The Last Ship is the eleventh studio album by English musician Sting, released on 20 September 2013 in Germany and on 24 September 2013 in the UK and US. It contains songs written for and inspired by the musical The Last Ship, which was then in production and would premiere in June 2014. The Last Ship is the first full-length LP of original material released by Sting since his 2003 album Sacred Love.
The album, like the musical, takes inspiration from the closing of the shipyards in and around the historic shipbuilding town of Wallsend, where Sting grew up. The album features guest artists with roots in the northeast of England, including Brian Johnson from AC/DC, Jimmy Nail, The Unthanks, The Wilson Family and Kathryn Tickell.
On 5 December 2025, an expanded edition of the album was released, featuring five previously unreleased songs.
Contents
Background
The album is inspired by the musical of the same name, which premiered in June 2014, and whose songs were written by Sting. The play explores the themes of homecoming and self-discovery, drawing upon Sting's memories of growing up in the shipbuilding town of Wallsend, along with his reflections on the complexity of relationships, the passage of time and the importance of family and community.
Of the album's twelve songs and the musical's roughly twenty songs, only six are common to both (although the deluxe version of the album includes another three, and the "super deluxe" version includes another four). In some cases, the differences are due to changes to the musical after the album had been recorded, such as the song "What Say You Meg?" being written to replace "Practical Arrangement".
Commercial performance
The Last Ship debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200, and No. 6 on the Top Rock Albums chart, selling 20,000 copies in the first week. The album has sold 90,000 copies in the United States as of September 2016.
Formats
The album is available as both a digital and physical release in two configurations: a standard 12-song version (also available on vinyl) and a 2-disc deluxe version with 5 additional tracks. Moreover, a 2-disc super deluxe edition with 20 tracks and special packaging is available.
Personnel
Sting – vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar, orchestral bells, cymbal
Rob Mathes – piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, background vocals
Dominic Miller – electric guitar, acoustic guitar, gut string solo guitar ("It's Not the Same Moon")
Ira Coleman – bass guitar
Joe Bonadio – drums, percussion
Peter Tickell – violin, mandolin (solo on "What Have We Got?" and "Show Some Respect")
Julian Sutton – melodeon
Kathryn Tickell – violin, Northumbrian smallpipes (solo on "The Last Ship" and "Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint")
Jo Lawry – vocals ("Shipyard"), duet vocal (on "Practical Arrangement" (Full Original Duet)), background vocals
Jimmy Nail – vocals ("What Have We Got?" and "Shipyard"), background vocals
Brian Johnson – vocals ("Shipyard" and "Sky Hooks and Tartan Paint")
Thomas Bowes – violin (concertmaster)
Emlyn Singleton – violin (principal second violin)
Rita Manning, Boguslaw Kostecki, Warren Zielinski, Cathy Thompson, Chris Tombling, Debbie Widdup, Mark Berrow, Gaby Lester, Steve Morris – violin
Peter Lale – viola (principal)