On Sun, Jun 28, 2009 at 12:38 AM, Charlie Bell <[email protected]>wrote:
> > On 28/06/2009, at 1:25 PM, [email protected] wrote: > >> Um... a ship? Do you mean the Marines patrol boat a couple of years >>> ago? Wasn't a ship. >>> >> >> Sorry Charlie. You have to remember that, when I was I kid I was on many >> a >> boat longer than 200 meters, with the biggest over 300 meters and > 30k >> tons. I realize that it wasn't a big ship, but the way I was raised: >> saltwater=ship, freshwater=boat. Size didn't matter. >> > > It's not size, it's type. Submarines are boats... (they're also "it", not > "she" to anyone who's not actually a submariner). :-) > > Sure, it's probably a regional usage difference (like "LEFT-enant" in > Britain and Australia), but a patrol craft, a fast-attack craft (like the > couple of hydrofoils with guns we've had over the years) or a merchant > vessel with only 15 or so crew is usually a boat if you're talking about a > British vessel. > > C. > That's how it was when I was in the USN, 29 years ago. Subs are 'boats' as are small craft generally. Although, we used to refer to our ship as a 'boat' as in "Gotta report aboard the boat in the morning." (I served aboard USS Eisenhower, but in an aircraft squadron, I was not in ship''s company). And, I thought it was pronounced "LEF-tenant". john air-head maru
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