2007-02-19 01:21:29 · 9 answers · asked by pchan 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Trivia
According to Yarns of the Sea, Legends, Myths, and Superstitions: Although women were considered to bring bad luck at sea, mariners always use the pronoun "she" when referring to their ships. Whether its proper name is masculine, or whether it is a man o'war, a battleship, or a nuclear submarine, a ship is always referred to as "she."
This old tradition is thought to stem from the fact that in the Romance languages, the word for "ship" is always in the feminine. For this reason, Mediterranean sailors always referred to their ship as "she", and the practice was adopted over the centuries by their English-speaking counterparts.
One source suggests that a ship "was nearer and dearer to the sailor than anyone except his mother." What better reason to call his ship "she"?
2007-02-19 01:26:53 · answer #1 · answered by Bethany 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋
The early sailors were very superstitious and calling it a female name was more of a preventative measure. But for the most part, a vessel was seen as temperamental and should be treated gently and cared for. Also, respected. This is mostly why they are named after females.
2007-02-19 01:26:37 · answer #2 · answered by tlyle420 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's men who name them, so they most definately would pick the name of their fantasy woman. It's the same deal with a man's love of his car, it's always a female; the car is always female. Not that there is anything wrong with that. However, I wonder what gay guys call their cars, not to mention their vessels?
2007-02-19 01:31:04 · answer #3 · answered by Muga Wa Kabbz 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because the names of vessels are terms of affection.
2007-02-19 01:28:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
A sailor falls in love with a boat, and pilot sometimes falls in love with a plane in a way most other folks only fall in love with a woman. And if you name your boat The Betty Grable, you're a lot more likely to take care of her than if you named it Frank.
2007-02-19 01:32:41 · answer #5 · answered by crispy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not sure myself, but I can tell you from personal knowledge that sailors in the Russian navy refer to their vessels as "he" instead of "she."
2007-02-19 07:07:17 · answer #6 · answered by Team Chief 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
men tend to call things they like "she" cars, boats,
ect.
2007-02-19 01:27:10 · answer #7 · answered by RoHo 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
because they're pretty. And expensive.
2007-02-19 01:32:02 · answer #8 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because they are full of semen
2007-02-19 01:25:05 · answer #9 · answered by JACKHOFF 3 · 1⤊ 6⤋