 Der Alte Fritz  | 02 Feb 2008 6:41 p.m. PST |
I was wondering why sailors call their ships "her", "she" etc? i.e. why the female gender for a boat. Someone asked me this question and I didn't know the answer. I figured that someone on TMP will have the answer. |
Dropzonetoe  | 02 Feb 2008 6:50 p.m. PST |
Sailors call ships "she" and "her" as they lived in side of it, ala the mothers womb, and the fact they spent so much time aboard… Like they were married to it. |
| ltcdrbob | 02 Feb 2008 6:54 p.m. PST |
Ships are referred to as "she" because, like my first wife, they are expensive to rig and difficult to steer. |
 ochoin | 02 Feb 2008 7:22 p.m. PST |
Boats can be contrary beasts when they want to.
Governed by the seasons & the moon (tides).
donald |
 McKinstry | 02 Feb 2008 7:25 p.m. PST |
I believe the gender varies by nationality. The USN and I believe the RN, refer to ships by the feminine 'she' while the Soviet Navy (and I think the current Russian Navy as well) refer to their ships as 'he'. |
| Cke1st | 02 Feb 2008 7:28 p.m. PST |
It's also common to refer to an enemy ship as "he," but this is not universal. |
| Neotacha | 02 Feb 2008 8:34 p.m. PST |
It's also common to refer to an enemy ship as "he," but this is not universal. Why? So you're not shooting a girl? |
| Detailed Casting Products | 02 Feb 2008 10:01 p.m. PST |
The Bismarck was a "he", iirc. Google phrase finder says the following- : Why is She Called She? : "A boat is called a she because there's always a great deal of bustle around her…because there's usually a gang of men around…because she has waist and stays…because she takes a lot of paint to keep her looking good…because it's not the initial expense that breaks you, it's the upkeep…because she is all decked out…because it takes a good man to handle her right…because she shows her topside, hides her bottom and, when coming into port, always heads for the buoys."
: …………….George Moses in Falmouth, Massachusetts : Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz put it more succinctly in an address to the Society of Sponsors of the United States Navy: "A ship is always referred to as 'she' because it costs so much to keep one in paint and powder." …………Naval Ceremonies, Customs, and Traditions. |
| chaos0xomega | 02 Feb 2008 11:40 p.m. PST |
I always assumed that it was because sailors were a rowdy bunch that didn't get enough action during long trips at sea. |
| John the Confused | 03 Feb 2008 12:44 a.m. PST |
Everyone wants the newest and fastest model with the most flashy extras but usually can't afford them. |
| Dave Jackson | 03 Feb 2008 5:39 a.m. PST |
As far as Bismarck, the Kriegsmarine always referred to their ships as "she", but Hitler specifically directed that Bismarck was to be referred to as "he" because it was such a powerful ship that "she" would be doing it an injustice….Love Nimitz's explanation. (When I was working on board the ships in the Canadian Coast Guard Fleet, we always referred to the ships as "she"…..having said that, there was a still born movement in the mid 90s to change that……..making them an "it", but it didn't fly) |
| ChancerUK | 03 Feb 2008 7:36 a.m. PST |
It tends to work the same way for the most part for cars and planes and armoured vehicles. My own car is called Grubby Griffon is definately a rough old bird. The only way to change the female genderisation mind set wouuld be to recruit gay regiments, or have women only crews. I have to wonder what Alexander called his favourite sword? |
| Madzerker | 03 Feb 2008 8:36 a.m. PST |
Maybe because the Captains or Admirals were men and loved their ships and didn't want to love a "he"? |
| Klebert L Hall | 03 Feb 2008 9:11 a.m. PST |
Because people are weird, and attribute personalities to inanimate objects.
-Kle. |
| Klebert L Hall | 03 Feb 2008 9:12 a.m. PST |
Possibly also because many languages have gendered nouns.
-Kle. |
| ochoin | 03 Feb 2008 4:03 p.m. PST |
What did Alexander the Great call his sword?
Hephaistion.
donald |
| archstanton73 | 03 Feb 2008 6:26 p.m. PST |
Maybe they are called she because they only work well when they are full of seamen???……. ;) |
| tonantius | 04 Feb 2008 12:04 p.m. PST |
English was once a gendered language like German, but lost it by the time of Shakespeare. The Greeks and Romans always referred to ships as feminine gender. In fact if a ship was named after a monarch, it would be feminized, e.g., Phillip's ship would be named Phillippa. |
| vtsaogames | 04 Feb 2008 1:51 p.m. PST |
"What did Alexander the Great call his sword?
Hephaistion." LOL |
| ochoin | 05 Feb 2008 3:44 p.m. PST |
Thank you, vtsa.
I thought the double entendre was a bit too subtle so it's nice to see someone got it.
donald |
| von Scharnhorst | 11 Feb 2008 5:18 a.m. PST |
Dave Jackson
As far as Bismarck, the Kriegsmarine always referred to their ships as "she", but Hitler specifically directed that Bismarck was to be referred to as "he" because it was such a powerful ship that "she" would be doing it an injustice. Same reasoning behind metals being "Das" (das Kupfer, das Aluminium, etc) BUT DER Stahl. (Steel, in Masculine). "Ship" is "das", but when it is the name of the ship it is die Scharnhorst, die Gneisenau etc. Bismarck was DIE Biesmarck….STILL is. From Wiki, the link is not working but… Die Bismarck war ein deutsches Schlachtschiff im Zweiten Weltkrieg. Bei ihrer Indienststellung war sie das größte und kampfstärkste Schlachtschiff der Welt. Im Mai 1941 wurde die Bismarck DO NOT get confussed by; Im Juni 1989 wurde das Wrack der Bismarck… That is NOT "der" Masculine, that is the Genetive of "die". (Dativ "die" is also "der"). Confussed? You will be after this episode of T.M.P. |
