistad movie
Dunbrody	Barque	New Ross, Ireland			Private owner	1845	Famine Ship	Grounded 1875, Labrador	A Famine History Museum
Jeanie Johnston	Barque	Dublin, Ireland			Dublin Docklands Development Authority	1847	Famine Ship		Sail Training vessel, a Famine History Museum and a Corporate Entertainment venue
Californian	Schooner	San Diego, USA					patrolled Californian coast app. 1850		based on C.W. Lawrence
Bluenose II	Schooner	Lunenburg, Canada				1921	Winning Racing Schooner	grounded 1946	Fundraising for Bluenose III

^a If more than one replica is made the home port of the different current ports are given in a numbered list

Asia

• SS Bandırma; Turkish passenger cargo vessel
• Kanrin Maru; Minami Awaji harbour, Japan; a double-size replica of a Japanese warship
• Namihaya; Osaka Maritime Museum, Japan; 5th Century Japanese ship replica
• Naniwa Maru; Osaka Maritime Museum, Japan; Edo period merchant ship
• San Juan Bautista; Ishinomaki, Japan; a Japanese warship
• Turtle ship; a generic replica of a Korean ship
• 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.
• Alingano 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, formerly named "Hawaiki Nui".

Other vessels

• Ictineu II; Barcelona, Spain; 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.

See also

• Experimental archaeology
• List of museum ships
• Replica
• Ship of Theseus
• Viking ship replica

References

1. Andrew Doria Home
2. Scheepswerf ‘De Delft’
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariners'_Museum
4. http://www.monitorcenter.org/
5. The Guild of the Hjortspring Boat

External links

• pages.zoom.co.uk/leveridge/replicas.html An overview of ship replicas all over the world
• Replica of Captain Cook's ship, Whitby
• 1985 Godspeed Voyage