Why is a Submarine called a "Boat" (WW2, twenties, facts)

[quiet walker]

My long time question has come back again, thanks to a reminder from another thread. I used to work for the Navy and wondered about this and never got a satisfactory answer. I thought it was because the difference between "ship" and "boat." A "boat" is a small vessel that can be carried aboard a "ship." Like whale boats, patrol boats, skiffs, etc. Originally submarines were small craft that were carried by and launched from ships. Today's submarines however are too large and would never be carried by any ship. I was on a pier once, discussing this issue with a Navy officer, as we looked at the 560 ft long Trident submarine in front of us. He said "It's as plain as the nose on your face. Just look!" Just then he was called away and I never got my question answered. I couldn't see what he said was so obvious Anyone know?

[Grandstander]

I don't know why everything on a ship or boat is called something different than it is called when the same thing is on land.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

WHY ARE THEY CALLED BOATS

SUBMARINE FACTS

BECAUSE.

[jtur88]

Happily, language changes more slowly than the culture who uses it. "Dial" remains in use to describe the entering of a telephone number and the display on a watch, even though neither of them resembles a "dial". Submarines were called boats when they were boats, and as they gradually increased in size, nobody thought it necessary to point out that they had crossed a dimensional threshold and were now to be renamed ships.

[North Beach Person]

Because submariners (bubbleheads) march not only to a different drummer but to an entirely different band.

[Six Foot Three]

LOL, although i spent most of my navy years stationed at Mayport Naval Station and we had no submarines stationed there i never heard anyone refer to subs as boats . Just the Motor Whale Boats and the Captains Gig were addressed as boats that were attached to our ships.

QW, your not thinking about the U-Boats of WW2?

[harry chickpea]

They go down to the sea in ships. They go down in the sea in boats.

The companies that made them were "electric boat" companies.

[quiet walker]

Thanks all Yes I'm going to go with the "because that's what they've always called them" theory. I note that the most capable and knowledgeable man on the boat is "the cob" - as in "corn on the". C-O-B stands for Chief of the Boat. He stands above all the heads of the various departments such as engineering, navigation, nukes, communications, etc. The cob is knowledgeable about the operations of all the departments. I observed that the captain's primary requirement is to be "responsible" for everything, but I would think that the cob is the guy to go to if you need something done. Another uneducated observation: the crew seem to all be in their twenties, the cob stands out as he is in his thirties, and the captain is in his forties.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Originally Posted by quiet walker

Thanks all Yes I'm going to go with the "because that's what they've always called them" theory. I note that the most capable and knowledgeable man on the boat is "the cob" - as in "corn on the". C-O-B stands for Chief of the Boat. He stands above all the heads of the various departments such as engineering, navigation, nukes, communications, etc. The cob is knowledgeable about the operations of all the departments. I observed that the captain's primary requirement is to be "responsible" for everything, but I would think that the cob is the guy to go to if you need something done. Another uneducated observation: the crew seem to all be in their twenties, the cob stands out as he is in his thirties, and the captain is in his forties.

For landlubbers, the COB is the equivalent of the first sergeant or sergeant major, the top enlisted member on board.

The CO and XO ultimately rule the roost, rank-wise, but much consultation typically goes along with the first sergeant, because often he's been around longer (and has deeper institutional knowledge and more relationships) than anyone else. Again, a lot depends on the personalities and politics involved. Other members in the formal or informal chain are often consulted.

A sub, I'd hazard, especially in the diesel boat days, is a very tight team effort. One error, all can die. That's not necessarily true for ground pounders.

The CO is where the buck stops, he's the one who will garner the top reward or top punishment for deeds good or bad.

The Chief, the Commander, and the XO are the three top dogs aboard, each has his unique role.

[ABQConvict]

The distinction between a boat and a ship is modern and arbitrary. For example, in modern parlance a skiff is a boat but 'skiff' is essentially an archaic spelling of 'ship'.


ABQConvict