List of warships by nickname

The following is a list of warships listed by nickname. See below for a key to abbreviations.

A

*"Abe" — USS "Abraham Lincoln" [http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=13848] ; Abraham Lincoln is often informally referred to as "Abe"
*"Ageless Warrior" — USS "Coral Sea" [http://www.cnsl.spear.navy.mil/jamesewilliams/WILLIAMS/cmc.htm] [http://www.usscoralsea.net/]
*"Aggie" — HMS "Agamemnon" [http://royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1268/changeNav/3533]
*"Aggie on Horseback" — HMS "Weston-Super-Mare" [http://royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1268/changeNav/3533] ; nickname named for Agnes Weston, a temperance and sailor's advocate; "on horseback" is a jocular mistranslation of Latin "super-mare" ("on the sea"), "mare" being equated with a female horse
*"'Am and Tripe" — HMS "Amphitrite" [http://royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1268/changeNav/3533] ; humorous malapropism
*"America's Favorite Carrier" — USS "Carl Vinson" [http://www.cvn70.navy.mil/presrel/18NOV04_Vinson%20Birthday.html]
*"Angry Cat" — French ship "Henri IV" [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3818] ; named so by the British, a play on the pronunciation of "Henri Quatre"
*"Archdeacon" — HMS "Venerable" [http://royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1268/changeNav/3533] ; a play on the phrase "venerable archdeacon"

B

*"Battle Cat" — USS "Kitty Hawk" [http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=12115]
*"Belcrash" — "'USS "Belknap"; reference her collision with the USS Kennedy in 1975
*"Big Ben" — USS "Franklin" [http://www.ussfranklin.org] ; the ship is named after the Battle of Franklin(? - see link)
*"The Big E" — USS "Enterprise" (CV-6) [http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/carriers/histories/cv06-enterprise/cv06-enterprise.html] and USS "Enterprise" (CVN-65) [http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/carriers/histories/cv65-enterprise/cv65-enterprise.html]
*"The Big J" — USS "New Jersey" [http://www.ussnewjersey.com/]
*"Big John" — USS "John F. Kennedy" [http://www.nol.navy.mil/homepages/cv67/]
*"Big Lizzie" — HMS "Queen Elizabeth" [http://royalnavy.mod.uk/server/show/conWebDoc.1268/changeNav/3533]
*"Big Mamie" — USS "Massachusetts" [http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/battleships/massachusetts/bb59-mass.html]
*"The Big Stick" — USS "Theodore Roosevelt" [http://www.tr.surfor.navy.mil/default.aspx] ; based on Theodore Roosevelt's quotation, "Speak softly and carry a big stick" [http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm139.html]
*"Billy Ruffian" — HMS "Bellerophon" [http://royalnavy.mod.uk] ; humorous mispronunciation
*"The Blue Ghost"— USS Lexington (CV-16); nickname supposedly bestowed by Japanese radio propagandist Tokyo Rose because of the color of her camouflage painting and because she repeatedly disproved reports that she had been sunk [http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/navalwarfare/a/blueghost.htm]
*"Bonnie" — HMCS "Bonaventure" [http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/equip/historical/bonaventurelst_e.asp]
*"Building (hull number)" — a U.S. Navy joke about ships that don't go to sea much.
**"Building 575" — USS "Seawolf" (SSN-575)
**"Building 587" — USS "Tullibee"(SSN-587)
**"Building 21" — USS "Seawolf" (SSN-21)

C

*"Cannabis" – USS "Canopus"; humorous malapropism
*"Century One" – HMS "Centurion"; humorous malapropism
*"Christmas Anthem" – HMS "Chrysanthemum"; humorous malapropism
*"Chuckie V" — USS "Carl Vinson"
*"Cocoa Boat" – HMS "Curacoa"; humorous malapropism
*"Connie" – USS "Constellation"; diminutive of ship's name
*"The Count" - USS "Comte de Grasse"; named for Comte de Grasse (French, "Count de Grasse"), an ally of the Americans in the American War of Independence
*"Curious" — HMS "Furious" [http://www.royal-navy.org/shiplist/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=5&Itemid=13]

D

*"Despair Ship Remorse" - HMS "Resource" [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3818] ; humorous malapropism on "Repair ship "Resource"
*"Dreado" - HMS "Dreadnought" [http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/server/show/nav.3818] ; diminutive of ship's name
*"Dull Ass" – USS "Dallas"; humorous malapropism

E

*"Eggshells" - HMS "Achilles"; humorous malapropism
*"Enterprison" - USS "Enterprise"; humorous malapropism
*"Exploder" - HMS "Explorer"; experimental & temperamental submarine fitted with dangerous hydrogen peroxide propulsion system.

F

*"The Fightingest Ship in the RCN" – HMCS "Haida"; gained this moniker by reason of sinking 14 enemy ships during patrols in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay; she also sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian ship [http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/community/mapleleaf/vol_5/vol5_04/vol5-04navy.pdf]
*"The Fighting G" – HMS "Gloucester"
*"The Fighting I" – USS "Intrepid"
*"The Five Mile Sniper" – HMAS "Brisbane"
*"Flatiron" – HMS "Argus"; from the shape of the ship
*"Forrest Fire" – USS "Forrestal"; humorous malapropism, also because of the fire on deck.
*"Fraser Blade" – HMCS "Fraser"

G

*"Gin Palace" - HMS "Agincourt"; originally built for Brazilian Navy and given higher standards of comfort, particularly for officers, than most RN ships
*"Gipper" – USS "Ronald Reagan"; named for Ronald Reagan's nickname, from his role of George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American
*"The Gold Eagle" – USS "Carl Vinson"
*"The Golden Devil" (Dutch "Den Gulden Duvel") – HMS "Sovereign of the Seas"
*"Le Grand Hotel" – French ship "Hoche"
*"The Grand Old Lady" – HMS "Warspite" [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/99/a4464399.shtml]
*"The Gray Ghost" – USS "Hornet"
*"The Gray Lady" – USS "Lexington"
*"GW" – USS "George Washington"; initials of the ship's namesake
*"Greenpig" -USS Greenling

H

*"Happy Valley" – USS "Valley Forge"
*"He-Cat" - HMS "Hecate"; humorous malapropism
*HMS Refit - HMS "Renown";
*HMS Repair - HMS "Repulse"
*"Holiday Express" – USS "Bunker Hill"
*"HST" – USS "Harry S. Truman"; initials of the ship's namesake Harry S. Truman

I

*"Ike" – USS "Dwight D. Eisenhower"; based on nickname of namesake, Dwight D. Eisenhower
*"Indy" - USS "Independence"

J

*"Jimmy K" – USS "James K. Polk"
*"Johnny Reb" – USS "John C. Stennis"

K

*"Kami-ha-ha" — USS "Kamehameha"; humorous malapropism
*"King of Tomahawks" — USS "John Young"; probably after the ship's BGM-109 Tomahawk weapons system
*"Shitty Kitty" — USS "Kitty Hawk"; humorous malapropism

L

*"Lady Lex" – USS "Lexington"
*"Long Delayed" – HMAS "Adelaide"; rhyming play on ship's name. Fitting out and completion of the ship were delayed (almost 3 years) due to the loss of important machinery parts, as a result of enemy action, which gave rise to the nickname.
*"The Lord's Own" - HMS "Vengeance"; derived from the phrase "The Lord's own vengeance", based on the sentiment of Romans [http://www.zianet.com/maxey/Roman24.htm 12:19]
*"Lost and Confused" – USS "Lewis and Clark"

M

*"Maggie" - HMS "Magnificent"; HMCS "Magnificent"
*"The Mighty Hood" - HMS "Hood"
*"Mighty Mo" - USS "Missouri"
*"Mighty Moo" – USS "Cowpens"

N

*"Nelly" — HMS "Nelson" - also "Nelsol" - from fleet oilers with names ending in 'ol'
*"Niffy Jane" — HMS "Iphigenia"
*"Northo" — HMS "Northumberland"

O

*"O'Broken" — USS "O'Brien"
*"Old Ironsides" — USS "Constitution" [ [http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/] ]
*"The Old Lady" — HMS "Warspite", from a comment by Viscount Cunningham; [ [http://www.postalheritage.org.uk/exhibitions/ww2stamps/cunningham The British Postal Museum & Archive - Viscount Cunningham & HMS Warspite ] ] impressed by the vintage ship's speed during a mission to aid the British Army in Sicily, Cunningham remarked, "When the old lady lifts her skirts she can run." [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/08/a4134908.shtml BBC - WW2 People's War - My Life My War - Chapter 12c ] ]
*"Old Salt" — USS "Nimitz"
*"One-Eye" — HMS "Polyphemus"; Polyphemus was a cyclops in Greek mythology
*"Outrageous" — HMS "Courageous" [ [http://www.royal-navy.org/shiplist/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=5&Itemid=13] ,] ; humorous malapropism

P

*"Pierwolf" – USS "Seawolf"
*"The Pool" - HMS "Liverpool"
*"Proud Pete" - USS "Peterson"; play on "Pete" as a diminutive of "Peterson", and on the ship's motto, "Proud Tradition"
*"Puffington" - HMS "Effingham"

Q

*"Queerfish" – USS "Queenfish"
*"Quiet Warrior" — USS "Spruance"

R

*"Raglafart" - HMS Trafalgar (inverted)
*"Rezzo" - HMS "Resolution"
*"Rough Rider" – USS "Theodore Roosevelt"
*"Rodnol" — HMS "Rodney" - from fleet oilers with names ending in 'ol'
*"Rusty-guts" – HMCS "Restigouche" [http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20051105/OBPIERS05/TPObituaries/?pageRequested=all]
*"Repair" - HMS "Repulse"
*"Refit" - HMS "Renown"

*"Sara", "Sister Sara", "Stripe-Stack Sara", or "Sara Maru" - USS "Saratoga"
*"Saggy Pants" — HMCS "Saguenay"
*"San Francisco's Own" — USS "Carl Vinson"
*"Seapuppy" — USS "Seawolf"
*"Shiny Sheff" - HMS "Sheffield"
*"Shitty Kitty" — USS "Kitty Hawk"
*"Showboat" - USS "North Carolina"
*"Slack Jack" - USS "John F. Kennedy"
*"The Smoke" — HMS "London"
*"Spurious" — HMS "Furious" [http://www.royal-navy.org/shiplist/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=5&Itemid=13]
*"Starship Vinson" — USS "Carl Vinson"
*"Steel Cat" — HMAS "Brisbane"
*"Stinkin Lincoln" — USS "Abraham Lincoln"
*"Swayback Maru" - USS "San Francisco"

T

*"T.R." – USS "Theodore Roosevelt"
*"Tea Boat" – HMS "Ceylon"
*"Tea Chest" – HMS "Thetis"
*"Teacup" – USS "Tecumseh"
*"Tico" – USS "Ticonderoga"
*"Tiddly Quid" – HMS "Royal Sovereign"
*"Tin Duck" – HMS "Iron Duke"
*"Three-Quarter Mile Island" - "'USS "Enterprise" (CVN-65)
*"The Toothless Terror" – HMS "Scylla"
*"Traffie" – HMS "Trafalgar"
*"Tullibeast" – USS "Tullibee"
*"The Tartan Terror" - HMAS "Stuart"
*"Tottenham" - HMS "Hotspur"

U

*"Uproarious" – HMS "Glorious" [http://www.royal-navy.org/shiplist/index.php?option=com_content&task=section&id=5&Itemid=13]

V

*"Von Stupid" – USS "Von Stueben"

W

* "Wet Ass Queen" — HMCS "Wetaskiwin" [http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/canadian_navy.htm]

X

Y

Z

*"Zippo" – USS "Forrestal" [http://unitpages.military.com/unitpages/unit.do?id=200205]

Abbreviations

*HMAS - "His/Her Majesty's Australian Ship"; applied to Royal Australian Navy vessels
*HMCS – "His/Her Majesty's Canadian Ship"; applied to Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces vessels
*HMS – "His/Her Majesty's Ship"; applied to Royal Navy vessels
*USS – "United States Ship"; applied to United States Navy vessels

References

ee also

* List of nicknames of British Army regiments
* Nicknames of U.S. Army divisions
* Regimental nicknames of the Canadian Forces