Seawise Giant facts for kids
The Seawise Giant was a supertanker, which is a very large ship designed to carry huge amounts of oil. It was known by several other names during its life, including Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Oppama, and Mont. This incredible vessel holds the record for being the longest ship ever built. It also carried the most weight of cargo, known as deadweight tonnage, ever recorded for a ship.
When the Seawise Giant was fully loaded, it weighed an amazing 657,019 tonnes. This is like the weight of many thousands of cars! Because of its massive size, the ship needed very deep water to float. Its draft, which is how deep the bottom of the ship goes into the water, was 24.6 meters (81 feet). This meant it was too big to travel through important waterways like the English Channel, the Suez Canal, or the Panama Canal.
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Building the Giant
This enormous ship was built in 1979 in Japan. The company that built it was called Sumitomo Heavy Industries. They constructed the ship at their shipyard in Oppama, which is located in Yokosuka, Kanagawa. Building such a huge vessel was a major engineering challenge.
A Ship of Many Names
The Seawise Giant had a long and interesting life. Over the years, it was owned by different companies. Each time it changed owners, it often received a new name. This is why it was known as the Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, Knock Nevis, Oppama, and Mont at various times. Its original name, Seawise Giant, is still the most famous.
Its Incredible Size
Imagine a ship longer than the Empire State Building is tall! The Seawise Giant was 458 meters (1,504 feet) long. That's almost half a kilometer! To give you an idea, it was longer than four football fields lined up end-to-end. Its immense size allowed it to carry over 560 million liters (3.5 million barrels) of oil. This made it a vital part of the world's oil transport system for many years.
War and Rebirth
During the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s, the Seawise Giant faced a dangerous time. In 1988, it was attacked and sunk. This was a huge loss, but the story of the ship didn't end there. It was later salvaged, which means it was rescued from the water. Then, it was carefully repaired and restored. After a lot of hard work, the giant ship was put back into service, ready to carry oil again.
The Final Journey
The Seawise Giant continued to sail the oceans for many more years. However, all ships eventually reach the end of their working lives. In December 2009, the ship made its very last voyage. It was sold to companies in India that specialize in ship breaking. This is the process of taking old ships apart for their metal and other materials. The Seawise Giant was intentionally beached in Alang, Gujarat, India. There, it was carefully taken apart, marking the end of its long and impressive journey.
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