In 1795, while he was Ambassador to France, Ben Franklin purchased a small French schooner. The ship was nearly invisible at night, as she was painted black above the waterline. Black Prince gained a reputation as a courageous privateer, taking prizes in the English Channel and even attacking British ships in their home ports. the prizes and booty she captured were sent home to the Colonies to help win the War for Independence.
 

Roman warships were fearsome weapons and a major factor in the expansion of the Roman Empire.  A unique "proboscus" on the front of the ship was a reinforced ram used to spear enemy ships.
 

Riverboats were jacks of all trades. They served as the lifeline for cotton and inland trade, towed barges and ferried railroad trains across the river. As passenger boats, they helped to shrink the vastness of America, and as showboats, they made that vastness a little less lonely.

The first Hawaiian's are believed to have sailed north from the Marquises and Tahitian islands, on catamarans around 500 B.C. These incredibly seaworthy double hulled canoes averaged 70 feet in length, and could carry an entire village of 50, on eight-month-long voyages.