Why Girls?

[@homeinok]

Why when people refer to a boat they call it a she?

[rosestar2013]

Because way back when........ when the men would come back from months at sea and they would talking lovingly about the ship they had been on....... well it just wasn't acceptable for them to refer to the boat as male.

 

Plus in some languages nouns have gender and if I remember correctly things that women stereotypically used were male and things that men used were female. Most sailors were men so their ship was female.

[ndeneef]

I live on Lake Ontario and was always told it was good luck to name your boat/ship a female name.

 

 

First cruise 12/3/2013 can't wait!!!

[cb at sea]

Because GIRLS ROCK! That's why!

[Ashland]

Old naval saying is because they need more upkeep :D

[leaveitallbehind]

Old naval saying is because they need more upkeep :D

 

Very good!

[kcwingwalker]

Old naval saying is because they need more upkeep :D

 

Like!

[sparks1093]

Not quite sure, but I have said "now the Dwight D. Eisenhower, she was a good ship";).

Edited November 25, 2013 by sparks1093

[17pioneer]

The latin word for ship was navis which is a feminine noun

[MermaidWatcher]

I believe that it goes back to the classic languages of Latin and Greek. Both are very gender structured languages, and the word for "ship" was a female gendered word.

[joekatie]

So phrases like " she is a beauty" or "check her out" don't get us guys in trouble

 

Sent from my XT897 using Forums mobile app

[Gunner22aa]

<LI class=section itxtHarvested="0" itxtNodeId="2">Early Sailors Called Ships "She"

 

• One reason for calling a ship "she" originated from the fact that in the Romance languages--the languages that descended from ancient Rome--the words for ship were always in the feminine gender. There are over 47 Romance languages, so it didn't take long for Mediterranean sailors to refer to their ships as "she." Over the centuries, English-speaking sailors adopted the same custom.
   
   
  

Women on Ships Bad Luck

 

• The English tradition of calling ships "she" conflicted with common belief that having women aboard ships was bad luck. Sailors believed that having a woman aboard caused violent storms and dismal voyages. Feminine figureheads mounted on the prow of the ship were considered the only lucky women aboard.
   
   
  
• A Ship Is Nurturing
   
   
  

• The more romantic explanations contended that since a ship carried and nurtured its crew on the ocean, its male crews called it a "she" because they depended on the ship for life and nourishment like they once depended on their mothers. Others called the ship a "she" because they said it was as perverse as their wives or their mistresses.
   
   
  

American "She" Ships

 

• During the Siege of Boston in 1775, George Washington started the first American Navy by outfitting small merchant vessels to bombard the British. The crews of the vessels consisted of Army officers and soldiers who were familiar with the sea. They called their ships "she" and the custom continued through U.S. maritime and naval history.
   
   
  

Some Ships Now Called "It"

 

• Modern times are changing. In current maritime legal matters, ships are now referred to as "it," not "she." The Navy is gradually following suit.