Why are ships referred to as she?

Ships are referred to as "she" for several reasons that reflect tradition and cultural norms. Early sailors used a feminine form of address to acknowledge the maternal role their ships represented, and some languages use the feminine form of address for common nouns like ship, car or plane.

In addition, a ship can be called "she" to acknowledge various characteristics that are similar to the female form and to acknowledge the high concentration of males aboard the ship. In modern times, the emergent trend towards political correctness challenges these sentiments, especially since an increasing number of women serve aboard military and commercial ships.