Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/nationality.
It is important to understand that hull number-letter prefixes are not acronyms, and should not be carelessly treated as abbreviations of ship type classifications. Thus, "DD" does not stand for anything more than "Destroyer". "SS" simply means "Submarine". And "FF" is the post-1975 type code for "Frigate." [7]
When writing about civilian ships, consider omitting common prefixes (e.g. "MS") from the article body, as italicizing the ship's name is often enough to identify it as a ship. Do not use the definite article the before a prefix or when introducing a ship for the first time; e.g., at the beginning of the lead section:
United States Ship (abbreviated as USS or U.S.S.) is a ship prefix used to identify a commissioned ship of the United States Navy and applies to a ship only while it is in commission. Before commissioning, the vessel may be referred to as a "pre-commissioning unit" (PCU), [1] but is officially referred to by name with no prefix. [2]
The United States Navy, like any organization, produces its own acronyms and abbreviations, which often come to have meaning beyond their bare expansions.United States Navy personnel sometimes colloquially refer to these as NAVSpeak.
Also ship's magazine. The ammunition storage area aboard a warship. magnetic bearing An absolute bearing using magnetic north. magnetic north The direction towards the North Magnetic Pole. Varies slowly over time. maiden voyage The first voyage of a ship in its intended role, i.e. excluding trial trips. Maierform bow A V-shaped bow introduced in the late 1920s which allowed a ship to maintain ...
A heavily modified or repurposed ship may receive a new symbol, and either retain the hull number or receive a new one. Also, the system of symbols has changed a number of times since it was introduced in 1907, so ships' symbols sometimes change without anything being done to the physical ship.
Ship name – a proper noun chosen at the shipowner's discretion; may change several times during the vessel's lifetime Ship class – a common name for a group of ships with similar design, usually named for the first vessel of the class, e.g. " Nimitz -class aircraft carrier"