Famous Battleships In History

1st September 2012

With the release of action-packed nautical blockbuster, Battleship, on Blu-ray™ with UltraViolet™ digital copy, DVD and download, we got thinking about famous Battleships that have appeared in films over the years. Here’s a round-up of our favourites, including the HMS Bounty which appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean!

USS Abraham Lincoln AKA: Abe (informally)
Film starred in: Stealth (2005)
Key Info:
· The film was a flop. The net loss, adjusted for inflation, was £70 million
· Is the fifth ship in the class of NIMITZ, nuclear powered aircraft carriers, and is still in active service
· Abe’s flight deck hosted 12 squadrons for carrier qualifications and the film crew, along with a 53-foot-long futuristic stealth fighter named Talon.

S Île de France
Film starred in: The Last Voyage (1960)
Key Info:
· During filming, it ship was partially sunk
· The ship was scrapped in Japan before it was used in the film. Its past owners protested against its use, but stopped appealing on the agreement that its name was not used. In the film, it appears as SS Claridon.

USS Independence (CV-62)
Film starred in: Flight of the Intruder (1980)
Key Info:
· The Forrestal class aircraft carrier was first launched in June 1958, commissioned in January 1959 and decommissioned in September 1998
· During the filming, the film crew started a few electrical fires with their lighting equipment

USS Nimitz (CVN-68) AKA: Old Salt
Film starred in: The Final Countdown (1980)
Key Info:
· Was the first commissioned ship in the NIMITZ- class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers
· The film is a sci-fi movie where a modern ship (the film is made in 1980) is transported back to 1941, right before the attacks on Pearl Harbour.

HMS Phoebe (70s)
Film starred in: Warship (TV series)
Key Info:
· Was given the fictional name HMS Hero for the series
· Due to collaboration between Royal Navy and BBC, the series has a strong historical grounding and accuracy

HMS Bounty (60s)
Film starred in: Mutiny in the Bounty/ Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Key Info:
· It sailed through all 5 Great Lakes as part of the Tall Ships America Challenge in 2010
· It represented the Edinburg trader in Pirates of the Caribbean

HMS Rothesay
Film starred in: James Bond film, Thunderball
Key Info:
· During filming, a sheet of canvas was put over her pennant number F107 so it looked like 007
· Leads the attack on the Disco Volante at the end of the film

HMS Tenby
Film starred in: You Only Live Twice (1967)
Key Info:
· fast, highly manoeuvrable and able to operate in virtually any weather
· affords Commander Bond an official burial tribute

HMS Fearless
Film starred in: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Key Info:
· Was the venue for talks between Harold Wilson and Ian Smith on the future of Rhodesia
· In the film this is the battleship that picks up James Bond from his escape pod

HMS Westminster/HMS Chester
Film starred in: Tomorrow Never Dies
Key Info:
· In the James Bond movies, Bond is a serving member of the Royal Navy on attachment to MI6
· Shots of the interior of the HMS Westminster and shots of the HMS Chester’s exterior were used.

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