0

Like cars and cities, ships are assumed to be female. Be good to her and she'll take care of you.

Thus, even when the name of a ship is masculine, the vessel itself is still a "she."

The USS John Paul Jones: she's a brave little thing.

Or, the Son of Thunder, from H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, is most certainly a "she" in the text.

But something happened (on the way to the forum or elsewhere) in the 1990's - one would assume. Suddenly the definite article is no longer in use, which renders the ship's assumed gender meaningless, if you ask me.

The original Star Trek spaceship, the Enterprise, transitioned into the second series of the franchise; the third series featured the Defiant; and then Voyager (no definite article) came along in the fourth.

Is it Titanic or the Titanic? Which is correct? When did it change? What happened? Is Voyager a "she"?

Heartspring
  • 8,600
  • 6
  • 43
  • 73
Ricky
  • 20,450
  • 1
    Is a ship named Isabelle or Claudette a "she"? Is a ship named John Paul Jones a "she"? Why should a ship named Voyager not be a "she"? This question seems confused. (And Enterprise had "USS Enterprise" painted on the saucer section, IIRC, not "The Enterprise.") – Andrew Leach Oct 08 '23 at 07:14
  • 2
    The tradition of referring to ships as 'she' has nothing to do with the use, or not, of the definite article. However, it seems to me that using the 'given' name alone suggests that the speaker is thinking of the ship as a person; for instance, in the book 'Master and Commander' Jack Aubrey says "My poor Sophie has no surgeon". – Kate Bunting Oct 08 '23 at 08:15
  • There are a lot of other discussions of this exact question online if you Google (even some specific to Star Trek). It seems a bit muddled, but follow the appropriate style guide if you have one, else do what seems nicest. – Stuart F Oct 08 '23 at 11:11
  • You never skip it except when it is written on the hull of a ship or vessel. – Lambie Oct 08 '23 at 15:35

0 Answers0