It's MS or M/S in a ship name, not Ms

[Modern_Viking]

I know this is being picky, but it is somewhat annoying to see how often people use the abbreviation Ms in the name of a ship.

 

MS or M/S (note, all caps), or sometimes m/s (no caps) stands for "motor ship" and is used in the name of a ship. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_ship

 

Ms is short for "Mistress" and is used with the last name of a woman. Note the mix of upper and lower case. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms.

 

So, on these boards, please remember, it is MS Amsterdam or M/S Amsterdam or m/s Amsterdam, etc.

 

Ships made be called "she" in English, but that doesn't mean they are treated as women in all cases.

 

Exceptions, of course, are SS, TSS, TMS, RMS, USNS, etc. and other civilian indicators of propusion system or government status (operating for the British Post Office if RMS or a US navy cargo carrier if USNS).

 

Sorry to be so picky, but when you know the correct usage, it is tough to see incorrect usage so often.

[RollieUK]

I know this is being picky, but it is somewhat annoying to see how often people use the abbreviation Ms in the name of a ship.

 

MS or M/S (note, all caps), or sometimes m/s (no caps) stands for "motor ship" and is used in the name of a ship. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_ship

 

Ms is short for "Mistress" and is used with the last name of a woman. Note the mix of upper and lower case. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms.

 

So, on these boards, please remember, it is MS Amsterdam or M/S Amsterdam or m/s Amsterdam, etc.

 

Ships made be called "she" in English, but that doesn't mean they are treated as women in all cases.

 

Exceptions, of course, are SS, TSS, TMS, RMS, USNS, etc. and other civilian indicators of propusion system or government status (operating for the British Post Office if RMS or a US navy cargo carrier if USNS).

 

Sorry to be so picky, but when you know the correct usage, it is tough to see incorrect usage so often.

 

When writing a post correcting other people it is always a good idea to proofread it (see red highlighted text) :rolleyes:

[Crazy For Cats]

HAL uses ms so that's good enough for me.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[kazu]

Not to argue with your dictionary but Ms here is used as a salutation for a woman when she choses not to be identified by Miss or Mrs. or the status is not known. ;) The connotation of a mistress with Ms is long gone.

[caribsun]

Please correct me if I am wrong but a large floating vessel is a ship and not a boat and the Captain blows the whistle and not a horn. Are there any other terms that landlubbers get wrong.:)

[jtl513]

Please correct me if I am wrong but a large floating vessel is a ship and not a boat and the Captain blows the whistle and not a horn. Are there any other terms that landlubbers get wrong.:)

Sometimes a large floating vessel can be a boat, such as a submarine or the large ferry boats used in the Baltic and Mediterranean etc. A ship can carry boats, but boats can't carry ships. Some boats carry boats, such as large yachts, submarines, or large ferries.

 

The Captain often blows the Fog Horn, which is commonly shortened to Horn.

 

And one more thing: a gangway can correctly be called a gangplank, although that usage has largely been dropped due to its association with pirates! I think gangway originally referred only to the gap in the railing that you step through onto the gangplank down to the dock. :D

...

[boulders]

From the Cruise Critic Community guidelines:

It is important to remember that everyone makes mistakes at one time or another, and that there are many users who use English as a second language, especially on our Cruise Boards. There are also a number of people who suffer from learning disabilities and who have difficulty noticing their spelling mistakes. Do not make comments on the spelling and grammar of other users. It is simply not a productive expenditure of energies.

[Snook]

Thanks Boulders! We needed that. When there is too much criticizing, it discourages many potential posters, which means we probably miss out on some very valuable information and some entertaining thoughts. I think a correction might be in order when there is a factual error which, if not corrected, might cause some harm or extreme inconvenience.

[whogo]

I blame automatic spell correction for a lot of the oddities on fora.

 

My suggestion would be to keep "now" and "today" out of thread titles. A ship is only arriving or departing "now" and "today" for a short time, yet a thread title is forever. I now longer open such threads.

[Boytjie]

To the OP: egg... face... wipe... :D

[monina01]

serious question: why use that at all? Why is it MS[shipname] and not just the shipname? Is that to make clear it is a ship and not, say, a train or airplane? But those usually don't have names though? :confused:

 

This just got me wondering....

[Fouremco]

serious question: why use that at all? Why is it MS[shipname] and not just the shipname? Is that to make clear it is a ship and not, say, a train or airplane? But those usually don't have names though? :confused:

 

This just got me wondering....

Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. National and military prefixes can identify the nationality and/or purpose. In Canada, we have a rather unique bilingual designation, for example: CCGS/NGCC (Canadian Coast Guard Ship/Navire de Garde côtière canadienne).

 

Interestingly, HAL consistently uses MS (or ms) when referring to its ships, while Celebrity seldom, if ever, uses its MV prefix.

 

[startwin]

I know this is being picky, but it is somewhat annoying to see how often people use the abbreviation Ms in the name of a ship.

 

MS or M/S (note, all caps), or sometimes m/s (no caps) stands for "motor ship" and is used in the name of a ship. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_ship

 

Ms is short for "Mistress" and is used with the last name of a woman. Note the mix of upper and lower case. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms.

 

So, on these boards, please remember, it is MS Amsterdam or M/S Amsterdam or m/s Amsterdam, etc.

 

Ships made be called "she" in English, but that doesn't mean they are treated as women in all cases.

 

Exceptions, of course, are SS, TSS, TMS, RMS, USNS, etc. and other civilian indicators of propusion system or government status (operating for the British Post Office if RMS or a US navy cargo carrier if USNS).

 

Sorry to be so picky, but when you know the correct usage, it is tough to see incorrect usage so often.

 

 

Yes, it's being picky. And no one appreciates being lectured here. Maybe if you had worded it differently - especially the sentence I bolded.........

[innlady1]

Picky...picky...picky!!! And against Cruise Critic guidelines to boot. :rolleyes:

[cruisin'girl]

Some people take this forum and themselves way too seriously.

[sapper1]

Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. National and military prefixes can identify the nationality and/or purpose. In Canada, we have a rather unique bilingual designation, for example: CCGS/NGCC (Canadian Coast Guard Ship/Navire de Garde côtière canadienne).

 

Interestingly, HAL consistently uses MS (or ms) when referring to its ships, while Celebrity seldom, if ever, uses its MV prefix.

 

 

You forgot HMCS. Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. :)

[RuthC]

Ms is short for "Mistress" and is used with the last name of a woman. Note the mix of upper and lower case. For reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ms.

I did not know that. I was under the impression that "Mrs." was the shortened form of "Mistress". I understood "Ms" to be a fairly recent term for which there was no word.

[solocanadian]

Picky...picky...picky!!! And against Cruise Critic guidelines to boot. :rolleyes:

 

Ditto

[Fouremco]

You forgot HMCS. Her Majesty's Canadian Ship. :)

Sapper1, I cited an example only.

In Canada, we have a rather unique bilingual designation, for example: CCGS/NGCC (Canadian Coast Guard Ship/Navire de Garde côtière canadienne).

 

Here are a few more:

 

HMCS/NCSM - His/Her Majesty's Canadian Ship/Navire Canadien de Sa Majesté

 

CFAV/NAFC - Canadian Forces Auxiliary Vessel/Navire auxiliaire des Forces canadiennes

 

CCGS/NGCC - Canadian Coast Guard Ship/Navire de Garde côtière canadienne

 

CCGC/CGCC - Canadian Coast Guard Cutter/Cotre de Garde côtière canadienne (no longer used)

 

CGS - Canadian Government Ship (no longer used)

 

CSS - Canadian Survey Ship (no longer used)

 

DGS - Dominion Government Ship (no longer used)

 

SCTS/NECM - Sea Cadet Training Ship/Navire école des cadets de la Marine

[travelnap]

Some ships also get the prefix because of the country they sail under:

 

USS-United States Ship

HMS-English-His or Her Majesties Ship

AMB- Italy-Attsa My Boat

 

I apologize to our Italian friends, I just couldn't resist an old joke.

[Willem Ruys]

Please correct me if I am wrong but a large floating vessel is a ship and not a boat and the Captain blows the whistle and not a horn. Are there any other terms that landlubbers get wrong.:)

 

 

For well over 100 years ships built for the carriage of bananas (and America's cruise industry stemmed from such vessels (STEMMED! get it?) carrying have been called BANANA BOATS....and ships carrying bovines or ovines are similarly often called boats - "CATTLE BOATS"...so yes you were wrong...

 

I know a few things about banana boats, learned before, during and after writing a 606 page book about them, "GOING BANANAS" 100 Years of American Fruit Ships in the Caribbean.

 

Further, veteran of working in 14 ships over the years you'd be disheartened to hear some of the nautical slang we use -like...the "pointy end" for the bow area; the rear heinie (stern)...and in the American merchant marine for decades officers have spoken of the Master driving the vessel...

[runner15km]

Thanks for the lesson, I like to learn something new every day. Can you clarify about the horn or is it a whistle ? Is there a difference in a balcony or veranda ? Do we sleep in a room, cabin or stateroom. :)

 

PS- I get it, Baltimore, Maryland

[monina01]

Prefixes for civilian vessels may either identify the type of propulsion, such as "SS" for steamship, or purpose, such as "RV" for research vessel. National and military prefixes can identify the nationality and/or purpose. In Canada, we have a rather unique bilingual designation, for example: CCGS/NGCC (Canadian Coast Guard Ship/Navire de Garde côtière canadienne).

 

Interestingly, HAL consistently uses MS (or ms) when referring to its ships, while Celebrity seldom, if ever, uses its MV prefix.

 

 

thank you for explaining. :) much appreciated.

[magandab]

I did not know that. I was under the impression that "Mrs." was the shortened form of "Mistress". I understood "Ms" to be a fairly recent term for which there was no word.

 

Bingo! Ms. is it's own word.

 

I would guess that OP doesn't do much typing (yes, that word dated me) on an iPad or iPhone, where getting Ms to type as MS takes additional keystrokes.