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Ship Names - World Naval Ships Forums Archive (Page 2)

Ship Names (Page 2)

Posts 51 to 100

[QUOTE=Scurs;108757]Andy - whilst no "HMS Holbrook", there is of course "Royal Hospital School, Holbrook" (Suffolk), which has strong RN connections.[/QUOTE] Hello Scurs. Yes, I went to RHS from 1968 - 73. I just wondered if there had ever been a ship named for the village of Holbrook. Yours Aye Andy

Just came across these nicknames , all referring to WW I ships AMAZON............"AM-A-DUD" reference to her long trials program. AMBUSCADE......."AM-BUST-AGAIN" due to her early machinery troubles. AJAX................."QUEEN OF HEARTS" Why ???? ARIADNE............"HARRY AGONY" or "HAIRY ANNIE". CONQUEROR........"CORNCURER" just another example of Jacks love of mis-pronunciation. Regards Gerry

What was the [I]longest[/I] ship name? The Italians had a cruiser called [I]Luigi di Savoia Duca Degli Abruzzi[/I]. Any contributions longer than this??? Mel

Ref # 53 The Gabon Navy had a patrol ship named:- President Albert Bernard Bongo. Oops, missed by 1 letter ! In a previous life he had been a drummer. but not in a rock and roll band i hope.

There was a Soviet Navy cruiser called October Revolution, Sverdlov class I think. Its full official name was TCHETYRNADTSATAIA GODOVSTCHINA OKTIABRSKOI REVOLIOUTSII.

That would never fit on a cap tally. :rolleyes::rolleyes:;)

Re # 56 Of course it would not fit an a cap tally. It did not even fit on the ship !

[QUOTE=kelp;119331]There was a Soviet Navy cruiser called October Revolution, Sverdlov class I think. Its full official name was TCHETYRNADTSATAIA GODOVSTCHINA OKTIABRSKOI REVOLIOUTSII.[/QUOTE] Hell's bells - that must be the winner! (unless, of course, anyone knows a [I]longer[/I] name) Mel

Probably just used the first letters of each word, rearranged them and called it "Grot" for short! :D

HMS Wotton was known as the rotten wotton when on the Portland squadron, HMS Kirkliston was the "Kirkleston" and the Shoulton was "shiny shoults"

[QUOTE=NSR;17405]In the days when the Gay (Gas turbine engined) and Dark (Deltic engined) series of Patrol Boats were being experimented with the word gay had a different meaning. I remember going to a variety show at the Pompey Empire called, 'Let's go Gay with Davy Kaye'. Word meanings and connotations change with time which is possibly why an item that is flammable is described as being inflammable. Ken[/QUOTE] pedant mode inflammable is correct. flammable means it will burn inflammable means bursts into flames -'inflames' the word 'gay' has had several meanings down the centuries. For instance 200 years ago someone who was gay was a prostitute. Then it it evolved into being happy and having a good time and now is used to denote homosexual men: ain't no big deal.

the black swan class frigate Flamingo was known as the 'flaming joe'. At one time HMAS Hobart was called the oxydol because her camouflage resembled the epnoymous soap powder carton. The converted tug HMS Wakeful was very unreliable and was known as HMS wasteful, whilst the cruiser HMAS Adelaide, which took ages to build was called the 'long delayed'

[QUOTE=MelQuick;119675]Hell's bells - that must be the winner! (unless, of course, anyone knows a [I]longer[/I] name) Mel[/QUOTE] Once there was an GDR merchant called ''Fliegerkosmonaut der DDR - Siegmund Jaehn". btw ... the mate was the 1st German in space.

[QUOTE=NSR;17405]In the days when the Gay (Gas turbine engined) and Dark (Deltic engined) series of Patrol Boats were being experimented with the word gay had a different meaning. I remember going to a variety show at the Pompey Empire called, 'Let's go Gay with Davy Kaye'. Word meanings and connotations change with time which is possibly why an item that is flammable is described as being inflammable. Ken[/QUOTE] apologies my mistake

After all this time I wondered why my ears were burning. Ken

How about HMS Beverley? Was there ever such a ship?

[QUOTE=Ednamay;87540]Thanks, Ken, anyone got anymore ??? Edna[/QUOTE] Hi Edna HMS Undaunted was known as "UNWANTED"

found this article here [url]http://zoo.nightstar.net/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=8474[/url] and thought you'd all enjoy it... [QUOTE]"I'm a US Navy Commander when I'm not gardening or singing. This article was sent me by another Navy officer. Enjoy! Lynn T What's in a Name? "I NAME THIS SHIP........ " Recently, for reasons too dull to explain, I was attempting to discover the names of battleships which served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. The reference librarian provided me with a huge volume which listed the names of every British warship ever built, and as I leafed through the index, I was impressed by the quality of the names that the British have given their warships. HMS RELENTLESS, HMS REPULSE, HMS RESOLUTION; names to gladden the heart of every true Brit. Names redolent of courage and firm-jawed determination - HMS SCEPTRE, HMS SCIMITAR, HMS SEADOG, HMS SPANKER - HMS SPANKER? It had to be a misprint, but when I looked at the relative page there it was, HMS SPANKER, minesweeper. I turned back to the index and soon discovered that HMS SPANKER was not the only warship to bear a silly name. A quick check unearthed the destroyers HMS FAIRY and HMS FROLIC, the light cruiser, HMS SAPPHO and the corvette, HMS PANSY. My first assumption was that these names had been chosen by some fresh-faced innocent unaware of their connotations, but a careful reading of the index suggested that the choice of such names was deliberate and malicious. I have no proof for my theory, but I strongly suspect that they were the creations of an embittered clerk. He was a minor bureaucrat who had once dreamed of becoming a naval hero, a second Nelson or Benbow, but had been turned down for active service on the grounds of flat feet and myopia. The Sea Lords, kindly and foolishly, gave him an office job in the Admiralty. There, as he brooded upon the shattering of his ambitions, his envy of the jolly Jack Tars serving in His Majesty's ships turned to hatred and then into a desire to humiliate those who lived a life on the ocean wave. His big break came when he got a job in the Ship's Names Department. Having started with HMS PANSY, HMS FAIRY and HMS SPANKER, he moved into sexually suggestive names - MS TEASER, HMS TICKLER, HMS TORRID, HMS THRUSTER and HMS THRASHER. Not content with the damage that these names must have caused to morale he followed up with HMS INCONSTANT, HMS INSOLENT, HMS TRUANT, HMS DWARF and HMS DORIS. The man must have been twisted, but he was no mean amateur psychologist. Would a hard-pressed admiral be cheered by the news that HMS DORIS and HMS DWARF (a cruiser and gunboat combination that sounds like an avant-garde cabaret act) were steaming to his aid? Could he be certain that HMS TRUANT would turn up? That HMS INCONSTANT wouldn't change sides, or that HMS INSOLENT wouldn't reply to his signals with a stream of abuse? This evil-minded functionary worked hard to destroy fighting spirit, carefully calculating the result of calling a ship HMS HAZARD. The cry, "HAZARD to port!" must have disrupted countless naval exercises and I strongly suspect that he tried to name a destroyer HMS MUTINY, thinking of the chaos that would result from the signal "MUTINY in Portsmouth". Someone spotted this and changed his proposed name from the English MUTINY to the French MUTINE, hoping that the ship would stir up trouble on courtesy visits to French ports. If my theory is correct, that someone was Clerk No.2. He worked in the same office as Clerk No.1, but his history and beliefs were very different. He had been invalided out of the Navy after a distinguished career and was a ferocious xenophobe who believed that the British had the right to intimidate anyone who stood in their way. His existence is demonstrated by further study of the list of names. Most people would consider names like HMS CONQUEROR, HMS TERROR and HMS VENGEANCE adequate for the purpose of frightening Britain's enemies. Not Clerk No.2. He thought them namby-pamby and decided to rectify the situation. He wasn't as prolific as Clerk No.1, but he did his best christening such vessels as HMS ARROGANT, HMS IMPERIALIST, HMS SAVAGE, HMS SPITEFUL, HMS SURLY and HMS TYRANT. His finest hour came when he got the job of thinking up names beginning with V, he came up with HMS VANDAL, HMS VENOMOUS, HMS VINDICTIVE and HMS VIOLENT. He too was a good psychologist - nobody who had dared to challenge Britain could fail to be moved by the news that HMS SPITEFUL, HMS VIOLENT and HMS VINDICTIVE were turning up to sort them out. In later years, as he sat writing letters to the Eastbourne Gazette demanding the reintroduction of public flogging for litter louts, he must have regretted not calling a ship HMS VICIOUS. However, he probably consoled himself with the thought that Clerk No.1 didn't get much of a look in on the V's. He would have christened the ships VACUOUS, VILE, VERMINOUS and VENEREAL. As it was he only managed HMS VANITY, which was presumably a sister ship of HMS NARCISSUS. Clerk No.2 also allowed the problems of day-to-day existence to intrude into his work, though only after rows with his wife, hence HMS TERMAGANT, HMS VIRAGO and HMS TIRADE. I don't know for how many years they worked in the same office, but it must have been a fraught relationship. Each probably spent most of his time trying to trump the names of the other. Clerk No.1 christened HMS PANSY, No.2 responded with HMS MANLY. Clerk No.1 - HMS FAIRY, Clerk No.2 - HMS VIRILE. And so it went on until they retired and the ships they had named were either sunk or scrapped. Now our ships have boringly correct names, which is a pity, for names could make a difference. A truly chauvinistic government would do well to study the names dreamed up by Clerk No.2. If we can no longer terrify opponents with the size of our navy, we could try to frighten them with aggressive nomenclature. A good start would be to retrieve the name HMS VIOLENT and call sister ships HMS PSYCHOPATHIC, HMS BLOOD-CRAZED and HMS CRIMINALLY INSANE. The Vandal class could include HMS RAM RAIDER, HMS HEADCASE and HMS TERMINATOR. Of course, a more progressive government might go for names which reflected the concerns of the Left - HMS BLACK SECTIONS, HMS STOP CLAUSE 28, HMS UNILATERALIST and HMS BINDING DECISION OF THE PARTY CONFERENCE. In any event, the name of the ship doesn't appear to have affected its ability to fight, HMS TRUANT sank the KARLSRUHE, HMS WALLFLOWER and HMS INCONSTANT accounted for several U-boats and I've no doubt that other ships with ridiculous names had excellent war records. But it is hard not to imagine the crew of HMS NARCISSUS leaning over the side to admire their reflections in the water, or the crew of HMS SPANKER being accosted by leather-clad masochists in dockside bars. The crews of such ships must have been relieved when security considerations temporarily ended the practice of having the ship's name emblazoned on the cap-band."[/QUOTE]

Hi Clive.The commander you quote must have been unaware that ships were named after their class or leader of the class in destroyers.The unfortunate ones were the flower class corvettes in WW2.Pansy and primrose did not really lighten the hearts of those who served on them,but I suspect they were running out of lesser flower known names as so many of these ships were being turned out. Many Regards Steve.

In post #66, Anson asked about HMS BEVERLEY. There has been one ship of this name - see, for example, [url]http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-11US-Beverley.htm[/url]. Tim

Thanks Tim, an interesting link. Andy

Oh how naughty. "I Name This Ship" article comes from Medal News from a few years back.... Fancy copying that and then posting it on the net, thats a few lashes from the Ch Bosuns Mate during the forenoon watch then... LOL Danny

Now THERE is a thought Danny...........getting "lashed up" by the Buffer! :D

The U.S. Coast Guard had a class of cutters called bouy tenders to work on aids to navigation. They were named after trees and bushes. Some of the more well known ones in my old Coastie days were: Sassafras, Red Beech, Mariposa, Evergreen, Blackhaw, Lilac, etc. But my favorite name was the USCGC Firebush :-). They were lightly armed with a 3"50 if law enforcement duties were required. ollie

I can't believe in the centuries the Royal Navy has been established as the "Senior Service", there has never been a ship called HMS Thunderchild. Yes I know HMS Thunderchild is a fictional ship from the pages of H.G. Wells' epic "War of the Worlds", but what better battle honour is there than being sunk in battle by invading Martians. [QUOTE]The steamer began to move slowly away - but on the landward horizon appeared the silhouette of a Fighting Machine. Another came, and another, striding over hills and trees, plunging far out to sea and blocking the exit of the steamer. Between them lay the silent, grey Ironclad 'Thunder Child'. Slowly it moved towards shore; then, with a deafening roar and whoosh of spray, it swung about and drove at full speed towards the waiting Martians[/QUOTE] From Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds"

Talking of ships' names; I was told, by an old seadog, and I don't know how true this is but here goes. Apparently, there was a training ship in Plymouth called HMS Impregnable. During WWII the training ship was coverted into a Wrennery. Of course, they had to change the name!!! Does anyone know what the new name was? Cheers Andy

Andy, From what i can tell it was turned into a comms school, but if it were turned into a wrennery, you would probably be right unless the wrens were "happy" in nature:D

Hi Everyone Does anyone have a [I]comprehensive[/I] list of Royal Navy ship names, including minor ships? Every list on the internet has gaps in it and I'm looking for a complete list - from Garland in 1242, onwards! Mel

Hello Mel and your # 78 The short answer is no, nowhere is there any lists which incorporates the names of every warship that ever served the RN. I have, as many others probably have too, dozens of books that purport to do this, but each time frame is short although the 20th Century is very thoroughly and comprehensively covered. Pre 1700 and you stand no chance, i doubt half the sailors then even knew the name of the ship they served on. If you start one now, you may have it ready for publication by about the year 2110, although it has been attempted back in the 1920's and abandoned after 1 volume. The task is far too mind boggling. Sleep on it if i were you, but it may appear easier if you start at Z and work backwards and i will bet Zulu is not first.

[QUOTE=Anson6423;134169]Talking of ships' names; I was told, by an old seadog, and I don't know how true this is but here goes. Apparently, there was a training ship in Plymouth called HMS Impregnable. During WWII the training ship was coverted into a Wrennery. Of course, they had to change the name!!! Does anyone know what the new name was? Cheers Andy[/QUOTE] Andy, this is the totally glib answer to your question that you might probably expect from an old Chief Stoker. HMS BEAVER. :D But I believe the probable answer is that IMPREGNABLE became the training ship HMS KENT in 1862 and thereafter the training ship HMS CALEDONIA from November 1888. This could have led to the naming of the WRNS Barracks at Southsea as Duchess of Kent Barracks, after the training ship KENT. Sandy.

[QUOTE=MelQuick;137231]Hi Everyone Does anyone have a [I]comprehensive[/I] list of Royal Navy ship names, including minor ships? Every list on the internet has gaps in it and I'm looking for a complete list - from Garland in 1242, onwards! Mel[/QUOTE] Realistically, Everyone would have to agree when the [COLOR="Red"]"RN"[/COLOR] was formed, as a starting point at least. This in itself is a major topic of debate. But it's a great project for someone to tackle! Then after all that is settled and agreed; the list might be started to be compiled. Good luck sailor!

The WRNS were re-formed during the second world war after being disbanded in 1919, at the time they were re-formed HM the queen mother, Then Queen was made patron. H.R.H The Duchess of Kent, widow of the Duke of Kent, became President of the WRNS. The barracks I believe were named in her honour as the founder President......although I maybe wrong in this assumption. Regards Alan

I always thuought Impregnable was the original WRNS camp at St Budeaux , Plymouth.:confused::confused:;)

Does anyone know whom the `R' class WWI destroyer HMS Rosalind was named for?

[QUOTE=oldsalt;137416]I always thuought Impregnable was the original WRNS camp at St Budeaux , Plymouth.:confused::confused:;)[/QUOTE] I'm with Kieth on this one! The WRNS Quarters in Pompey were called the Duchess of Kent Barracks

Post #84 - I suspect the destroyer HMS ROSALIND would have been named for the heroine of Shakespeare's [I]As You Like It[/I]; the trawler of the Second World War certainly was. Tim [COLOR="Blue"]Edit: According to T D Manning & C F Walker [I]British Warship Names[/I] (London: Putman,1959), the destroyer was also named for the Shakespeare character.[/COLOR]

I would have thought that the Trawler Rosalind, would have been named after someone's wife eg. Co.Director or the skipper.a lot of fishing vessels are. jainso31

I agree that some of the requisitioned trawlers were indeed named by owners or skippers; however ROSALIND was built for the RN as one of the "Shakespearian" class, all named after his characters, eg HM Ships HAMLET, JULIET, OTHELLO etc. Tim

Hi Everyone I have a question regarding RN trawlers: Sometimes their names are prefixed with 'HMS' and sometimes with 'HMT' . Which is correct? Was HMT the official prefix and, if so, were they entitled to use HMS? Can anyone advise me? Mel

It had been a while since I visited this thread and let me say that I was provided with about 30 minutes of entertainment reading through; some entries bringing tears to my eyes!! I was trying to figure if some of Canada's current Fleet has nicknames - In the past, there was "Rusty-guts" of course (Restigouche) and HMCS Gatineau in the early 90s rec'd the monicker "Gotta-go" (for obvious reasons) but today's fleet seems immune from this. The pennant numbers on the other hand, I have heard nicknames for - "Dirty 330" (Halifax) and one of my faves; HMCS Toronto, pennant #333 - "Halfway to Hell!!!" I noticed none of my 'fellow' peers on this thread so maybe someone will pipe up.

I think the Yanks have the real king of warship names, USS PONCE . Something to do with a noble of Spanish origins (I think) . Not difficult to think of the potential situation that could arise from the question "Ayup Yank, what ship you from?........ Mind you, we did have a tender to CRESCENT in 1918 called TIT . Some while ago I read a borrowed book, the title of which eludes me.(Sadly because I would like a copy) It contained a number of short stories, basically of peoples personal wartime experiences. One of those was the story of Sam Patience , who survived the JERVIS BAY loss. He related about when they were taking in wartime munitions at outbreak of war. Helping them, were members of the Cambridge University Naval Training Squadron. Some of the regular sailors had problems working , owing to laughing. Their helpers. cap tallies, nicely new and abbreviated.

The other day I noticed on the random ship photos display at the top of the page, a ship named [I]HMS Marshall Ney[/I]. Knowing that he was a French Napoleonic hero I was intrigued, followed the link, did a bit of Googling and found a sister ship [I]HMS Marshall Soult[/I] too. Now I know the French were our allies when these ships were named in WW1, but it seems odd to name our ships after the heroes of a country that once was our arch enemy. I hope there wasn't an [I]HMS Napoleon[/I]. :( Does anyone know why these names were used? And are there other Royal Navy ships named after people who were not British? Incidentally, The Marshal Ney wasn't scrapped until 1957. Does anyone remember her? Peter

[QUOTE]Does anyone know why these names were used? And are there other Royal Navy ships named after people who were not British? Incidentally, The Marshal Ney wasn't scrapped until 1957. Does anyone remember her?[/QUOTE] I take it that's a "no" then. Peter

With tongue very firmly in cheek, how about CLEOPATRA as a non-British person? More seriously, Prince Eugene was not British. Tim

My cousin, Peggy Harwood, was in the WRNS and was based for a while in the Southsea Barracks, which I believe was known as the Duchess of Kent, but I believe it had a shorter official name - anyone know the answer? Edna

Hi Edna.I think you will find that it was unkindely called "The Cow Barracks"

[QUOTE=Sean Roberts;167573]Hi Edna.I think you will find that it was unkindely called "The Cow Barracks"[/QUOTE] Sean - Not quite what I expected! There was an official title, because it was too cumbersome to put "Duchess of Kent Barracks" in all communications! Edna

[QUOTE=Anson6423;133054]How about HMS Beverley? Was there ever such a ship?[/QUOTE] Found this link for HMS BEVERLEY, looks like she was an ex American warship [url]http://www.hu17.net/hms-beverley/[/url]

Hi, all, Very interesting aal the items about "ship names". In fact I have made it my special project to put together everything that has to do about ship names. I already have in archive a huge amount of information. I think I must get them up again. But I have written a book about the ship names in the Royal Netherlands Navy. Called "The names of ships in the Royal Netherlands Navy in service since 1945". The book contains all names and there inheretance. Also the Dutch commission on namegiving and the regulations with Naval procedures are mentioned. So, if someone has questions about Dutch navy names, don't hesitate to ask them. I did stop collecting information on names of navy ships of the world because if you give a name in Google you get a lot of hits. But the information is still at hand. Greetings William van Amstel (ret. CPO RNethNavy):)

During the Napolean, Nelson era, French ships captured by the RN kept their French names. A good example was the Temeraire..

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