Ship Names

August 22, 2017, 02:18 PM

walkinghorse

Ship Names

"...ALNIC MC Exnames are Navig8 Stealth S.V., Tandara Spirit, Helcion. Launch Name was Helcion..." was
posted in the Uss McCain collision thread. Somewhere, book, TV, movie?, I remember reading that it was considered bad luck to change a ship's name after it's initial launch. Superstition? In this case it certainly seems true!

August 22, 2017, 03:06 PM

JALLEN

It is considered bad luck to have women on board, too.

Actually, just about everything that happens at sea is considered bad luck.

Luckily, I have enough willpower to control the driving ambition that rages within me.

When you had the votes, we did things your way. Now, we have the votes and you will be doing things our way. This lesson in political reality from Lyndon B. Johnson

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." - Justice Janice Rogers Brown

August 22, 2017, 04:31 PM

arfmel

I know an older couple from the land of the sunburnt Aztec, who believe it's very bad luck if a black chicken gets on the roof of your house. I suggested they get rid of their black chickens and they looked at me like I was crazy.

People come up with a lot of weird superstitions.

August 22, 2017, 04:50 PM

jhe888

Superstitions have a lot of arcane rules. One can never be sure. In the days of sail, captured ships were often renamed and sailed by the capturing navy. That was just fine.

As J. Allen says, sailors operate on a large and varied body of superstitions.

The fish is mute, expressionless. The fish doesn't think because the fish knows everything.

August 22, 2017, 04:57 PM

c1steve

I believe that some boats have structural, maintenance, or design problems. They end of developing a poor reputation. To try and avoid being associated with a poor boat, people change the name. Eventually because the boat is in flawed condition or has design problems, the boat is lost on a coast or at see.

Therefore superstitious sailors associate renamed boats with poor luck. This is my theory after once having been in the boat business for 20 years.

August 22, 2017, 05:08 PM

Balzé Halzé

quote:
Originally posted by c1steve:
I believe that some boats have structural, maintenance, or design problems. They end of developing a poor reputation. To try and avoid being associated with a poor boat, people change the name. Eventually because the boat is in flawed condition or has design problems, the boat is lost on a coast or at see.

Therefore superstitious sailors associate renamed boats with poor luck. This is my theory after once having been in the boat business for 20 years.

The Exxon Valdez was renamed numerous times (after the infamous accident that is).

~Alan

Acta Non Verba
NRA Life Member (Patron)
God, Family, Guns, Country

Men will fight and die to protect women... because women protect everything else. ~Andrew Klavan

"Once there was only dark. If you ask me, light is winning." ~Rust Cohle

August 22, 2017, 05:18 PM

LS1 GTO

quote:
Originally posted by JALLEN:
It's bad luck on a ship to look at someone like they are crazy.

It's also considered bad luck to ask your CO (who just chewed your ass and asked you if you have any questions) "sir, isn't your wife a blond?" less than 12 hours after leaving Olongapo City.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

"If dogs don't go to Heaven, I want to go where they go" Will Rogers

The definition of the words we used, carry a meaning of their own...

August 22, 2017, 05:18 PM

H&K-Guy

My buddy's boat sunk, due to over crowding. Too many people for the size of the boat.

When they raised and refurbished the boat, they named it "Second Chance".

I have never set foot on that boat since!

H&K-Guy

August 22, 2017, 05:45 PM

Cassandra

Commercial vessels are often renamed depending on the charterer. A long term bare boat or time charterer will often rename the vessel. A vessel sale invariably results in a name change. I no longer have the ability to research the previous owners of this product tanker but I bet a pint of English bitter that the name changes are the result of vessel resales.

____________________________
"Fear is a Reaction - Courage is a Decision.” - Winston Spencer Churchill
NRA Life Member - Adorable Deplorable

August 22, 2017, 06:33 PM

Balzé Halzé

quote:
Originally posted by Cassandra:
Commercial vessels are often renamed depending on the charterer. A long term bare boat or time charterer will often rename the vessel. A vessel sale invariably results in a name change. I no longer have the ability to research the previous owners of this product tanker but I bet a pint of English bitter that the name changes are the result of vessel resales.

Yes, name changes of ships under different owners is very common. I've worked on a few vessels that did not bear their original names.

My current ship bears her original name though. I know because I was there for most of her construction and took her out of the shipyard for her maiden voyage. So I got that going for me.

~Alan

Place your clothes and weapons where you can find them in the dark.

“If in winning a race, you lose the respect of your fellow competitors, then you have won nothing” - Paul Elvstrom "The Great Dane" 1928 - 2016

August 22, 2017, 07:30 PM

zoom6zoom

quote:
it was considered bad luck to change a ship's name after it's initial launch. Superstition?

It was, but shipping companies aren't run by sailors.