Eye In The Sky
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Jack Nastyface said:Ship's names are always capitalized.
Well, you learn something every day on this site. ;D
Jack Nastyface said:Ship's names are always capitalized.
Jack Nastyface said:Ship's names are always capitalized.
Jack Nastyface said:CDN Aviator, some authors may not capitalize a ship's name, just as some people say "on" a ship, vice "in" a ship. Doesn't make it right. I am hoping that some other knowledgeable naval types will chime in to set the record straight. Please take a look at this museum's web sitehttp://www.naval-museum.mb.ca/cgi-bin/db_search.cgi?setup_file=rcnships.set: . Please note that all ship's names are capitalized. I don't make this stuff up, you know. After all the navy is based on centuries of tradition unimpeded by progress.
It's late here. I don't suppose that the traditional navy reasoning "that we've always done it that way" will pass muster?! I will do some digging tomorrow and post what I find. You may recall that all ship's cap tallies (cap bands on RCN matelots' hats) were capitalized.CDN Aviator said:Do you have an official reference that says that ship names are to be captalized ?
Jack Nastyface said:It's late here. I don't suppose that the traditional navy reasoning "that we've always done it that way" will pass muster?! I will do some digging tomorrow and post what I find. You may recall that all ship's cap tallies (cap bands on RCN matelots' hats) were capitalized.
CDN Aviator said:Go tell that to the DND website folks........and to the Author of this
Funny that. I canvassed all of the naval officers at my unit and asked them how they would write a ship's name. To a man they answered, "All in caps." I believe that the web sites and articles that Cdn Aviator offered were all DND and military articles. Whatever civvy authors do,I don't really give a fig. Suggest that you check your work (again).Harley Sailor said:And that would work if this was within DND correspondence. As this is not then I believe CFP 200 is more to the point. Another case of good intent, wrong context.
Jack Nastyface said:Funny that. I canvassed all of the naval officers at my unit and asked them how they would write a ship's name. To a man they answered, "All in caps." I believe that the web sites and articles that Cdn Aviator offered were all DND and military articles. Whatever civvy authors do,I don't really give a fig. Suggest that you check your work (again).
Now, this is military writing style. Odds are that web pages developed more for the public will adopt a civillian writing style (in which there likely is no style directing capitalization beyond the first letter).4. Full Capitalization. Capital letters are used for every letter of:
i. names and classes of ships;
The Canadian Style, A Guide to Writting and Editing. Dundurn Press Ltd in cooperation with PWGSC Translation Bureau. Toronto ON, 1997.6.07 Modes of transportation
Italicize the names given to individual ships, spacecraft, aircraft and trains but not abbreviations preceding them:
HMCS Brunswicker
the Spirit of St.Louis
the spacecraft Challenger
the Rapido
Note
In Department of National Defence documents, the names of ships are written entirely in upper case and are not italicized:
HMCS ATHABASKAN
HMCS SACKVILLE
Jack Nastyface said:Funny that. I canvassed all of the naval officers at my unit and asked them how they would write a ship's name. To a man they answered, "All in caps." I believe that the web sites and articles that Cdn Aviator offered were all DND and military articles. Whatever civvy authors do,I don't really give a fig. Suggest that you check your work (again).
I have canvassed a SME on this matter, Cdr Bob Willson.He was the Navo in HMCS HAIDA in '57, commanded a steamer and after he retired was the CO of HAIDA when she was berthed at Ontario Place. He is a prominent member of the NOAC and The Naval Club of Toronto. I quote:Harley Sailor said:Again I say, if you ask the right question you get the answer you are looking for.
What unit was that again?
Jack Nastyface said:I have canvassed a SME on this matter, Cdr Bob Willson.He was the Navo in HMCS HAIDA in '57, commanded a steamer and after he retired was the CO of HAIDA when she was berthed at Ontario Place. He is a prominent member of the NOAC and The Naval Club of Toronto. I quote:
"Hi Jack,
Greetings from San Francisco and Wine Country.
I don't know of any hard and fast rule.
It generally seems to depend on the editorial policy and style manual of the editor or publisher.
The CP style book, as I recall from memory, only uses Initial Caps, but it does specify not to use "the" before HMCS.
Some publishers italicize ships' names.
I don't have the latest issue of Starshell to check what they do.
In any of the many newsletters that I have written and edited I always used All Caps, and I think that Parks Canada and the Historic Naval Ships Association adopted that style.
You might also want to check with Graeme Arbuckle, Arbuckle.JGG@forces.gc.ca and CAPT(N) Pickford, Pickford.KJ@forces.gc.ca to see what they say on DND policy.
Sorry that I cannot say one way or the other is mandatory, however, my preference is All Caps to avoid confusion with other names, eg Toronto, the city and TORONTO the ship.
Yours aye,
Bob"