ship's company

English

Noun

ship'scompany(pluralships' companies)

1. (nautical)The entirecrewof a ship, including theofficers
   • 1719,Daniel Defoe,chapter 10, inThe Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe:

     [T]he wholeship's companyconsisted of sixty-five men.

   • 1850,Herman Melville,chapter 33, inWhite Jacket:

     [T]he regulations enjoin the attendance of the entireship's company,from the corpulent Captain himself to the smallest boy who strikes the bell.

   • 1863April 7, “The Prize Steamer Aries”,inNew York Times,retrieved 3 Aug. 2012:

     The Aries had aship's companyof twenty-four men, besides four passengers.

   • 1988December 25, “Pueblo's Veterans Look Back on '68 in Anger”,inNew York Times,retrieved 3 Aug. 2012:

     Before the outgunned ship was overtaken and captured, a crewman was wounded, and he later died. The 82 other members of theship's companyunderwent 11 months of brutal captivity.

2. (nautical,possiblynonstandard)All of theoccupantsof a ship, including crew andpassengers.
   • 1879,Anthony Trollope,chapter 8, inJohn Caldigate:

     The wholeship's company,captain, officers, quarter-masters, passengers, and all, were quite sure that she had succeeded in getting a promise of marriage from him.

See also

• lower deck

References

• “ship's company”,inOneLook Dictionary Search.