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.
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 brig 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 Batavia in Lelystad and the ship of the line replica Delft in Rotterdam (Delfshaven).
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 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.
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 qualify as true replicas. Some ships may be borderline cases, such as 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, most of the ship's timber has been replaced over time, with only 10-15% of the original remaining. 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 Constitution, she is in dry dock and does not sail. She has also been heavily restored, with only 10-15% of her original timber remaining.Mircea, which is an almost exact copy of Gorch Fock. Mircea was built as a copy because 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 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 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.
Some sailing ship replicas with their home port; and key information of the original (many articles are about the original ship):
^a If more than one replica is made the home port of the different current ports are given in a numbered list
SS Bandırma; Turkish passenger cargo vesselKanrin Maru; Minami Awaji harbour, Japan; a double-size replica of a Japanese warshipNamihaya; Osaka Maritime Museum, Japan; 5th-century Japanese ship replicaNaniwa Maru; Osaka Maritime Museum, Japan; Edo period merchant shipSan Juan Bautista; Ishinomaki, Japan; a Japanese warshipTurtle ship; a generic replica of a Korean shipMichinoku Maru; Michinoku Traditional Wooden Boat Museum, Japan; 18th-century Japanese trade ship (Kitamae Bune) replicaJewel of Muscat; Omani 9th-century sailing ship built to retrace the route of the original ship from Oman to Singapore.Princess Taiping; a replica of a Ming Dynasty Chinese junk.Replica (stationary, not seaworthy) of a Chinese treasure ship, in the Treasure Boat Shipyard Park, NanjingDingyuan; a replica of an Imperial Chinese ironclad from the late 19th centuryBounty; 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".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.Various projects for building replicas of the ill-fated RMS Titanic have been proposed over the years. The first Titanic replica to actually commence construction is being built by Chinese firm Seven Star Energy Investment, to be completed in late 2017. It will not sail on any ocean, but be permanently docked on a river in Sichuan province to function as the main attraction for the Romandisea Seven Star International Cultural Tourism Resort.Various "replicas" of Noah's Ark have been built. Whether they are properly regarded as "replicas" depends on whether one takes the Biblical flood story as mythology or fact. Since the Biblical description of the vessel is very brief beyond the basic measures, the exact design of any "replica" is necessarily conjectural.
