A short lesson

Yesterday I was talking to Pink Guy (my son) about my time in the US Navy's Submarine Service (a.k.a. Uncle Sam's Underwater Yacht Club), and I said something about the "boat" I was on. That raised several questions from him, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to pass along the answers to the world at large.

First, like airplanes and trains, one goes "on" a ship even though the more correct preposition is probably "in". Second, ships are always female, regardless of their name. It is entirely proper to say, "I served on the USS John F. Kennedy and she was a fine ship." Finally, there is a difference between a "ship" and a "boat", although that differentiation is not an objective one. In the Navy, the difference between a ship and a boat is that a boat can be placed on a ship but a ship cannot be placed on a boat. There is, however, one exception to that rule: submarines are always "boats". Each of them may carry more destructive power than all the explosive weapons ever discharged since gunpowder was invented (fact!), but they are still "boats".

Any questions?