Historic African Vessels
Explore Africa’s maritime past and present through the vessels that shaped it. From lake ferries and royal barges to warships and working cargo ships. Each one tells a story of movement, memory, and resilience across the continent’s waters.
MV Chauncy Maples
MV Chauncy Maples is a historic ship on Lake Malawi, often cited as the oldest motor vessel in Africa. Launched in 1901...
MV Ilala
MV Ilala is a historic passenger ferry that has operated on Lake Malawi in East Africa since 1951. Built in 1949 and ass...
HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou
HMS Mimi and HMS Toutou were two British Royal Navy motor launches transported overland to Lake Tanganyika in 1915 durin...
The MV Liemba, originally launched as the SS Graf von Götzen in 1915, is a Tanzanian passenger and cargo ferry on Lake T...
HMS Fifi (ex-SMS Kingani)
HMS Fifi was an armed screw steamer, originally built in 1894 for the German colonial customs service as SMS Kingani. Sh...
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Hedwig von Wissmann
Hedwig von Wissmann was a German steamship launched around 1900 to operate on Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. It served...