Daedalus > She ??? [Minor Spoilers for 'The Siege 2']

[Harlan]

Hi everybody ! I apologize since I suppose the question I'm gonna ask has already been asked several times here ...

In 'The Siege Part 2' (1.20), I've noticed they use 'she' when they talk about the Daedalus.

McKay says : "Oh, sister ship to the Prometheus"
And Everett ads : "With a ZPM boosting her engine, she should be here inside of four days"

I'm not American, so I don't know if talking about a spaceship by using 'she' is some kind of US tradition . Seriously, my knowledge of English (only 7 years of learning) doesn't allow me to understand this use of 'she' for the Daedalus.

Thank you for helping a Frenchie to improve his English .

[MartoufMarty]

They always call the ships and guns and such 'she' or 'her' or whatnot.

Tradition I guess.

That's just about it lol.

[immhotep]

actually only mountains are named after boys, everything else is girl named - tornados,storms,guns,vehicles.........others i cant think of at the mo

[MartoufMarty]

actually only mountains are named after boys, everything else is girl named - tornados,storms,guns,vehicles.........others i cant think of at the mo

Hurricanes and such are named after guys and girls.

[CoffeeGirl]

A ship is always a "she", even when she has a male name. For example, if a ship is named the "George Washington", you would still say, "I've seen the George Washington, she is a great ship."

[Harlan]

Copy that ! Thank you very much guys and girls for answering !
I'm gonna transmit the answer to my French SG Community
(we were all wondering why they named the ship after girl ^^ ).

[immhotep]

Hurricanes and such are named after guys and girls.

name a male hurricane, tornado or storm?

[Ace]

name a male hurricane, tornado or storm?

Are you serious? Hurricane Andrew!! Perhaps the most destructive hurricane in history...not the biggest or baddest but certainly the most destructive.

To get back on topic...it's not that it's tradition to say that ships, trucks or even cars are a "she" I think it's more culture. It's what everyone says and it has just been imbedded into everybody's minds. Not just Americans but I would think everyone in North America.

I never even thought of it...until you pointed it out. It's just second nature

Ace

[dd78matt]

name a male hurricane, tornado or storm?

Hurricane Ivan. They go through, I believe, something like 30 year cycles. They name them after women for 30 years, then for men for 30 years and so on. But we call pretty much anything with an engine, or a beautiful machine "she". For example, you would never call an m-16 "she", but you would call a hand made, one of a kind gun a "she".

[Dr. Weir's Hair Gel]

Courtesy of USA Today

Tropical storms and hurricanes are given names to avoid confusion when more than one storm is being followed at the same time. A storm is named when it reaches tropical storm strength with winds of 39 mph. A storm becomes a hurricane when its wind speed reaches 75 mph.

Separate sets of hurricane names are used in the central Pacific, eastern Pacific, and the Atlantic Basin, which includes the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The World Meteorological Organization's Region 4 Hurricane Committee selects the names for Atlantic Basin storms. The names are English, Spanish and French - the languages spoken in the national Atlantic Basin storms hit. They alternate between male and female names. The group has selected six sets of names, which means each set of names is used again each six years.

Forecasters begin using names in 1950. In that year and in 1951, names were from the international phonetic alphabet in use at the time - Able, Baker, Charlie, etc. Female, English-language names were used beginning in 1953.

Alternating male and female names were first used to name Atlantic Basin hurricanes in 1979. This was also the first year that French and Spanish names, as well as English, were used. The first three male names used, Bob, David and Frederick have all been retired because they did tremendous damage. Frederick and David were retired because of the damage they did in 1979. Bob was retired after a hurricane by that name hit New England in 1991.

The first storm each year in the Atlantic Basin and in the eastern Pacific gets an 'A' name. But the year's first hurricane in the central Pacific from 140 degrees west longitude to the International Date Line and the first typhoon west of the Date Line get the next available name on the list, no matter what letter it begins with..

[MartoufMarty]

name a male hurricane, tornado or storm?

George, Beulah...

I did a little slideshow project for school last year. I got to do about Hurricances and Tornados. I had a BIG list.

I do remember that during World War II they used only women's names and around 1953 they used male names, and I think around 1973 they started alternating.

Edit: Someone beat me to it and has better dates. I was close! I did this project last year, it's amazing I actually remembered that!

[cobraR478]

Hi everybody ! I apologize since I suppose the question I'm gonna ask has already been asked several times here ...

In 'The Siege Part 2' (1.20), I've noticed they use 'she' when they talk about the Daedalus.

McKay says : "Oh, sister ship to the Prometheus"
And Everett ads : "With a ZPM boosting her engine, she should be here inside of four days"

I'm not American, so I don't know if talking about a spaceship by using 'she' is some kind of US tradition . Seriously, my knowledge of English (only 7 years of learning) doesn't allow me to understand this use of 'she' for the Daedalus.

Thank you for helping a Frenchie to improve his English .

Any piece of technology that a "red blooded American" takes care of "like a woman" can be referred to as "she" or "her." This applies to guns, cars and boats generally. Spaceship could definately fall into this category.

[True!Ancient]

naming ships is suposed to bring good luck and it is kind of a tradition

[Hywel]

Many people wonder why a ship is referred to as a 'she.' The explanation is that it was customary in early days to dedicate a ship to a goddess, under whose protection she sailed. The ship carried the diety's carved image on her bow not as a decoration, as later generations imagined, but as an aid to finding the way.

There is also the metaphor of ships as preganant women, carrying passengers inside.

Or possibly, it's because

• It is not the initial expense that breaks you, it's the upkeep.
• It takes an experienced man to handle her correctly.
• When coming into port, she always heads for the buoys.

[Atlantis1]

Things which are considered protection or life giving were referred to in a feminine term. Mother Earth, ships, planes, continents, etc.