Tall Ship Movies

From swashbuckling pirates to action packed naval battles, tall ship movies rock! They're full of action, adventure and dramatic glimpses into life aboard these glorious old sailing ships.

I've long been interested in tall ships and a fan of naval movies in general. But it wasn't until I saw the trailer for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World in the theater that I got hooked on tall ship movies.

Below is a directory of tall ship movies and documentaries that might interest the tall ship film buff in you. Where possible, I've listed the tall ships used in the filming of each movie. A few of those ships are still around and open to the public for touring.

Pictured is the movie, Damn The Defiant!, one of my favorites.

Based on Patric O'Brian's epic Master and Commander novels about the adventures of a British Navy captain. In the movie, the HMS Surprise pursues a larger French ship around Cape Horn to prevent it from raiding British whaling ships in the Pacific.

An incredible movie starring Russell Crowe, Paul Bettany, and the HMS Rose as HMS Surprise.

The movie was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 2 (Best Cinematography and Best Sound Editing). It was the first feature film allowed to shoot scenes in the Galapagos Islands.

Go ahead, watch it and see for yourself why I rave about this movie. With its stirring action and soundtrack, you'll be hooked, too.

A thrilling drama of mutiny aboard a British warship during the Napoleonic wars. The movie stars Alec Guinness and is based on the novel Mutiny by Frank Tilsley.

Guinness plays a British captain trying to prevent his brutal first officer, who has friends in high places at the Admiralty, from driving the crew to mutiny. Then there's the French fleet to deal with.

An excellent movie and it was interesting to watch Alec Guinness in a role other than Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The real life mutiny on the Bounty has been the story for several movies. Each offers their own twist on those fateful events and some are more historically accurate than others.

A fun adventure based on one of my favorite rides at Disney World. The Pirates of the Caribbean films made swashbuckling pirate movies popular again and helped ignite the current pirate craze.

The Lady Washington and HMS Bounty were used in the filming of the series.

The first film is by far my favorite of the series. The story was better than the sequels. I also appreciated the tie-ins to the theme park ride like the prisoners trying to get the key from a dog.

Charles Laughton stars in this 1945 movie loosely based on the pirate William Kidd.

Kidd deceives the king into allowing him to escort a merchant ship, and its treasure, from India back to England. Along the way he eliminates most of his crew and digs up some old treasure as well.

This movie is based on the true story of the slave mutiny that occurred on the slave ship, La Amistad, in 1839. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards.

Most of the tall ship scenes are in the beginning then the story moves ashore. The Pride of Baltimore II stars as the Amistad and the Pilgrim II as other ships.

The 1956 film version of Herman Melville's literary classic about the captain of a whaling ship obsessed with the great whale, Moby Dick.

Directed by John Huston and stars Gregory Peck as Captain Ahab.

Tall ships played an important role in world history. They made world exploration, commerce and colonization of far away lands possible.

Below you'll find films to help you explore the history of tall ships in war and commerce.

One of Britain's greatest naval heroes was Admiral Horatio Nelson. He served in the Royal Navy from before the American Revolution through to the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Nelson was known as an inspiring leader and for his mastery of naval tactics.

The Battle of Trafalgar was Nelson's most famous victory and the one that ultimately cost him his life.

Below are movies that document life aboard tall ships that still sail the seas today.

Watch this documentary from The History Channel to learn more about these speedy tall ships that have served many purposes, from fishing boats to privateers.

What's your favorite tall ship movie? Why do you love watching these movies? Please leave a comment in the logbook below.