How Big Was Noah’s Ark Compared to a Cruise Ship?

By Michael Ferguson

Noah’s Ark, as described in the Bible, has been a source of fascination for many centuries. According to the book of Genesis, God instructed Noah and his family to build a large boat, or ark, to save them from the great flood.

The dimensions of this ark are given in the Bible as 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high. A cubit is an ancient unit of length, equal to about 18 inches (45 cm). This would give Noah’s ark an approximate length of 450 feet (137 m), a width of 75 feet (23 m) and a height of 45 feet (14 m).

To put this into perspective, modern cruise ships typically measure between 900 and 1,100 feet (275 – 335 m) in length. In other words, Noah’s Ark would have been about half the size of a modern cruise ship.

The volume comparison is even more pronounced: a typical modern cruise ship has a gross tonnage rating of between 60 and 150 thousand gross tons. By comparison, Noah’s ark would have had around 15 thousand gross tons – one-fourth the size.

Conclusion:

Noah’s Ark was significantly smaller than modern cruise ships. It measured only 450 feet long while most cruise ships measure between 900 and 1,100 feet in length. Its volume was also much smaller with 15 thousand gross tons compared to 60-150 thousand gross tons for most cruise ships today.