This is a list of the world's largest machines, both static and movable in history.
Model | Type | Length | Height | Width | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bagger 293 | Bucket-wheel excavator | 225 m (738 ft 2 in) [1] [2] | 96 m (315 ft 0 in) | 46 m (150 ft 11 in) | 14,200 t (31,300,000 lb) | 1995 | |
Overburden Conveyor Bridge F60 | Conveyor bridge | 502 m (1,647 ft 0 in) [3] | 79 m (259 ft 2 in) | 241 m (790 ft 8 in) | 13,600 t (30,000,000 lb) | 1969 | |
Bagger 288 | Bucket-wheel excavator | 220 m (721 ft 9 in) [4] | 96 m (315 ft 0 in) | 46 m (150 ft 11 in) | 13,500 t (29,800,000 lb) | 1978 | |
Big Muskie | Dragline excavator | 148 m (485 ft 7 in) [5] | 68 m (223 ft 1 in) | 46 m (150 ft 11 in) | 12,247 t (27,000,000 lb) | 1969 | 1991 |
The Captain | Giant stripping shovel | 97 m (318 ft 3 in) [6] | 64 m (210 ft 0 in) | 27 m (88 ft 7 in) | 12,700 t (28,000,000 lb) | 1965 | 1991 |
Model | Type | Length | Height | Width | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Honghai Crane | Mobile gantry crane | 150 m (492 ft 2 in) [7] | 124 m (406 ft 10 in) | 11,000 t (24,300,000 lb) | 2014 | ||
Big Bertha | Tunnel boring machine | 99 m (324 ft 10 in) [8] | 17.5 m (57 ft 5 in) | 17.5 m (57 ft 5 in) | 6,100 t (13,400,000 lb) | 2012 | 2017 |
XGC88000 crawler crane | Crawler crane | 173 m (567 ft 7 in) [9] | 108 m (354 ft 4 in) | 5,350 t (11,800,000 lb) | 2013 | ||
NASA Crawler-transporter | Crawler-transporter | 40 m (131 ft 3 in) [10] | 6–8 m (19 ft 8 in – 26 ft 3 in) | 35 m (114 ft 10 in) | 2,721 t (6,000,000 lb) | 1965 | |
Model | Type | Length | Height | Width | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Schwerer Gustav | Railway gun | 47.3 m (155 ft 2 in) [11] | 11.6 m (38 ft 1 in) | 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) | 1,350 t (2,980,000 lb) | 1941 | 1945 |
Helepolis | Siege tower | 20 m (65 ft 7 in) [12] | 40 m (131 ft 3 in) | 20 m (65 ft 7 in) | 160 t (353,000 lb) | 305 BCE | 292 BCE |
Model | Type | Length | Diameter | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LZ 129 Hindenburg | Rigid airship | 245 m (803 ft 10 in) [13] | 41.2 m (135 ft 2 in) | 215 t (474,000 lb) | 1936 | 1937 |
USS Akron | Rigid airship | 239 m (784 ft 1 in) [14] | 40 m (131 ft 3 in) | 182.8 t (403,000 lb) | 1931 | 1933 |
R101 | Rigid airship | 236.8 m (776 ft 11 in) [15] | 40 m (131 ft 3 in) | 116.9 t (258,000 lb) | 1929 | 1930 |
Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10 | Hybrid airship | 92 m (301 ft 10 in) [16] | 34 m (111 ft 7 in) | 33.2 t (73,200 lb) | 2012 | |
Model | Type | Length | Wingspan | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Antonov An-225 Mriya | Cargo aircraft | 84 m (275 ft 7 in) [17] | 88.4 m (290 ft 0 in) | 285 t (628,000 lb) | 1988 | 2022 |
Scaled Composites Stratolaunch | Mother ship | 73 m (239 ft 6 in) [18] | 117 m (383 ft 10 in) | 226 t (498,000 lb) | 2019 | |
Caspian Sea Monster | Ekranoplan | 92 m (301 ft 10 in) | 37.6 m (123 ft 4 in) | 240 t (529,000 lb) | 1964 | 1980 |
Airbus A380 | Wide-body airliner | 72.7 m (238 ft 6 in) [19] | 79.7 m (261 ft 6 in) | 285 t (628,000 lb) | 2003 | 2021 |
Boeing 747-8 | Wide-body airliner | 76.3 m (250 ft 4 in) | 68.5 m (224 ft 9 in) | 220.1 t (485,000 lb) | 2008 | 2023 |
Hughes H-4 Hercules | Flying boat | 66.7 m (218 ft 10 in) | 97.8 m (320 ft 10 in) | 113 t (249,000 lb) | 1947 | 1947 |
Model | Type | Length | Height/Depth | Width/Beam | Gross Weight Tonnage | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Prelude FLNG | Floating production storage and offloading | 488 m (1,601 ft 1 in) [20] | 105 m (344 ft 6 in) | 74 m (242 ft 9 in) | 300,000 t (661,000,000 lb) | 2013 | |
Seawise Giant | Oil tanker | 458.4 m (1,503 ft 11 in) [21] | 29.8 m (97 ft 9 in) | 68.6 m (225 ft 1 in) | 260,941 t (575,000,000 lb) | 1979 | 2009 |
Pioneering Spirit | Crane vessel | 382 m (1,253 ft 3 in) [22] | 30 m (98 ft 5 in) | 124 m (406 ft 10 in) | 403,342 t (889,000,000 lb) | 2013 | |
Batillus | Supertanker | 414.22 m (1,359 ft 0 in) [22] | 35.92 m (117 ft 10 in) | 63.01 m (206 ft 9 in) | 275,268 t (607,000,000 lb) | 1976 | 2003 |
TI | Supertanker | 380 m (1,246 ft 9 in) [23] | 68 m (223 ft 1 in) | 234,006 t (516,000,000 lb) | 2003 | ||
Model | Type | Length | Height/Depth | Width/Beam | Gross Weight Tonnage | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Icon of the Seas | Cruise ship | 364.75 m (1,196 ft 8 in) [24] | 59.74 m (196 ft 0 in) [24] [25] | 48.47 m (159 ft 0 in) | 248,663 t (548,000,000 lb) | 2022 | |
Wonder of the Seas | Cruise ship | 362.04 m (1,187 ft 10 in) [26] | 64 m (210 ft 0 in) | 236,857 t (522,000,000 lb) | 2020 | ||
Symphony of the Seas | Cruise ship | 361.011 m (1,184 ft 5.0 in) [27] | 72.5 m (237 ft 10 in) | 66 m (216 ft 6 in) | 228,081 t (503,000,000 lb) | 2018 | |
Queen Mary 2 | Ocean liner | 345.03 m (1,132 ft 0 in) [28] | 72 m (236 ft 3 in) | 45 m (147 ft 8 in) | 149,215 t (329,000,000 lb) | 2004 | |
Model | Type | Length | Height/Depth | Width/Beam | Gross Weight Tonnage | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gerald R. Ford | Nuclear-powered supercarrier | 337 m (1,105 ft 8 in) [29] | 76 m (249 ft 4 in) | 78 m (255 ft 11 in) | 110,000 t (243,000,000 lb) | 2017 | |
Nimitz | Nuclear-powered supercarrier | 332.8 m (1,091 ft 10 in) [30] | 76 m (249 ft 4 in) | 76.8 m (252 ft 0 in) | 106,300 t (234,000,000 lb) | 1975 | |
Fujian | Conventional-powered supercarrier | 316 m (1,036 ft 9 in) [31] | 76 m (249 ft 4 in) | 80,000–100,000 t (176,000,000–220,000,000 lb) | 2022 | ||
Model | Type | Length | Width | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
International Space Station | Space station | 73 m (239 ft 6 in) | 109 m (357 ft 7 in) | 444.6 t (980,000 lb) | 1998 | |
Tiangong Space Station | Space station | 55.6 m (182 ft 5 in) | 9.25 m (30 ft 4 in) | 100 t (220,000 lb) | 2021 | |
Model | Type | Length | Diameter | Weight | Year introduced | Year discontinued |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SpaceX Starship | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle | 120 m (393 ft 8 in) | 9 m (29 ft 6 in) | 5,000 t (11,000,000 lb) | 2023 | |
Saturn V | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle | 110.6 m (362 ft 10 in) | 10.1 m (33 ft 2 in) | 2,965 t (6,540,000 lb) | 1967 | 1973 |
N1 | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle | 105.3 m (345 ft 6 in) | 17 m (55 ft 9 in) | 2,750 t (6,060,000 lb) | 1969 | 1972 |
SLS Block 1 | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle | 98 m (321 ft 6 in) | 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) | 2,610 t (5,750,000 lb) | 2022 | |
Energia | Super heavy-lift launch vehicle | 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) [32] | 17.6 m (57 ft 9 in) | 2,525 t (5,570,000 lb) | 1987 | 1988 |
An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a naval force to project air power worldwide without depending on local bases for staging aircraft operations. Carriers have evolved since their inception in the early twentieth century from wooden vessels used to deploy balloons to nuclear-powered warships that carry numerous fighters, strike aircraft, helicopters, and other types of aircraft. While heavier aircraft such as fixed-wing gunships and bombers have been launched from aircraft carriers, these aircraft have not landed on a carrier. By its diplomatic and tactical power, its mobility, its autonomy and the variety of its means, the aircraft carrier is often the centerpiece of modern combat fleets. Tactically or even strategically, it replaced the battleship in the role of flagship of a fleet. One of its great advantages is that, by sailing in international waters, it does not interfere with any territorial sovereignty and thus obviates the need for overflight authorizations from third-party countries, reduces the times and transit distances of aircraft and therefore significantly increases the time of availability on the combat zone.
The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It is composed of five sub-branches: the Surface Force, the Submarine Force, the Coastal Defense Force, the Marine Corps and the Naval Air Force, with a total strength of 252,000 personnel, including 35,000 marines and 18,000 naval aviation personnel. The PLAN's combat units are deployed among three theater command fleets, namely the North Sea, East Sea and South Sea Fleet, which serve the Northern, Eastern and Southern Theater Command, respectively.
The Lockheed EP-3 is an electronic signals reconnaissance variant of the P-3 Orion, primarily operated by the United States Navy.
HMS Prince of Wales (R09) is the second Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carrier of the Royal Navy. Unlike most large aircraft carriers, Prince of Wales is not fitted with catapults and arrestor wires, and is instead designed to operate STOVL aircraft; the ship is currently planned to carry up to 48 F-35B Lightning II stealth multirole fighters and Merlin helicopters for airborne early warning and anti-submarine warfare, although in surge conditions the class is capable of supporting 70+ F-35B. The design emphasises flexibility, with accommodation for 250 Royal Marines and the ability to support them with attack helicopters and troop transports up to and larger than Chinook size.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), previously known as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL), is a cruise line brand founded in 1968 in Norway and organized as a wholly owned subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group since 1997. Based in Miami, Florida, it is the largest cruise line by revenue and second largest by passengers counts. In 2018, Royal Caribbean International controlled 19.2% of the worldwide cruise market by passengers and 14.0% by revenue. As of January 2024, the line operates 27 ships and has three additional ships on order.
The Oasis class is a class of 7 Royal Caribbean International cruise ships. The first two ships in the class, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, were delivered respectively in 2009 and 2010 by STX Europe Turku Shipyard, Finland. A third Oasis-class vessel, Harmony of the Seas, was delivered in 2016 built by STX France. A fourth vessel, Symphony of the Seas, was completed in March 2018. As of March 2022, the fifth Oasis-class ship, Wonder of the Seas, was the largest cruise ship in the world. A sixth ship, Utopia of the Seas, is currently being built for entry into service in July 2024 with a seventh to follow in 2028.
A landship is a large land vehicle that travels exclusively on land. Its name is meant to distinguish it from vehicles that travel through other mediums such as conventional ships, airships, and spaceships.
Oasis of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She is the first of her class, the Oasis class, whose ships were the largest passenger ships in the world, until surpassed in 2023 by the Icon class. Her hull was laid down in November 2007 and she was completed and delivered to Royal Caribbean in October 2009. At the time of construction, Oasis of the Seas set a new capacity record of carrying over 6,000 passengers. The first of her class, she was joined by sister ships Allure of the Seas in December 2010, Harmony of the Seas in May 2016, Symphony of the Seas in April 2018, and Wonder of the Seas in March 2022, as well as Utopia of the Seas in July 2024. Oasis of the Seas conducts cruises of the Caribbean from her home port of PortMiami in Miami, Florida.
Allure of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. As of 2018, the Oasis class ships were the largest passenger vessels ever in service, and Allure is 50 millimetres (2.0 in) longer than her sister ship Oasis of the Seas, though both were built to the same specifications. Designed under the name "Project Genesis", she was ordered from Aker Finnyards in February 2006 and her construction began at the Perno shipyard, Turku, Finland, in February 2008. She was named in May 2008 after a contest was held to name her and her sister. The keel of Allure of the Seas was laid on 2 December 2008, shortly after the shipyard had been acquired by STX Europe.
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. While some of these modern cruise ships were later expanded, they did not regain their "largest" titles.
Valemax ships are a fleet of very large ore carriers (VLOC) owned or chartered by the Brazilian mining company Vale S.A. to carry iron ore from Brazil to European and Asian ports. With a capacity ranging from 380,000 to 400,000 tons deadweight, the vessels meet the Chinamax standard of ship measurements for limits on draft and beam. Valemax ships are the largest bulk carriers ever constructed, when measuring deadweight tonnage or length overall, and are amongst the longest ships of any type currently in service.
Stratolaunch LLC is a private American aerospace company providing high-speed flight test services. It was founded in 2011 to develop a new air-launched space transportation system, with its corporate headquarters in Seattle. The company and development project were announced in December 2011 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Scaled Composites founder Burt Rutan, who had previously collaborated on SpaceShipOne. After ten years, the company was acquired in 2019 by Cerberus Capital Management and has continued privately funded, operating as a non-traditional defense contractor.
The Scaled Composites Model 351 Stratolaunch or Roc is an aircraft built by Scaled Composites for Stratolaunch Systems to carry air-launch-to-orbit (ALTO) rockets, and subsequently repurposed to offer air launch hypersonic flight testing after a change of ownership. It was announced in December 2011, rolled out in May 2017, and flew for the first time on April 13, 2019, shortly after the death of founder Paul Allen. The aircraft features a twin-fuselage design and the longest wingspan ever flown, at 385 feet (117 m), surpassing the Hughes H-4 Hercules "Spruce Goose" flying boat of 321 feet (98 m). The Stratolaunch is intended to carry a 550,000-pound (250 t) payload and has a 1,300,000-pound (590 t) maximum takeoff weight.
Harmony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship built by STX France at the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, for Royal Caribbean International. With a gross tonnage of 226,963 GT, she is the fourth largest passenger ship in the world, larger than her older sisters Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, but surpassed by her newer sisters Symphony of the Seas and Wonder of the Seas. Harmony of the Seas is also the second longest cruise ship in the world, being surpassed by Icon of the Seas.
Symphony of the Seas is an Oasis-class cruise ship owned and operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was built in 2018 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, the fourth in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of cruise ships.
Wonder of the Seas is a cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International. She was completed in 2022 in the Chantiers de l'Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire France, the fifth in Royal Caribbean's Oasis class of cruise ships. At 235,600 GT, she was the largest cruise ship by gross tonnage, until she was surpassed in 2024 by the Icon-class cruise ship, Icon of the Seas, also owned by Royal Caribbean International.