Ships as Females

Ships as Females

“I left in a French steamer and she…” (pg. 12)

There is no definitive answer as to why ships are referred to as females, but there are several reasons that are generally accepted. The most agreed upon explanation is that since sailors were away from their homes and families for such long periods of time, they would form attachments to their ships. Other reasons for giving ships a female gender are that ships were often dedicated to women, ships were worshipped by the sailors and, of course, because only a strong man could really handle a ship.

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