Mayflower, bound for London out of Trondheim, Norway, in 1609
Specifications: 100-foot-long, square-rigged sailing ship designed for cargo (Pilgrims saved money on rental in 1620 and experienced bumpy ride, lacking proper ballast).
Bill of lading:*
- 3,000 planks Norwegian wood
- 140 barrels tar
- 42 barrels herring
———
* Some provisions and wood thrown overboard to lighten load
Aurungzebe and Chambers, bound for Amoy, China, out of London in 1702
Specifications: East India Company frigates of 425 and 350 tons, respectively
Bill of lading:
- 30,111 yards broadcloth and rashes
- Other woolen cloths
- 115 tons lead
- Sundry commodities
- 53,895 rials of eight
- 71,500 ducatoons
- 12,000 French crowns
- 41 bars silver
- (Returned with raw silk, copper, and gold)
Zong, bound for Black River, Jamaica, out of Accra, Gold Coast, in 1781
Specifications: Dutch-built square-stern slave ship captured by the English
Manifest: 19-person crew, 1 passenger
Bill of lading:
- Some 440 slaves valued at £30 sterling per head*
- Provisions (15,000 gallons of water)
———
* Only around 200 slaves arrived in Jamaica; at least 132 sick slaves were thrown overboard by crew to claim insurance money
Lusitania, bound for Liverpool out of New York City in 1915
Specifications: British ocean liner noted for speed and luxury
Manifest: 1,959 passengers and crew, plus 3 German prisoners
Bill of lading:*
- 1,248 cases artillery shells
- 4,200 cases rifle cartridges
- 189 packages military goods
- 20 packages sewing machines and parts
- 10 packages dental goods
———
* Cargo and 1,198 people lost (among them 128 U.S. citizens) when a German U-boat torpedoed the ship; incident contributed to U.S. entry into World War I
USS Sylvania, bound for Norfolk, Virginia, out of Naples in 1976
Specifications: U.S. Navy combat-stores ship (made to supply provisions, among them fresh and frozen foods, to warships out at sea)
Bill of lading:
- 55 ancient Egyptian items for the exhibit
- The Treasures of Tutankhamen*
- Refrigerated boxes of hamburger patties
- Frozen and dry provisions for combat ships
- Helicopter fuel
———
* Transported in secret on boat by request of Gamal Mokhtar, chairman of Egyptian the Antiquities Organization, fearing aerial hijacking or plane crash
Emma Maersk, bound for Lianjiao, China, out of UK in 2007
Specifications: Container ship with a 15,550 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity, among the largest container ships ever built
Manifest: 13 crew members
Bill of lading:
- 170,000 metric tons of trash (around 375 million pounds)