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United States Marines and Sailors posing on unidentified ship (likely either the USS Pennsylvania or USS Arizona), in 1918. (National World War I Museum, Kansas City, Missouri, USA) #

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3. Unsinkable Sam
The most famous mascot of the British Royal Navy, Unsinkable Sam, previously known as Oscar, was the ship's cat aboard the German battleship Bismarck. When the ship was sunk in 1941, only 116 out of a crew of more than 2,200 survived — 117 if you include Sam. Sam was picked up by the destroyer HMS Cossack, which was in turn torpedoed and sunk a few months later, killing 159 of her crew. Again, Sam survived. Sam then became the ship's cat of HMS Ark Royal … which was torpedoed and sunk in November of that year. Sam was rescued once again, but after that incident, it was decided that it was time for Sam’s sailorship to come to an end.

Unsinkable Sam was given a new job as mouser-in-residence at the governor general of Gibraltar's office. He eventually returned to the U.K. and lived out his years at the Home for Sailors.

Alleged to be ship's cat Oscar/Oskar, aka Unsinkable Sam - formerly of German battleship Bismarck, then of HMS Cossack and HMS Ark Royal Bismarck
The German battleship was sunk on 27 May 1941. Of more than 2200 men on board, only 116 survived, together with Oscar, the ship's cat (or Oskar, to use the German spelling). He was picked up by the British destroyer HMS Cossack, but she too was torpedoed a few months later, on 24 October, with the loss of 159 lives. Attempts to rescue the ship failed, and she was abandoned and sank two days later. Oscar survived again, was taken to Gibraltar, and was then taken on by HMS Ark Royal. His stay there was even shorter, as the aircraft carrier was torpedoed by U-81 on 13 November, eventually capsizing and sinking only 30 miles (50 km) from Gibraltar.

Yet again Oscar was lucky — but there were no more ships for him, as it was decided that his presence was certainly not lucky! By now known as Unsinkable Sam, this great survivor among cats stayed as mouse-catcher in the Governor General of Gibraltar's office buildings until he was taken by a brave ship to Belfast, in Northern Ireland (although some reports say Plymouth). There he lived until his death in 1955, at the Home for Sailors. A portrait of him has a place of honour in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, on the River Thames near London.