Our traditions are lost at sea in this PC era

Calling a ship ‘she’ is not sexist – so why can’t we hold our own against the professionally offended?

I’ve seen a lot of things in the more than five decades since I joined the Royal Navy, but the idea that it’s politically incorrect to call a ship “she” is certainly a new one. Things have come to a sorry state in this country when a small number of agitators can upend centuries of tradition and force no less an institution than the Scottish Maritime Museum to abandon a convention that all sailors know makes perfect sense.

To us, much of the time, a ship is best understood as being like a mother, holding us and keeping us safe from storms, the enemy and the ever-present peril of the depths. There’s a tongue-in-cheek suggestion that she’s often like a lover, too. In the

Noel Coward film In Which We Serve, the captain spends so much time on board that his wife refers to the ship as his “grey mistress”, a remark which never fails to raise a knowing smile from the wives or husbands of serving officers. The upshot is that every ship’s company comes to love their vessel. “The old girl” isn’t just a floating home from home, she’s a thoroughly personal part of the on-board community. That’s true of whatever you’re sailing on, whether she’s a corporate container ship or the Royal Navy’s flagship.

Proof of this lies in the fact that no two ships are ever the same, and over time they really do take on a character of their own. Part of that is down to the company who sail in her. There is nothing like the camaraderie and friendship of a group of people travelling the world in difficult and often dangerous circumstances together. Some of that spirit inevitably rubs off on the vessel they call home, meaning that even ships built to the same design have their own unique features and atmosphere.

I’m not so sentimental as to deny the logic of the point the protesters were making by repeatedly scratching out all references to “she” on the museum’s information boards. Speaking factually, a ship is indeed an inanimate object with no sort of biological claim to femininity. And yet it is painful to think of the many ships I’ve known and loved as “it” rather than “she”.

This is an impulse that I think will resonate widely among the British public. We cannot resist personalising the things that mean most to us. Consider how many of us choose to imbue our cars with personalities – naming them and talking to them, informing them if “the going’s a bit steep here” or noting that “you’re slow to start today”. Failing that, the bittersweet feeling when we move house is proof that objects are often so much more than the sum of their parts.

People in this country also have a great respect for tradition, something that sailors tend to be especially keen on maintaining. For those who are following in the footsteps of Nelson, Raleigh and Drake, the idea of being heir to and protector of Britain’s great maritime heritage is a tremendous source of pride. Maintaining our historic rites and customs – and that includes calling ships “she” – is one of the best ways of feeling connected to that history.

Perish the thought, some of those customs do have a gender element. All of our ships, for example, are still launched by women. In our topsyturvy world, this will no doubt strike some deluded people as sexist, even though there remains enormous affection between the sponsors of these ships and their crews.

I would be the first to complain if I felt women were being denied a fair shot at forging a career at sea because of outdated, sexist attitudes, but to suggest that is happening because ships are called “she” is palpably absurd. Nobody stands to gain from tinkering with rules and conventions for no reason. In fact, by eroding our history, we stand to lose a great deal.

It’s about time that those in charge of our institutions realised that they cannot let a vocal minority of right-on fools, often utilising the power of social media, push the rest of us around. Our history and traditions cannot be held hostage by people who choose to be perennially offended.

I was pleased to see the Navy yesterday affirming that it will continue to call ships “she”. I just wish we could rely on all institutions to give the PC brigade the same short shrift.