The Capitalization Conundrum: Boat Names And Proper Noun Rules

When writing about boats and ships, it is important to know the difference between the two. A boat is generally a smaller watercraft, while a ship is a large watercraft like a cruise ship or navy vessel. When formatting ship names, specific ships and vessels' names should be italicized and capitalized. For example, Lady Princess's Floating Palace and The Enola Gay. This rule can also be applied to spacecraft, aircraft, and trains. However, brand names like Boeing or Amtrak are not italicized. Military ship names that include prefixes such as HMS or SS are also not italicized, but the rest of the name is. For example, H.M.S. Indefatigable. When referring to ships in text, the definite article the is usually avoided, but it is not incorrect to include it.

Boat and ship names should be italicised

When writing about boats and ships, it is important to follow the correct style to help readers identify the names of these vessels in the text. According to the Chicago Manual of Style section 8.115, "Names of specific ships and other vessels are both capitalized and italicized." This style guide is widely followed, including by Wikipedia, which states that "ship names are always italicized."

Therefore, when referring to a specific boat or ship, you should italicize its name. For example, if you are writing about a ship called "Lady Princess's Floating Palace," you would format the name as *Lady Princess's Floating Palace*. This formatting helps to set the name apart from the rest of the sentence and makes it clear that you are referring to a specific vessel.

It is worth noting that prefixes such as "U.S.S." or "H.M.S." should not be italicized, even when the ship name is. For example, "He served on the H.M.S. *Indefatigable* during the war." Here, only the ship name "Indefatigable" is italicized, while the prefix "H.M.S." remains in regular font.

Additionally, when writing about civilian ships, common prefixes like "MS" or "MV" can be omitted if the ship's name is unambiguous. For example, you would simply refer to the ship as "*Celebrity Equinox*" instead of "MV *Celebrity Equinox*." However, if the ship is best known by its prefix, include it in the name, such as "SS *John W. Brown*" rather than just "*John W. Brown*."

In summary, when writing about boats and ships, remember to italicize the names of specific vessels while keeping any prefixes in regular font. This formatting helps to distinguish these names from the rest of the text and is widely accepted in style guides and publishing platforms.

Prefixes like 'U.S.S.' or 'H.M.S.' are not italicised

When writing about boats and ships, it is important to follow a set style to help readers identify the names of vessels in the text. The specific names of ships and other vessels should be italicized in the same way that titles are.

Prefixes like U.S.S. or H.M.S. are not italicized, although they are capitalized. For example, the correct format for a military ship would be:

> I hope this helps. And… let me know about that boat or ship ride.

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> Jack served on the USS Constitution and Jim served on HMS Victory (no “the”).

However, if the prefix is part of a title, then the whole thing is italicized:

> In grade school, I was a maiden in the musical H.M.S. Pinafore.

This rule applies to the names of specific spacecraft, aircraft, and trains as well.

The first letter of a ship name should be capitalised

When writing about boats and ships, it is important to follow the correct style to help readers identify the names of vessels in the text. According to the Chicago Manual of Style section 8.115, the names of specific ships and vessels are both capitalised and italicised. This means that the first letter of a ship name should be capitalised, and the name should be in italics. For example, the correct way to write a ship name would be *'Lady Princess's Floating Palace'*.

This rule applies to civilian and military ships, as well as spacecraft, aircraft, and trains. It is worth noting that prefixes such as "U.S.S." or "H.M.S." should not be italicised but are capitalised. For example, *'Horatio Hornblower sailed on the H.M.S. Indefatigable'*.

Additionally, when writing about civilian ships, common prefixes like "MS" or "MV" can be omitted if the ship's name is unambiguous. For instance, instead of writing "MV Celebrity Equinox," it is preferable to use "Celebrity Equinox." This helps to keep the ship's name clear and distinct.

When referring to a ship for the first time, it is generally recommended to avoid using the definite article "the" before the ship's name. However, this is not strictly prohibited and may be used in certain contexts.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure that ship names are presented correctly and consistently in your writing.

The definite article ('the') is not usually used before a ship name

When formatting the names of ships and boats, it is important to note that the definite article "the" is usually avoided when introducing a ship's name for the first time. This convention applies particularly when using a prefix such as "HMS" or "USS." Here are some examples to illustrate this:

• "HMS Victory was a prominent ship in history." (Preferred)
• "The HMS Victory was a prominent ship in history." (Not recommended)

However, it is worth mentioning that while the use of "the" before a ship's name is generally avoided, it is not strictly prohibited. The use of the definite article can be acceptable in certain contexts, especially when the ship's name is used as a descriptor or when it is part of the ship's full name. For instance:

• "The Titanic's maiden voyage ended in tragedy."
• "The USS Constitution, also known as 'Old Ironsides,' is the world's oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat."

In summary, while it is generally advisable to omit "the" before a ship's name, there may be occasions where its inclusion is appropriate or necessary for clarity or stylistic reasons. The key is to maintain consistency within the text and to ensure that the ship's name is presented clearly and unambiguously to the reader.

Now, let's shift our focus to the capitalization of boat names. When referring to a specific boat, ship, or other vessel by name, the proper naming convention is to capitalize the name and italicize it. This formatting helps to distinguish the name from the rest of the sentence and emphasizes its uniqueness. For example:

• "I sailed on the Lady Princess's Floating Palace last summer."
• "The USS Enterprise has been featured in numerous science fiction films."

It is important to note that while the ship or boat name itself is capitalized and italicized, any prefixes such as "USS," "HMS," "SS," or "MV" are not italicized. Additionally, when referring to military ships, only the name portion is italicized, while the prefix and any hull or pennant numbers remain in regular font.

A ship's class name should not be italicised

When writing about ships, it is important to follow a set style to help readers identify the names of vessels in a text. While the proper names of ships and other vessels should be italicized, a ship's class name should not be italicized.

According to Wikipedia's conventions for naming articles about ships, a typical military ship article name has the following form: <(hull or pennant number or disambiguation)>. For example, "USS Nimitz, not USS Nimitz or USS Nimitz." The prefix, hull or pennant number, and disambiguation suffix are rendered in normal (i.e. non-italic) font.

Similarly, the Australian Government Style Manual states that while specific names of ships should be italicized, brand names, models, and classes of vehicles should not be. For instance, "Boeing 737 brought the Australians home."

Additionally, when creating links to ship-class articles, Wikipedia uses the editing shortcut templates {{sclass}} (italicized font, hyphenated) and {{sclass2}} (normal font, hyphenated). The former is used when the class takes its name from a member of the class, such as the "Lion class of battlecruisers, named after HMS Lion." The latter is used when the class is named for an attribute common to all members of the class, such as the "Battle class of destroyers, named after battles."

In summary, while the names of specific ships are typically italicized in text, a ship's class name should not be italicized. This is consistent with style guidelines from various sources, including Wikipedia and the Australian Government Style Manual.

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