Reference Books and Maps.......

[DuncaninFrance]

I have always loved wandering through reference books and maps and over the years I have managed to acquire a small collection of books covering many subjects that I have or have had and interest in.
Today a new one arrived - Ships of the Royal Navy - a complete record of all Fighting Ships of the Royal Navy from the 15th Century to the Present ( actually 2010 )

460 pages of Names, builders, launch and lost or scrapped dates plus power. For instance there were 11 ships named Deptford - the first being a sloop from 1652 and the last, also a sloop built in Chatham in 1935.................

Original price £35.00, I bought it on ABE Books, brand new, from a company in Blawnox PA for £18.56 inc p&p

[ArchFluffy]

That's some book!

The RN has been around longer than my USA. Was there ever a ship named "Fluffy"? There have been some fun and funky ship names over the years.

-ArchFluffy

[Niner]

Maybe "Buffy" instead of "Fluffy"....as in the Vampire Terrorist Slayer?

Seems like ships have to follow protocol as to the kinds of names restricted to what class of ship. Submarines are named after fish. Battleships were named after states. Minesweepers were named after birds. Some ships are restricted to dead heroes. Some after famous battles. Some are named after cities. Some are named after counties.

In the day of drones, missiles, and satellite tracking, the Navy is really an expensive collection of objects to maintain as a series of floating targets.

[DuncaninFrance]

Maybe "Buffy" instead of "Fluffy"....as in the Vampire Terrorist Slayer?

Seems like ships have to follow protocol as to the kinds of names restricted to what class of ship. Submarines are named after fish. Battleships were named after states. Minesweepers were named after birds. Some ships are restricted to dead heroes. Some after famous battles. Some are named after cities. Some are named after counties.

In the day of drones, missiles, and satellite tracking, the Navy is really an expensive to maintain series of floating targets.

Those observations are only for the US Navy Robert.........................

[DuncaninFrance]

That's some book!

The RN has been around longer than my USA. Was there ever a ship named "Fluffy"? There have been some fun and funky ship names over the years.

-ArchFluffy

Nearest is Flurry, a wooden drifter built 1919 sold 1920 carried the same name. Served as Gleamon in WWII.

[Niner]

What about the "flower class" Royal Navy Corvettes? All flowers. Nicholas Monsarrat's The Cruel Sea. That fictional ship was called the Rose. Monsarrat actually served on such a ship that did brave service I suspect.

Here's one list.... How warlike.. the fighting " Begonia" for instance.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower-class_corvette

The Begonia did good service actually.

After working up, Begonia was assigned to the Western Approaches Escort Force for service as a convoy escort. In this role Begonia was engaged in all the duties performed by escort ships; protecting convoys, searching for and attacking U-boats which attacked ships in convoy, and rescuing survivors.

During this period she fought in several convoy battles. In July 1941 Begonia was part of the force escorting OG 69, which saw 7 ships sunk and one U-boat damaged off the coast of Portugal. In September 1941 Begonia was with HG 73, which lost 9 ships and an escort in a 10-day running battle. During her twelve months service in the Battle of the Atlantic Begonia escorted 15 Atlantic and 8 Gibraltar convoys, assisting in the safe passage of over 800 ships, though some were subsequently lost.[2]

One of a group of corvettes transferred to the U.S. Navy under reverse Lend-Lease, she was commissioned as USS Impulse in March 1942.

[DuncaninFrance]

She was called 'Compass Rose' and that was a very good film. The ships were a very workmanlike design and filled a large gap in convoy defense at the time. Not sure about some of the names for the commonwealth ships - HMCS Moose Jaw being an example

[Niner Delta]

1. The USN has gotten away from naming subs after fish, the last one so named was commissioned
in 1972. All subs after that were named for people, states and cities.
This link tells what the US Navy named ships during WWII and currently. (very different)
http://fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ship/names.htm

2. Moose Jaw (currently) is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It has a
population of over 35,000. It is the 4th largest city in Saskatchewan, so I'm not surprised they
named a ship after it in WWII.........eh?

[DuncaninFrance]

Vern, I know about the city and it was probably as much a way of involving people in the war effort but some ships names just don't work as well as others for me.

For instance, another ship named after a place; HMS Killiecrankie was an RNR Coastal Minesweeper of the Ton class. Originally named Bickington then Curzon she served in the RNR from 1960-1974 eventually being broken up in Bilbao in 1988.
She was named after a battle of the Jacobite Rising http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Killiecrankie and was based in Edinburgh.

[ArchFluffy]

A drifter doesn't sound too exciting. Like what a warship is after is loses a battle. I had to look up that it is a small boat that tends anti-sub drift nets. I guess any battle ship can be a drifter but not every drifter can be a battleship.

Ships need good names. There are some cool old names out there but maybe for the new generation they can use more current ones. Like famous pro-wrestlers, or video games characters.

-ArchFluffy