# What is behind choosing a ship's name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Scuttlebutt\ **Created:** [January 2, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968 "2017-01-02T03:04:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 3:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/1 "2017-01-02T03:04:20Z")
Different companies and countries have different traditions behind how a ship’s name is chosen. Here is some examples; [http://maritime.no/nyheter/her-far-kundene-vaere-med-a-bestemme-navn/](http://maritime.no/nyheter/her-far-kundene-vaere-med-a-bestemme-navn/) Why does all Will. Wilhelmsen ship names start with a T?: [http://sysla.no/2017/01/02/maritim/de-har-ikke-tatt-sjansen-pa-a-endre-skipsnavnene-pa-140-ar\_183481/](http://sysla.no/2017/01/02/maritim/de-har-ikke-tatt-sjansen-pa-a-endre-skipsnavnene-pa-140-ar_183481/) Why does all Mokster boats have the name Stril first?: [http://maritime.no/nyheter/for-min-far-var-en-stril-likt-kvalitet-og-hardt-arbeid/](http://maritime.no/nyheter/for-min-far-var-en-stril-likt-kvalitet-og-hardt-arbeid/) In the US it appears that name of persons are a preference. Why?? ---
**Author:** ![LI\_Domer](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/li_domer/32/768_2.png) [@LI\_Domer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/LI_Domer)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 5:02am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/2 "2017-01-02T05:02:12Z")
> [@"ombugge"](#): > > Different companies and countries have different traditions behind how a ship’s name is chosen. Here is some examples; [http://maritime.no/nyheter/her-far-kundene-vaere-med-a-bestemme-navn/](http://maritime.no/nyheter/her-far-kundene-vaere-med-a-bestemme-navn/) Why does all Will. Wilhelmsen ship names start with a T?: [http://sysla.no/2017/01/02/maritim/de-har-ikke-tatt-sjansen-pa-a-endre-skipsnavnene-pa-140-ar\_183481/](http://sysla.no/2017/01/02/maritim/de-har-ikke-tatt-sjansen-pa-a-endre-skipsnavnene-pa-140-ar_183481/) Why does all Mokster boats have the name Stril first?: [http://maritime.no/nyheter/for-min-far-var-en-stril-likt-kvalitet-og-hardt-arbeid/](http://maritime.no/nyheter/for-min-far-var-en-stril-likt-kvalitet-og-hardt-arbeid/) In the US it appears that name of persons are a preference. Why?? In US ships I’ve seen many naming conventions used. Though contrary to what you suggest probably more likely to be named for a place then a person. However, many other countries name ships for people as well. At least I’ve seen Russian and Brits do it. About naming after people in the US though: In small shipping companies, especially tugboats, it’s usually the name of a family member: Ex: Margaret Moran, Brendan Turecamo, Next are ships named for a benefactor, or someone important in securing the funding or making sure the project gets completed. Ex: USTS Kennedy, USS Jeannette(formerly HMS Pandora) Finally, ships of the same class or line all named after a group of people in memoriam. Ex: APL’s president named ships of the '40-70s, and Liberty Ships such as the SS JOHN W. BROWN and the SS JEREMIAH O’BRIEN ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Lee\_Shore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lee_Shore)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 9:48am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/3 "2017-01-02T09:48:57Z")
There was a floating honey wagon in a New England marina I pulled into once. It was appropriately named the “Repulsive”. ---
**Author:** ![jdcavo](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/jdcavo/32/108_2.png) [@jdcavo](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/jdcavo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 10:06am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/4 "2017-01-02T10:06:58Z")
[QUOTE=Lee Shore;193974]There was a floating honey wagon in a New England marina I pulled into once. It was appropriately named the “Repulsive”.[/QUOTE] In the 1990s while the sewage plant was under construction in Boston, there were sewage barges named “Number 1” and “Number 2.” On their delivery trip from New Orleans under tow by Reinauer, the bows fell off both barges near Fort Pierce, Florida, The nasty litigation that followed is one on the main reasons I no longer practice law. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/5 "2017-01-02T12:14:41Z")
> [@Lee Shore;193974](#): > > There was a floating honey wagon in a New England marina I pulled into once. It was appropriately named the “Repulsive”. Since we are speaking of marinas, I saw this one at a local marine a few weeks ago: ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/gcaptain_maritime_forum/original/3X/1/9/19dc74e1d28a714f87f9be381218e80f93682638.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/6 "2017-01-02T12:23:29Z")
[QUOTE=jdcavo;193976]In the 1990s while the Nut Island sewage plant was under construction in Boston, there were sewage barges named “Number 1” and “Number 2.” On their delivery trip from New Orleans under tow by Reinauer, the bows fell off both barges near Fort Pierce, Florida, The nasty litigation that followed is one on the main reasons I no longer practice law.[/QUOTE] Good reason to quit lawyering. BTW The bow tend to fall of ships as well apparently: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm\_JqM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m5qxZm_JqM) ---
**Author:** ![Tups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de053/32.png) [@Tups](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Tups)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2017, 6:03am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/7 "2017-01-03T06:03:53Z")
When the earth was young and everything was new, everyone named their icebreaker “Icebreaker” in their own native language (Isbryderen, Eisbrecher, Murtaja, Ledokol…). ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/8 "2017-07-27T13:14:57Z")
Odfjell and their ships, all with names starting with BOW, is well know around the world, not least in Houston. But did you know there is an American connection behind the name?: [https://sysla.no/maritim/tror-du-navnet-kommer-fra-baug-historien-er-en-helt-annen/](https://sysla.no/maritim/tror-du-navnet-kommer-fra-baug-historien-er-en-helt-annen/) ---
**Author:** ![Emrobu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/emrobu/32/6696_2.png) [@Emrobu](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Emrobu)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2017, 9:34pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/9 "2017-07-27T21:34:16Z")
The ‘name it for a family member’ convention indicates that that person, personally gets a share of the profits from their namesake. Or that’s what the Chouesties told me. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/10 "2017-08-01T15:50:02Z")
Do you know why nearly all ships in the TeeKay fleet has names with “Spirit” in them? No? Well here is the answer: [https://sysla.no/maritim/de-pleide-beholde-skipets-navn-helt-til-kjopet-japan/](https://sysla.no/maritim/de-pleide-beholde-skipets-navn-helt-til-kjopet-japan/) ---
**Author:** ![Emrobu](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/emrobu/32/6696_2.png) [@Emrobu](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Emrobu)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 5:42pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/11 "2017-08-01T17:42:39Z")
That’s interesting. I have noticed that some fleets nickname, or shorten the proper names of their ships. When I was on a Chouest ship, for example, we usually only called her by her first name, and, likewise, the other ships in that fleet were called by their first names. In Teekay, we usually use the full name of the ship. There is also some unavoidable corporate backronym for ‘Spirit,’ which lists the inspirational/aspirational values. ---
**Author:** ![Seago](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/seago/32/209_2.png) [@Seago](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Seago)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/12 "2017-08-02T13:34:38Z")
Ship’s names often seem to whimsical. Thirty some years ago Hornbeck then named their boats after race horses. I don’t know if that continues now. Waterman, out of Mobile AL, named their ships after Confedrates i.e. the _Jeff Davis, Stonewall Jackson_, etc. or southern signers of the Declaration of Independence: _George Wythe, Thomas Lynch_. I don’t think anyone from north of the Mason Dixon line was ever memorialized on the bow of a Waterman ship. I remember in the mid seventies a British flag company that used to trade in West Africa whose ships were all named after flowers: the _Begonia_, _Pansy_ etc.! A favorite of mine was a tanker I saw in the in the anchorage in the lagoon in Curacao: the Auga Caliente, Spainish for Hot Water! ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/13 "2017-08-02T13:54:39Z")
> [@Emrobu](#): > > The ‘name it for a family member’ convention indicates that that person, personally gets a share of the profits from their namesake. Or that’s what the Chouesties told me. Knutsen OAS has always used female names on their ships, many of the family members: > **[E24](https://e24.no/?utm_source=sysla)** > > E24 er Norges største og viktigste avis for nyheter om økonomi og næringsliv. E24 er første ute med de viktigste nyhetene, gir deg kommentarer og analyse og setter dagsorden med sakene norsk næringsliv snakker om. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/what-is-behind-choosing-a-ships-name/16968/14 "2017-12-06T14:11:51Z")
Good news; APL has resumed the old tradition of naming their ships after American Presidents: > **[APL resurrects the President ship naming tradition -](https://splash247.com/apl-resurrects-president-ship-naming-tradition/)** > > CMA CGM has delved into the archives in renaming a pair of boxships it bought for subsidiary APL recently. Alphaliner reports that CMA CGM has resurrected the President vessel naming tradition at APL, a line whose history stretches back to the 19th...