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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>Ships | smithsonianmag.com</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/ships/</link><description>RSS feed for Ships</description><atom:link href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/ships/" rel="self"/><language>en</language><lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000</lastBuildDate><item><title>Why Does Rain Eat Through Protective Coatings on Metal Structures? Researchers Propose a New Idea: Electrically Charged Droplets</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-rain-eat-through-protective-coatings-on-metal-structures-researchers-propose-a-new-idea-electrically-charged-droplets-180989434/</link><description>Scientists long attributed rain damage to physical abrasion and chemical degradation from acidic substances. A new study offers a third idea, which could help researchers develop longer-lasting coatings and preserve important objects</description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-rain-eat-through-protective-coatings-on-metal-structures-researchers-propose-a-new-idea-electrically-charged-droplets-180989434/</guid><enclosure length="7383298" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/90pUbwkXXJR59gzyZInsOIWXE58=/420x240/filters:focal(2250x1286:2251x1287)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/47/a8/47a8e50d-723c-4887-9823-98217843639a/golden-gate-bridge.jpg"/></item><item><title>A Brittle Coating on a 2,200-Year-Old Roman Shipwreck Reveals How Ancient Sailors Kept Their Ships Afloat</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brittle-coating-on-2200-year-old-roman-shipwreck-revealing-how-ancient-soliders-kept-ships-afloat-180989394/</link><description>Traces of pine tar and beeswax preserved on the vessel reveal the painstaking techniques shipbuilders millennia ago used to protect their ships from the briny deep</description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:45:17 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/brittle-coating-on-2200-year-old-roman-shipwreck-revealing-how-ancient-soliders-kept-ships-afloat-180989394/</guid><enclosure length="794759" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/jvp3qSw_rnkjrM8l7K8-u6y5hCY=/420x240/filters:focal(666x448:667x449)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/4e/9f/4e9f0fe8-aa48-438a-b88f-3a29cd71107e/https___wwwfrontiersinorg_files_articles_1758862_xml-images_fmats-13-1758862-g001.jpeg"/></item><item><title>Shipwreck Hunters Discover the Ruins of a British Destroyer That Split in Half During a Tragic Peacetime Accident 118 Years Ago</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-hunters-discover-the-ruins-of-a-british-destroyer-that-split-in-half-during-a-tragic-peacetime-accident-118-years-ago-180989379/</link><description>Minutes after it collided with a 10,000-ton cruiser, the HMS "Tiger" sank to the bottom of the English Channel. Divers and historians have spent the past four years searching for the Royal Navy vessel</description><pubDate>Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:04:39 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-hunters-discover-the-ruins-of-a-british-destroyer-that-split-in-half-during-a-tragic-peacetime-accident-118-years-ago-180989379/</guid><enclosure length="760422" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/0t0kylGP7VEVK7z7Ti7iXAysQ8I=/420x240/filters:focal(810x540:811x541)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/d0/64/d064592c-d3fc-4ce4-a068-9252a84df55d/dr_steffen_g_scholz_credit_single_whitehead_torpedo_tube_locat-098ead67b3c8a8d78866627705003f89.jpeg"/></item><item><title>Historic Submarine Restoration Reveals a Hidden Connection to a Lost Sister Ship That Sank During World War II</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-submarine-restoration-reveals-a-hidden-connection-to-a-lost-sister-ship-that-sank-during-world-war-ii-180989340/</link><description>Experts working on the USS "Silversides" found a flood valve that appears to have been destined for its sister ship, the USS "Trigger." The vessel sank in the East China Sea on March 28, 1945</description><pubDate>Fri, 14 Aug 2026 15:01:24 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/historic-submarine-restoration-reveals-a-hidden-connection-to-a-lost-sister-ship-that-sank-during-world-war-ii-180989340/</guid><enclosure length="121584" type="image/webp" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/vwCQTGhHbNcLVFzS2-D74TQmBVU=/420x240/filters:focal(536x306:537x307)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/e0/8f/e08fd007-e068-45e9-8ddc-b6264a687719/fb_img_1784226986658.webp"/></item><item><title>The Global Web of Subsea Cables That Connects the World Can Now Detect Whales—Even When They're Silent</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-global-web-of-subsea-cables-that-connects-the-world-can-now-detect-whales-even-when-theyre-silent-180989326/</link><description>A diving whale revealed how existing technology makes it possible to monitor cetaceans swimming quietly across the seabed</description><pubDate>Thu, 13 Aug 2026 14:26:39 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-global-web-of-subsea-cables-that-connects-the-world-can-now-detect-whales-even-when-theyre-silent-180989326/</guid><enclosure length="1754659" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/AuIer1I2uLA7UiNVeUy-LhRcI1c=/420x240/filters:focal(2550x1700:2551x1701)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/ee/fa/eefa3499-1771-482f-a5f5-44818ab7dcb6/gettyimages-639203452.jpg"/></item><item><title>Shipwreck Divers Discovered a 162-Year-Old Bottle of Guinness Brewed During the Reign of Queen Victoria—and They Want to Take a Swig</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-divers-discovered-a-162-year-old-bottle-of-guinness-brewed-during-the-reign-of-queen-victoria-and-they-want-to-take-a-swig-180989320/</link><description>The beer was preserved in a sealed glass bottle and may be safe to sample. The team is also hoping to sequence the DNA of the yeast to recreate what the stout would have tasted like in the 19th century</description><pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2026 17:28:38 +0000</pubDate><guid>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shipwreck-divers-discovered-a-162-year-old-bottle-of-guinness-brewed-during-the-reign-of-queen-victoria-and-they-want-to-take-a-swig-180989320/</guid><enclosure length="329589" type="image/jpeg" url="https://th-thumbnailer.cdn-si-edu.com/8TSMrWO1qqwBx27aLCT-Bk6ZQs4=/420x240/filters:focal(622x509:623x510)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/1f/39/1f399d2f-be9b-4c0d-a379-8ed736dd281a/bottles.jpg"/></item><item><title>This World War II Submarine Noted for Sinking Enemy Ships Just Journeyed Across Lake Michigan for a Multimillion-Dollar Makeover</title><link>https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-world-war-ii-submaring-noted-for-its-success-sinking-enemy-ships-just-journeyed-across-lake-michigan-for-a-multimillion-dollar-makeover-180989269/</link><description>The USS 'Silversides' earned a dozen battle stars for its work patrolling the Pacific Ocean. 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