Is It a Ship? Is It a Boat?

[AJChenMPH]

AS A SMALL CHILD, I remember my father, a Navy officer, taking our family to the piers. "Look at all the pretty boats, Daddy!" I exclaimed.

"Ships, Tara," he corrected me. "These are ships, not boats!" Through the years, I'd tease my father with the same comment, and he'd always reply, "Ships, Tara, ships!"

Eventually, I married a new ensign who faced a year of training before he was assigned to a fast-attached submarine. One day, when he strolled up our front walk with a grin, I knew he had received his first orders. "So to what ship are you assigned?" I asked.

His smile turned quickly into a frown. "Boat, Tara!" he said. "Submarines are boats!"

--Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Tara Lampman Boulden

Provided Courtesy of Reader's Digest.

 

[Senior Chief]

AS A SMALL CHILD, I remember my father, a Navy officer, taking our family to the piers. "Look at all the pretty boats, Daddy!" I exclaimed.

"Ships, Tara," he corrected me. "These are ships, not boats!" Through the years, I'd tease my father with the same comment, and he'd always reply, "Ships, Tara, ships!"

Eventually, I married a new ensign who faced a year of training before he was assigned to a fast-attached submarine. One day, when he strolled up our front walk with a grin, I knew he had received his first orders. "So to what ship are you assigned?" I asked.

His smile turned quickly into a frown. "Boat, Tara!" he said. "Submarines are boats!"

--Contributed to "Humor In Uniform" by Tara Lampman Boulden

Provided Courtesy of Reader's Digest.

There is a distinction between boats and ships. #1, all submarines are boats (I don't know if Tara knew it or not, but there isn't a fast-attached submarine, they are Fast Attack)

#2, anything smaller than x feet are considered boats. I don't remember what that length is. Remember there are "Riverboats", "Swiftboats" and "Tugboats". Somewhere in the water is a line, shorter is a boat, larger is a ship.

 

[Sevens]

That's great, AJ! And thanks for explaining the difference between boat and ship, Senior Chief!

 

[Fox]

Yup, you're right, Senior Chief. I was taught difference of the boat and ship by Navy JROTC.

AJ, good one.

 

[Team Infidel]

good one Andy

 

[AFSteliga]

Nice one.

 

[Missileer]

I always heard that you can put a boat on a ship but you can't put a ship on a boat.

 

[Sevens]

I always heard that you can put a boat on a ship but you can't put a ship on a boat.

That's kind of how my uncle always explained it to us growing up...

 

[tomtom22]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: