Nicknames

Terje Langoy · Post by **Terje Langoy** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 4:24 pm

I've always been fascinated by the "nicknames" that was given to some battleships. They sometimes had a romantic kind of nickname, and other times something powerful that kind of personalized or magnified their presence. For instance, I remember that when I first heard of "The Mighty Hood" I was thinking of more than just a large warship. It gives the imagination of her an extra dimension, don't you think? And what about the Tirpitz, given the romantic title Lonely Queen of the North? Or the New Jersey, also called The Big Jay? The Twins? So, just to expand my vocabulary, what other nicknames are there?

Best regards

Karl Heidenreich · Post by **Karl Heidenreich** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:06 pm

The Hood was also called the Navy biggest submarine... because she was so wet.
Missouri is called "Mighty Mo".
There are others but I can´t remember.

Gary · Post by **Gary** » Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:15 pm

South Dakota was originally nicknamed "Battleship X"
Most just call her SoDak though.

Renown and Repulse were known as "Refit" and "Repair"

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were nicknamed "Salmon" and "Gluckstein" by the British.

Warspite was nicknamed "The old lady"

Massachusetts was nicknamed "Big Mamie"

North Carolina was "Showboat"

West Virginia was "WeeVee"

tommy303 · Post by **tommy303** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 12:52 am

USS Texas of the 1890s was known as Old Hoodoo.

Ulrich Rudofsky · Post by **Ulrich Rudofsky** » Thu Nov 09, 2006 2:49 pm

Wisconsin "Wisky" [sic]
Indianapolis "Indi"
Scharnhorst "Scharni" (?)
Kennedy "JFK" or "Big John"

There is actually a list, perhaps with some deletions and errors. http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-wa ... wp-content

Terje Langoy · Post by **Terje Langoy** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 1:07 am

Lots of thanks for providing me a list, Ulrich.

Didn't the British also have an Indy? I thought of one of their frigates, the Indefatigable from the sailing era? Was this nickname applied to the WWI battlecruiser too, perhaps? It seems like a name easily applied to RN vessels that starts with - Ind, such as the Indomitable and of course the Indefatigable. Was not the Bismarck nicknamed "The German Pride" also? And "floating fortress" applied for the Tirpitz? Any more contributions upon the German, French and Italian ships such as Richelieu, Vittorio Veneto and others would be very appreciated.

Best regards

Ulrich Rudofsky · Post by **Ulrich Rudofsky** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 2:08 am

It is hard to say what the nicknames were that the actual sailors called their ship and what the press and writers and historians fabricated

And "floating fortress" applied for the Tirpitz?

The Tirpitz has also been referred to as the "Queen of the North" and the "Lonely Queen of the Ice" etc. Most ships have many attributions in the press and by self-appointed historians, but the only thing that really matters is what the men who sailed her called her. I have never seen a report that shows that the sailors of the Tirpitz referred to their ship as the "Einsame Eis-Königin" or the "Königin des Nordens" etc..

RF · Post by RF » Fri Nov 10, 2006 9:48 am

Terje Langoy wrote:Lots of thanks for providing me a list, Ulrich. :D

Didn't the British also have an Indy? I thought of one of their frigates, the Indefatigable from the sailing era? Was this nickname applied to the WWI battlecruiser too, perhaps? It seems like a name easily applied to RN vessels that starts with - Ind, such as the Indomitable and of course the Indefatigable. Was not the Bismarck nicknamed "The German Pride" also? And "floating fortress" applied for the Tirpitz? Any more contributions upon the German, French and Italian ships such as Richelieu, Vittorio Veneto and others would be very appreciated.

Best regards

The British I believe actually used a nickname as the official name for one of His Majesty's submarines in the Far East - HMS Tally-ho!!

Terje Langoy · Post by **Terje Langoy** » Fri Nov 10, 2006 3:39 pm

Ulrich Rudofsky wrote: The Tirpitz has also been referred to as the "Queen of the North" and the "Lonely Queen of the Ice" etc. Most ships have many attributions in the press and by self-appointed historians, but the only thing that really matters is what the men who sailed her called her. I have never seen a report that shows that the sailors of the Tirpitz referred to their ship as the "Einsame Eis-Königin" or the "Königin des Nordens" etc..

A very good point. Well, let's narrow it down to the names used by the respective sailors. (And perhaps the names used by the enemy? I'm sure the British gave the KM-ships a lot of names)

shuttlefan101 · Post by **shuttlefan101** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 12:52 am

triptiz was one her own after the lost of her elder sister. and with Prinz Eugen, I call her PE for shout.
Bis, trip, and PE i love you girls, go on say it i'n nuts right?
NIKKI

Admiral-scheer · Post by **Admiral-scheer** » Tue Mar 27, 2007 1:19 am

Well I don't think its a nickname but some crewmenbers aboard the Bismarck said He was floating life insurrance!

The panzerschiffe's were nicknamed Pocket-Battleships which in my opinon is a nice name.

Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were called the Ugly sisters (somewhat contradicting ) because of their power not because they are ugly.

Also for the Tirpitz it was the citizens of Norway that nicknamed her not Germany I think.

And in the provinces of Canada a Bismarck is jelly dohnut with suger all other it. (source:oxford dictionary).

RF · Post by RF » Thu Mar 29, 2007 9:44 am

Admiral-scheer wrote:Well I don't think its a nickname but some crewmenbers aboard the Bismarck said He was floating life insurrance!

Do we know who they were and did they survive?