In today's modern shipping fleets, many special-purpose ships have replaced cargo ships. The first of these were the "Seatrain" ships. Seatrain built ships in 1929 onto which loaded railroad cars, the first "intermodal containers" could be carried between ports.
    The 8,601 ton Seatrain Havana, built in 1932, was renamed the “Seatrain Savannah” in 1951 as it added a stop at the port of Savannah on its New York to Havana route. Seatrain soon began carrying railcars to Puerto Rico.
    Another special-purpose ship has become the ship of choice for most world-wide shipping: "Containerships," which carry thousands of container boxes loaded into the hull and onto the deck.
    The first four containerships named Savannah were: the 12,840-ton ship built in Australia in 1969; the 36,263-ton ship built in 1981 in the Netherlands; the 10,962-ton ship built in Germany in 1984; and the 35,598-ton Hanjin Savannah built in South Korea in 1987.
    Another specialization in ocean shipping was the development of the "Liquefied Petroleum Gas" (or LPG) and "Liquefied Natural Gas" (or LNG) transports. LPG carriers haul gases such as propane, butane, propylene, while LNG carriers haul only liquefied natural gas.
    The first two LPG Tankers so named were the Garrison Savannahs: the 11,361-ton ship built in 1992 in Italy, and the second, weighing 5,849 tons, built in 2001 in Japan.
    Two of the new "Bulk Carriers" named Savannah were built in 2000 in Japan: The first was the 19,743-ton ship built by Saiki Shipbuilding, while second was the 18,050-ton ship built by Imabari Shipbuilding.
    Several newer Savannah containerships were built: the 25,129-ton ADCL Savannah (Abu Dhabi), built in Germany in 1998; while in 2001 the 40,306-ton YM Savannah (Yang Ming) and in 2004 the 54,626-ton Zim Savannah were both built at Hyundai Shipyards in South Korea.
    In 2005, two more containerships were built: the first was the P&O Savannah (Peninsular and Orient), weighing 25,406 tons, built in Germany; the second was the Savannah Express, weighing 94,483 tons, built in South Korea.
    The next containership built named the Savannah was the 91,427 ton Maersk Savannah, built in 2008 in South Korea, which is one of the largest containerships built so far.
    In addition, in 2010, two more ships named Savannah were built at the Samsung Shipyards in South Korea: the first was the 40,168-ton containership OOCL Savannah (Orient Overseas); and the second was a LPG super-tanker weighing a massive 97,818 tons.
                
    Roger Allen is a local lover of history. Allen provides a brief look at the area's historical past. Email Roger at rwasr1953@gmail.com.