Bad luck changing a ships name?

[lowerdegrl]

I thought it was bad luck to change a ships name but i see that NCL has done this a few times. i was wondering what other people think on this subject

[electricron]

Changing a ship's name is not bad luck.

[newmexicoNita]

Golly, I have never heard that one before.

 

Nita

[mikedw]

It's rarely done on military vessels, but merchant ships change names all of the time.

[smeyer418]

Yes sometimes its done so people forget...the Exxon Valdez is still out there somewhere and the names are sometimes done to protect while...here is an example

http://www.cruise-ship-report.com/News/051207.htm

[KYwoman1962]

When we bought our boat, people said not to change the name but we did anyway because the old name didn't suit us at all. Nothing bad has happened. I don't believe in luck.

[garycarla]

... I don't believe in luck.

 

Lucky for you that you do not believe in luck!

[DJSODAL]

the Pride of Aloha use to be the Norweign Sky!!!

 

so it does happen

[Cubechick]

the Pride of Aloha use to be the Norweign Sky!!!

 

so it does happen

 

And the Seaward became the Norwegian Sea which then became the Superstar Libra.

The Superstar Leo became the Norwegian Spirit.

The Royal Majesty became the Norwegian Majesty.

The Crown Odyssey became the Norwegian Crown which then became the Balmoral.

Shall I continue? ;)

[lowerdegrl]

I never said it did not happen i was just asking people their oppinion on if it was bad luck or not.

[I'mwithhim]

Well, I for one DO firmly believe in mariner luck. Born and raised in a sea coast town, on the East Coast, I run a boat yard and marina and if I didn't hold true to the mariner beliefs I wouldn't have a job, as my clients would all go elsewhere.

 

Whenever an owner changes the name of a vessel, we "re-christen" said vessel again. I'll bet you'll find that as many times as NCL or anyone else renames their vessels, they also rechristen it.

 

Mariners are a superstitious lot. ;)

[Cubechick]

I never said it did not happen i was just asking people their oppinion on if it was bad luck or not.

 

Dunno if its bad luck or not, so I tried looking it up and came upon this humorous response on answers.yahoo.com:

 

No, the Royal Navy did it all the time, however some old salts used to think that it was bad luck, so they followed the following rules. The origins of the changing names bad lack story goes back to when boats names were carved into the oak - into part of the keel, thus renaming the boat involved chiseling off part of the boat and thus weakening it. Like many good supersititions this one started with a truth!

 

1. First you must remove all physical traces of the boat's old name. Take the old log book ashore, along with any other papers that bear the old name. Check for offending books and charts with the name inscribed. Be ruthless. Sand away the old name from the lifebuoys, transom, top-side, dinghy, and oars. Yes, sand it away. Painting over is not good enough. You're dealing with gods here, you understand, not mere dumb mortals. If the old name is carved or etched, try to remove it or, at the very minimum, fill it with putty and then paint over. And don't place the new name anywhere on the boat before the denaming ceremony is carried out. That's just tempting fate.

 

2. de-name

 

How you conduct the ceremony depends entirely on you. If you're the theatrical type, and enjoy appearing in public in your yacht club blazer and skipper's cap, you can read it with flair on the foredeck before a gathering of distinguished guests. But if you find this whole business faintly silly and embarrassing, and only go along with it because you're scared to death of what might happen if you don't, you can skulk down below and mumble it on your own. That's perfectly okay. The main thing is that you carry it out. The words must be spoken.

 

There are two things to watch out for here. Don't use cheap-cheap champagne, and don't try to keep any for yourself. Buy a second bottle if you want some. Use a brew that's reasonably expensive, based on your ability to pay, and pour the whole lot on the boat. One of the things the gods of the sea despise most is meanness, so don't try to do this bit on the cheap.

 

What sort of time period should elapse between this denaming ceremony and a new naming ceremony? There's no fixed time. You can do the renaming right after the denaming, if you want, but I personally would prefer to wait at least 24 hours to give any lingering demons a chance to clear out.

 

DENAMING CEREMONY

 

"In the name of all who have sailed aboard this ship in the past, and in the name of all who may sail aboard her in the future, we invoke the ancient gods of the wind and the sea to favor us with their blessing today."

 

"Mighty Neptune, king of all that moves in or on the waves; and mighty Aeolus (pronounced EE-oh-lus), guardian of the winds and all that blows before them: We offer you our thanks for the protection you have afforded this vessel in the past. We voice our gratitude that she has always found shelter from tempest and storm and enjoyed safe passage to port."

 

"Now, wherefore, we submit this supplication, that the name whereby this vessel has hitherto been known (_____), be struck and removed from your records. Further, we ask that when she is again presented for blessing with another name, she shall be recognized and shall be accorded once again the selfsame privileges she previously enjoyed."

 

"In return for which, we rededicate this vessel to your domain in full knowledge that she shall be subject as always to the immutable laws of the gods of the wind and the sea. In consequence whereof, and in good faith, we seal this pact with a libation offered according to the hallowed ritual of the sea."

 

3. Now you can pop the cork, shake the bottle and spray the whole of the contents on the bow. When that's done, you can quietly go below and enjoy the other bottle yourself.

[crew mom]

It was also considered bad luck to have women on board ship and you're not supposed to have an umbrella on board either.

 

I don't care about the umbrella's but you can't kick us ladies overboard!

[I'mwithhim]

See, I simply didn't have the patience to write all that. :D

 

But it is true. And don't forget to mention that when you do the christening you must actually break the champagne over the bow (putting it in a material bag will prevent glass from spraying everywhere). ;)

 

Then on her maiden voyage an offering to the gods must be paid. (usually the seafarers in my neck of the woods throw a quarter or a dollar coin). This offering to the gods is the payment for the contract to keep the boat safe while she is at sea. :D

 

I don't know if I really buy into it all, but it sure is a fun part of my job..making maritime traditions / superstitions a part of the life of a vessel.

 

Sidebar - a customer of mine owns a beautiful 35 foot wooden cruiser. They changed the name of her last summer. They had multitudes of engine trouble, the cabin wood was found to be rotted, and finally the boat sunk while at anchor one night. They raised it, towed it back to my boat yard and as a joke I suggested (while we put the pumps to her) that they needed to carry out the proper ceremony to rename a vessel (as stated above), which they promptly did....to the letter!

 

With no further work done other than pumping her out, the boat stayed afloat for the remainder of the summer (2 months) and they enjoyed the days cruising around the bay. Now that she is out and on the hard for the winter season, the work to her cabin will be done. The mechanic that came to fix the engine? Well, oddly enough, even though it was under water and had been giving them multiple problems before, once it has the sea water flushed out, it worked like a charm...go figure. ;)

[lowerdegrl]

Cubechick thank you so much for your input i greatly appreciate the informative responce. I also live by the ocean and although i do not make my living from the sea i do greatly respect the powers that be when it involves her.

 

 

Also I had heard about no women on board and i believe the origins had to do with the fact that we get what used to be refered to as the "curse" so then i guess all women were cursed because of it.

 

My DH said in the Navy they talked about women on board and their resoning was that women were bad luck because back in the day sailing ships did not nesasarily draw in the best croud as far as crew goes so if a woman was on board she would not have to be a very "nice" woman. and as men can get with women if they are close to a woman then she then "belongs" to him and with 1 woman and 20 guys i can see how she would cause some conflict.

 

Also all the gods of the sea were men and the sirens were women who lured men and ships to their deaths. so it was an affront to the gods to have a "siren" on board.

 

I had never heard of the umbrella but he said he thinks it has something to due with the fact that on a sailing ships you have to pay attention to what is going on around you and over you as far as the sails and the lines, and if you have an umbrella over you head you could easily hurt the sails or tangle the lines and or you yourself could be injured.