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Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 7:20 am
by tnemelckram
There's a lot of threads asking what the best type or class of ship was, or the greatest admiral or battle. They usually break down into comparing apples to oranges. Here's a topic that allows for even comparisons.

What is the greatest name ever given to a warship?

My vote is Jellicoe's flagship HMS Iron Duke. Let's break it down.

Iron. (1) A good quality for a battleship. (2) What it is actually made of.

Duke. (1) An authority figure. (2) Pugilistic ("Duke it out").

I think Sir John got it. Although Iron Duke was first in its class of four and followed by the much fancier Queen Elizabeths and Royal Sovreigns, and he could have his choice for his flag, he stuck with Iron Duke. The name fits his solid and straightforward nature. Note that when Beatty assumed command of the Grand Fleet, he chose the much tonier Queen Elizabeth , which is also consistent with his love of the ladies and the high life.

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 5:03 pm
by lwd
Dreadnaught

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:45 pm
by tnemelckram
Dreadnaught
A damn good nomination. My objections:

(1) The meaning of the name might not be as clear to the public. Archaic spelling, etc.

(2) Phonetically it's "Dread not". That conveys "nothing to dread here".

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 6:56 pm
by tnemelckram
More reasons why I like Iron Duke.

1. It's named after a real English sunnuvabitch: Wellington.

2. The only way to top it is "Iron King". "Iron Queen" and "Iron Prince" sound too female or juvenile. But "Iron King" doesn't fit because the ship is in HM's service, while "Duke" does, because that office serves the King (when not plotting treason).

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:13 pm
by irving1941
I like british names such as Repulse or Warspite or Invicible or GLorious. German names are boring as the american ones, with the exception of Enterprise. The jap names belong to a different kind and culture, canĀ“t say if I liked them or not. Well... Kongo sounds like King Kong.

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:06 pm
by tnemelckram
Kongo
That deserves to go to the finals. I can't think of anything wrong with it.
It beats Iron Duke in the phonetic sound department but is weaker in the message of the word department (what does it mean?). I'd be willing to change my son's name to Kongo.
Enterprise


Sounds too earnest, like the ship has to try hard to do its business. To me, the "kick" in the name comes from its special place in American Naval History as opposed to from the meaning or sound of the word.

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:14 pm
by Legend
Intrepid! Hornet and Wasp! :dance:

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:43 pm
by tnemelckram
Intrepid!
I think this has the same problems as Enterprise. I also think that there should always be a ship with this honored name, just like Enterprise.

Hornet and Wasp!
At first I thought just little things that can only sting - no good. But upon further reflection, these names are very descriptive, because the ships weapon was lots of little things that each alone could only make one sting but collectively a number of stings could kill. When you analogize this to t the habits of such insects, perhaps "Queen Bee" would be a better name for the mothership, but I think I'm on weak ground here.

They deserve to go to the finals. But it's not fair to have two entries in the finals. Please pick one.

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:45 pm
by Legend
Hornet, definitely!

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:51 pm
by tnemelckram
Hornet, definitely!
Good choice. I think it's the larger of the two species.

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 9:56 pm
by Legend
Exactly, sounds better too for some reason, more of an official ring to it. :think:

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2009 10:50 pm
by tnemelckram
Warspite
I've always liked this one.

War - its purpose. Spite - it is indifferent to or transcends its purpose. Unlike say Invincible, which still requires a comparison to how it fared against its it opponents in war, "spite" says that no such comparisons will be necessary. A big and bold claim.

When you look at its record in WWII, this is the English Enterprise.

But the Rules (which I am making up as I go along) allow one entry in the finals and you already have Kongo. Another rule that I just thought up is that no one can piggyback on your good work and nominate Warspite for themselves.

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2009 2:43 pm
by RF
I propose Nelson's flagship - HMS Victory. Exactly as the name describes.....

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 12:33 am
by dougieo
HMS Devastation

Re: Greatest Warship Name Ever

Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2009 3:47 am
by lwd
How about the USS Vesuvius? Especially considering her main armament.