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Wikipedia:Naming conventions (ships)

For instructions on how to make ship names appear in italics in article titles, see{{Infobox ship begin}}.
For the similarly named article, seeUnited States ship naming conventions.
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This guideline describes Wikipedia's conventions for naming articles about ships and for referring to ships in the body of articles. SeeWikipedia:Article titlesfor more general naming conventions. SeeWikiProject Shipsfor more guidance on writing articles about ships.

Ships share names with people, places, animals and other things. Articles about ships must be named to distinguish them from other similarly-named ships, as well as from other things with which they share a name.

Naming articles about civilian ships

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For a full list of ship prefixes, seeShip prefix.

Civilian ship articles should follow standardWikipedia naming conventions.These rules apply to named boats and yachts as well as to ships.

Optional prefix

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A typical civilian ship article name has the following form: <optional prefix> <italicized name> <(optional disambiguation)>[1]

An article about a ship not known to have a prefix should use only the ship's name, if that name is unambiguous:

Since the optional prefix is, in fact,optional,it may be omitted for ships with unambiguous names even when common prefixes (e.g. MS or MV) are sometimes used for them in other sources:

However, if a ship is best known in combination with aship prefix,include the prefix in the article name. Use of the prefix can also providedisambiguation:

Do not use punctuation within the ship prefix:

  • MVDunedin StarnotM/VDunedin Star
  • SSChristopher ColumbusnotS.S.Christopher Columbus

If a ship has had more than one prefix during its lifetime, choose the best-known for the article and create aredirectfrom the other prefixed names:

Italicized name

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Ship names are always italicized:

  • Niña,notNiña

Optional disambiguation

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When the name is ambiguous, append disambiguation information in parentheses.

The date of launching should be used if there are several ships with the same name. Sometimes vessels will share a launch date as well as a name. In that case adding the place of launch is necessary:

Naming articles about military ships

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For a full list of ship prefixes, seeShip prefix.

Military ship articles should follow standardWikipedia naming conventions.These rules apply to both named and unnamed vessels.

A typical military ship article name has the following form: <prefix> <italicized name> <(hull or pennant number or disambiguation)>[1]

Many military ships and boats were not named and are known only by their hull or pennant number (see §Ships with hull number only).

Some navies don't use standard ship prefixes (see §Ships from navies without ship prefixes).

Prefix

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For ships of navies that have standardship prefixes,use the prefix in the article name:

Do not use punctuation within the ship prefix:

  • USSMonitor,notU.S.S.Monitor

Do not use the hull classification symbol as a prefix:

  • USSNimitz,notCVNNimitz

Do not use prefixes that predate their use, even though some authors sometimes "backdate" prefixes in this way. In particular, do not use the HMS prefix for English ships from before 1660. The term "His Majesty's Ship" was introduced around 1660 and was routinely abbreviated HMS from about 1780 onwards:

  • Henry Grace à Dieu,notHMSHenry Grace à Dieu.

Italicized name

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Ship names are always italicized:

  • HMSDreadnought,notHMS Dreadnought

Hull or pennant number or disambiguation

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See §Disambiguating ships with the same name. For an article about a modern-day ship, include the ship's hull number (US Navyhull classification symbol) orpennant numbers(Royal Navy, and many European and Commonwealth navies), if it is available, sufficiently unique, and well known:[1]

For a ship that does not have a hull and pennant number, and especially when more than one ship had the name, disambiguate the article name with the ship's launch year.

In instances where a ship was captured or otherwise acquired by a navy and the article is placed at that title, use the date of capture or entry to the navy, rather than the date of launch, so the name and prefix are in agreement with the date disambiguation.

On Wikipedia,US NavyandUS Coast Guardhull numbersarehyphenated(the US Navy itself is not consistent in this respect). Coast Guard hull numbers always start with a "W".Pennant numbersdo not have a hyphen or space(this matches the number as it typically appears on the side of the ship). Not all pennant numbers have an initial letter ( "flag superior" ), for exampleHMSArk Royal(91).In recent decades, the Australian and Canadian navies have moved towards American-style three letter pennant number prefixes. These should bewritten with a space,for exampleHMCSVancouver(FFH 331).

If a ship had several hull numbers in its career, use the best-known for an article title. If none of the several hull numbers is clearly the best-known, use the first. Redirect others to the article, listing all in the article's lead section:

Hull number only, Alpha numeric names

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Many types of ship, such as AmericanPT boatsand GermanU-boats,are officially known only by a hull number. In these cases, it can be best to spell out the ship type (e.g.German submarineU-238), but be sure the ship type name is correct. In many cases, the designation is not an abbreviation and may not relate directly to a ship's class or even type. For example,PT-658can be a redirect to the main articleMotor Torpedo BoatPT-658,butU-238must be disambiguated, becauseU-238also refers toUranium 238.

Articles about vessels withAlpha numericnames should use the prefix followed by the name, such asHMSA1,HMSE11,HMSM1.

Ships from navies without ship prefixes

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Some navies or nations don't use standard ship prefixes. Titles for articles about these ships have the form: <nationality> <type> <italicized name>

Nationality

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The ship's country in adjective form; for example:

  • Brazilian
  • Japanese(though later Japanese ships use JS (Japanese Ship) or JDS (Japanese Defense Ship))
  • Ottoman(though later Turkish ships use TCG (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Gemisi))
  • German(though early German ships useSMS(Seiner Majestät Schiff))

Type

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Do not be over-specific about the ship type:

  • Japanese aircraft carrierShōhō,notJapanese light aircraft carrierShōhō

Italicized name

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Ship names are always italicized:

Invented prefixes

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Do not make up a ship prefix for a navy that did not use one. Thus:

  • German battleshipBismarck,notDKMBismarck
  • Japanese battleshipYamato,notHIJMSYamatoorIJNYamato
  • Italian battleshipGiulio Cesare,notRMGiulio Cesare
  • Russian aircraft carrierAdmiral Kuznetsov,notRFSAdmiral Kuznetsov

Some authors use invented prefixes for consistency with "USS", "HMS" etc. It was not a mistake for these authors to do that in their own works, but at Wikipedia we choose not to do so. To forestall attempts to move articles to the wrong place, you might want to add redirects from popular invented ship prefixes:

Naming articles about ship classes

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Articles about a ship class should follow standardWikipedia naming conventions.

A typical ship class article name has the following form: <class name>-class <ship type>

Class name

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A ship class may be named for a member of the class (usually the first or lead ship) or the class may be named for an attribute common to all of the ships of the class. When the class is named for a member of the class, the class name is italicized. When the class is named for a common theme or attribute, the class name is not italicized:

  • Evergreen Stateis a member of theEvergreen Stateclass
  • HMTJuniperis a member of theTree class
  • not HMTJuniperis a member of theTreeclass

Ship type

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The type of ship that comprises the class: aircraft carrier, trawler, frigate, icebreaker. Do not be overly specific in the type:

  • aircraft carrier,notlight escort fleet assault carrier

Use the singular form of the ship type:

  • submarine,notsubmarines

Uses of the class name as a noun are nothyphenated,while adjectival references are hyphenated. Article names that follow the form just described are adjectival because the compound phrase made up of <class name> and "class" modifies the noun <ship type>. As such, article titles should be hyphenated:

  • Evergreen State-class ferry,notEvergreen Stateclass ferry
  • Tree-class trawler,notTree class trawler

In article titles and in article text, use ahyphen;do not use anen dash(–) orem dash(—).

  • Tree-class trawler,notTree–class trawlerorTree—class trawler

Using ship names in articles

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A ship's name is always italicized. Prefixes, hull orpennant numbers,and disambiguation suffixes are rendered in normal (i.e., non-italic) font.

  • USSNimitz,notUSS NimitzorUSS Nimitz
  • USSNimitz(CVN-68),notUSSNimitz (CVN-68)

Use the ship's prefix the first time you introduce the ship, and thereafter omit it. The prefix need not be given if it is obvious from context (for example, in a list of ships of theRoyal Navythere is no need to repeat "HMS" ). When writing about civilian ships, consider omitting common prefixes (e.g. "MS") from the article body, as italicizing the ship's name is often enough to identify it as a ship.

Do not use thedefinite articlethebefore a prefix or when introducing a ship for the first time; e.g., at the beginning of the lead section:

  • HMSVictorywas...,notTheHMSVictorywas...

Generally, a definite article is not needed before a ship's name, although its use is not technically wrong:

  • Victorywas Nelson's flagship...(preferred)
  • TheVictorywas Nelson's flagship...(not recommended)

Occasional use of the article makes text less ambiguous

  • TheBelfastwas bombed(unambiguous)
  • HMSBelfastwas bombed(unambiguous)
  • Belfastwas bombed(ambiguous, though the italics are a hint)

Make a link from the first mention of each ship in an article, even if Wikipedia does not yet have an article about that ship. If you do not know how to disambiguate it, link to the index page for its name: this will allow the link to be found and fixed later.

Do not give the hull number or other disambiguation information unless it is immediately relevant. Someone who needs to know can follow the link:

  • Vanguardwas Nelson's...,notVanguard(1787) was Nelson's...
  • Yorktownwas sunk...,notYorktown(CV-5) was sunk...
  • "the laterLe xing ton(CV-16)was laid down asCabotbut renamed in honour of the earlierLe xing ton(CV-2)"—disambiguation information is needed.

Always use the full name of the ship unless a widely known shortening, akin to a nickname, exists. Do not omit parts of the name just because they are, for example, common for all ships of a shipping company.

  • Edward M. Cotter,notCotter

Possessive form of a ship's name

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When using the possessive form of a ship's name in articles, use the{{'}}template to provide proper styling and avoid encoding problems that can occur when an apostrophe follows italicized text. The apostrophe and "s"are notitalicized:

  • Linked names:{{USS|Ticonderoga||2}}{{'}}sdisplays asTiconderoga's
  • Regular names:''Ticonderoga''{{'}}sdisplays asTiconderoga's

Pronouns

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For the naming convention for military vessels, seeMOS:SHIPPRONOUNS.

Ships may be referred to by either feminine pronouns (she,her) or neuter pronouns (it,its). Either usage is acceptable, but each article should be internally consistent and exclusively employ only one style. As with all optional styles, articlesshould notbe changed from one style to another without clear and substantial reason.[2]

Using ship class names in articles

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A ship class can take the name of a class member or it can take a name that is thematically common to all members of the class. When the class takes its name from a member of the class, the name is italicized:

Thematically common class names are rendered in normal font:

Additionally, ship class names have a noun form and an adjectival form:

When creating links to ship-class articles, useful editing shortcut templates are:{{sclass}}(italicized font, hyphenated) and{{sclass2}}(normal font, hyphenated). See the template documentation for usage guidelines.

Use the noun form when the class name does not modify another noun:

  • Construction of theNatickclass began at...
  • ... last tugboat of theNatickclass.

Use the adjectival form when the class name modifies another noun:

  • Natick-class names...
  • ... twoNatick-class z-drive tugs...

Disambiguating ships with the same name

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It is common for multiple ships to share a name. Therefore, disambiguation needs special attention.

For older ships predating the modern pennant/hull number system, the most widely recognisable fact about the ship is its date of launch or construction. This is a unique identifier for a ship with a particular name in navies where names are customarily re-used and is applicable generally to all ships, unlike local naval identification numbers:

In instances where a ship was captured or otherwise acquired by a navy or shipping company, or simply renamed, and the article is placed at that title, use the date that is in agreement with the name and prefix (such as the date of capture or entry to the navy or fleet, or the date of the renaming) rather than the date of launch.

In a few cases, one ship is so much better-known than others of the same name that it need not be disambiguated. For example:

European navies reuse pennant numbers, so ships of the same name may have the same pennant numbers; the second and thirdRFASir Galahad(L3005),for example are disambiguated by launch year:

Make an index page that lists all the ships in a navy with the same name:

For well-known names that are shared between navies, or between military and civilian ships, also disambiguate at the usualWikipedia disambiguation pagefor the name:

Discussion atWP:SHIPSin November 2017 resulted in consensus that ships bearing the same name will be disambiguated by way of lists, in the form ofSet Index Articles,such asList of ships namedAlbatross,with naval ships such asHMSAlbatross,SMSAlbatross,USS,etc. redirecting to the list. For editing guidance, seeWP:SHIPMOS.

Ships that changed name or nationality

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An article about a ship that changed name or nationality should be placed at the best-known name, with a redirect from the other name. Examples:

But if the ship had significant careers in two navies, it may be best to create two articles with one ending at the transfer and the other beginning then, depending on how long the articles are and how extensive the transformation of the ship. For example:

Ships whose class and designation changed

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If an entireclassof ships was reclassified (such as in the1975 USN ship reclassification), be consistent and make the decision once for all the ships of the class:

  • TheKnox- andGarcia-classfrigatesare named with the FF (frigate) classification, not DE (destroyer escort). (Justification: known as frigates for the majority of their service.)
  • TheCastle-classcorvettesare named with pennant numbers starting K, not F. (Justification: best known for service duringWorld War II.)

Ship class articles

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Articles about ashipclassshould be named(class name)-class (type);for example,Ohio-class submarine.Do not be overly specific in the type; for example, use "aircraft carrier", not "light escort fleet assault carrier". Use the singular form of the ship type; for example, "submarine", not "submarines".

Uses of the class as a noun are nothyphenated,while adjectival references are hyphenated, as inOhio-classsubmarine:if in doubt, do not hyphenate. The second parameter makessubmarinea separate link; this is not required, but does allow the reader to look up the general term directly instead of being plunged into the technical discussion of a ship class.

When the class is named after a member of the class, italicize the class name, for example theLionclassof battlecruisers is named afterHMSLion.But when the class is not named after a member of the class, the class name is not italicized, for example theBattle classof destroyers is named after battles; there is no HMSBattlethat is a member of that class.

Ship classes may need to be disambiguated by either nationality or launch date:

Country and navy-specific articles

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Articles which name the country or navy in the article title should conform to thecountry-specificguidelines. This states that:

In general, country-specific articles should be named using the form: "(item) of (country)"... This will usually hold true in other geography-specific topics, such as for cities, continents, provinces, states, etc.

Navies are country or geography-specific.

Notes

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  1. ^abcIf there is only one ship of the name, it is wrong to disambiguate, perWP:PRECISE.
  2. ^SeeWikipedia talk:Manual of Style/Archive (ships as "she" )for an index of recurrent debates about this subject, from 2004 though 2024.

See also

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