13 thoughts on “On A Stream Of Consciousness

    1. Slightly Bemused

      This begs that old pub quiz question: what is the difference between a ship and a boat. I have, over the years, found it hard to get a definitive answer, as several sources, ranging from the likes of the Royal Navy and US Navy to dictionaries to other maritime authorities, have different definitions.
      These range from ‘a ship can carry a boat but a boat cannot carry a ship’ to one that ‘a ship rolls outward on a turn where a boat rolls inwards’, or a ‘boat has only one deck where a ship has several’ and of course the one that says ‘a boat’s business is carried out on deck whereas a ship’s business is carried out inside’. All of these stumble over things like why a submarine is called a boat, and some very large vessels on lakes are also called boats.
      The best definition I have come across has to do with centre of gravity, and indeed links to the roll of the vessel in a turn. According to this one (Royal Navy), a boat’s centre of gravity is below the water line while a ship’s centre of gravity is above it.
      By this definition the LE James Joyce is a ship. But I like their get-out-of-jail-free way of dealing with it as the refer to it as an Offshore Patrol Vessel, thereby offending no pub quizzers, but also not really helping :)

        1. Slightly Bemused

          I have heard that one. too. But it does not account for submarines, which have captains, but are known as boats.
          My experience has been that it depends who sets the pub quiz and which is their favourite definition :)

  1. dav

    We could do with 5 to 6 more of them considering the area of sea our underfunded Naval Service is expected to patrol

  2. Frank

    I agree..
    James Joyce and Samuel Beckett must be turning in their graves !
    If they were told when they were alive that their names would be on Navy ships, they would have had a fit !
    F.

      1. ahyeah

        He drove an ambulance for 11 days. And brought a note from one person to another when the Nazis took Paris. And he translated a 2-page document.

  3. Jake38

    It sure beats the naming of bridges in Dublin. We now have one named after an alcoholic masochist and one after some female trade union nobody.

    1. veritas

      one of the bridges you are referring to was going to be named the memorial bridge to commemorate the war dead of the merchant navy when a city councillor proposed adding Matt Talbot’s name to it.It should just be referred to as the memorial bridge if you want to shorten the name.

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