Why are Ships Called 'SS'?
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
- Have you ever wondered why ships are referred to as SS? Just what do those two little letters stand for and who came up with this moniker? Well, this video is going to solve that little mystery. And while we've got your attention, we'll also be uncovering the origins behind MV, RV, USS and HMS - and more!
00:00 INTRO
01:10 Ship Origins
02:00 Steam Ships
03:40 Prefix Definitions
04:49 War Ships
06:14 Merchant Ships
07:10 Royal Mail Ships
08:42 Prefixes Out Of Hand
09:47 Queen Mary II
10:18 Prefix Out Of Use
11:14 OUTRO
Oceanliner Designs explores the design, construction, engineering and operation of history’s greatest vessels- from Titanic to Queen Mary and from the Empress of Ireland to the Lusitania. Join maritime researcher and illustrator Michael Brady as he tells the stories behind some of history's most famous ocean liners and machines!
#ShipSecrets #MaritimeMysteries #SSExplained #ShipStories #SailingFacts #SSOrigins #ShipNaming #SeaLegends #SSRevealed #OceanOdyssey #ShipTerms #NavalKnowledge #SailorLore #SSUnveiled #NauticalNaming #ShipTraditions #VesselVocabulary #ShipSaga #ShipPrefixes #SS #MV #RV #USS #HMS - Zábava
*USA:* SS means Super Sport for car trims.
*UK:* SS means Steam Ship.
*Germany:* 😳
😂I got the joke jä
I don't get it
@@Mr.beansholiday In Germany, the SS was the private military of the Nazi party. They're basically responsible for most of the atrocities that the Nazi's committed.
@@Mr.beansholiday SS -> Gestapo -> WW2.
@@skywriter14 thanks, I was drunk when I watched this 😅
My dad used to tell the joke that England used HMS for His/Her Majesty's Ship, we used USS for United States Ship, and Italy used AMB for At'sa My Boat!
Edit: Thanks for the love on this post. My dad, MSgt M.J. Fagan (USMC, Ret.) was indeed a great man, sadly gone over 6 years now. But goddamn if that Marine's stories don't live on, and that's enough for me. Cheers 🍻
🤣
Sir! Is that a U-Boat?
No, no! That'sa mya boat!
😂😂
Mamma mia!!
Shades of Chico Marx? I'ya lika that.
Only Mike Brady can make a 11 minutes long video of a subject that can be read on a Google search in less than 2 minutes, and still enjoying the whole video anyway.
It's his voice. 😅
It's all in the presentation.
Gun jesus would like a word
Only _our friend_ Mike Brady… 🤗
Double speed 🙄🤭
Hey! It’s our friend, Mike Brady, from Oceanliner Designs!
Actually he's my friend, Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs.
@@greglivoNo, hes MY friend Mike Brady from ocean liner designs
I want to see if his birth certificate shows his full name is actually "Your Friend Michael Brady"
So true
'Tis MY friend Mike Brady from the Oceanliner Designs!
The best use of a ship's name was in the movie Hot Shots, the S.S. Esses 🤣
😂
Gotta watch those crabs, they always work in pairs
Shoud have been USS Juessess, or something like that
Ahh, yes, when parody movies were still made and were quite funny.
I'm quite fond of the occasional 'PS' - the almost-lost breed of steam paddlers.
Most notably, the PS Waverley - the last seagoing passenger carrying paddle steamer in the world.
PS - Paddle Steamer
Never heard of PS here in Switzerland, we call the Paddlesteamers DS like any other Steamboat, because in german it is a "Dampfschiff" - "Steamship"
The long official Names are:
"Schaufelraddampfer" - "Shovelwheelsteamer"
"Schraubendampfer" - Screwsteamer"
Swiss Lakes only have either MS Motorschiff (Motorship) or DS Dampschiff (Steamship)
all others like PS RMS SS etc. ? never heard of :)
The only oceangoing vessels ive ever been on had the prefix RV (for "Research Vessel". I'm an oceanographer)
Interesting, the RRS Sir David Attenborough uses a different prefix
@@dsracoon I'm from the US. It makes sense they would be prefixed differently here, but all of the research ships I know of or have encountered (which is a fair number at this point) have the prefix RV
Which ones in the US don't have the RV prefix? I'm not doubting you since I'm sure there are some, but I know the whole UNOLS fleet has the RV prefix and every small research vessel I've encountered at universities have also had it. That said, I've only got experience with marine vessels.
I was once a passenger on a real old SS. What surprised me the most in it was how silent its reciprocating steam engine was. I got to visit the engine room while the ship was going at full speed and the engine was so silent that I could discuss with other people without rising my voice while standing right next to the engine. It was a very classical looking engine with crankshaft in open view and varying size multiple expansion cylinders above.
Very different experience from diesel powered ships where you need to wear hearing protection in the engine room and where voice communication is totally impossible unless you can read lips.
Similar to trains then. Although steam trains are noisy diesel trains are far louder! I'd love to go on an old fashioned steam ship but I doubt there are many still sailing these days. 🥺
I was able to go down into the engine room of the P&O's S.S. Arcadia (on a supervised visit). I can agree with the relative lack of noise.
Also, Sydney's S.S.South Steyne (Manly ferry) had the engine room interior open for viewing from its lower deck. Not the boiler room but its triple expansion engine with its builder's name plate: "Harland & Wolff, Belfast". Also, noticeably much less vibration from the Manly ferries that were "M.V.".
@@sapphireseptember Yes, but steam ships are much quiter that any steam locomotive! Because they got a long funnel and the machinery is deep in the hull.
Oh yes, I was a deckhand on a steam tug in Hamburg, as a volunteer. Often I used the average diesel ferry to come to the museum harbour. When I was a day on the little tug, with nearly no vibrations and sounds and in the evening used the ferry to come home, I was annoyed from the sound and vibrations of the diesel, which made my theeth chattering.
@@paulhorn2665 I can well imagine it! But even standing next to a steam train you don't get the noise you get from diesel trains. I can here them from my house at night when the freight trains are running. And even as someone here said you can stand in the engine room of a steam ship and it's relatively quiet.
Sailed merchant steam boats for 32 years as an engineer. Retired as the last few SS's were converted to MV. Good stuff, Thanks.
*YES!*
Ship prefixes are something I have pretty much always been fascinated by, and I am so glad that a major ship channel has covered them.
Despite what modern media tends to depict, the prefix is not supposed to be painted on the ship's hull, nor is it italicized. It is something that continues to infuriate me to this day.
As for the question of TSS, I consider it to stand for "Twin-Screw Steamer," while I abbreviate triple-screw steamer as "TrSS." Admittedly, despite my love for unusual prefixes, I can never quite get used to ones that incorporate lowercase letters in them.
RMS Titanic would be a TrSS then in your vernacular.
LAGIYFMBFOD = Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm your friend Mike Brady from Oceanliner Designs!
During the monarchy, Italian warships used the prefix RN for "Regia Nave" (Royal Ship, with "regio" and "regia" meaning "royal" like "reale" but reserved for the Italian monarchy and its Sardinian predecessor). The Italian Republic did away with a lot of things from the monarchy, and prefix were one of them, so Italian warships don't have them anymore.
I've heard the prefix RM(for Regia Marina) be used for Italian ships as well.
@@ZAV1944 It was either a typo or made up.
When I think I don't have a single friend in this cold, hard world, I try remember that I will always have Mike Brady to fall back on and for that, I thank him.
Bro.... Isn't Your little dog your best friend?
Cheer up, mate! At least you have one friend in Mike! I don't have a single friend!😓😥😢
@@stanzanossi yes you do, we got Mike!
D’aaw, now that’s just sad. Everybody needs a friend!
Maybe you should try joining a club or a league, or maybe find a hobby that other people enjoy, then you could do your hobby together.
Here, for everyone who has no friends, a hug. Enjoy!
I like to watch Good Mythical Morning when life turns to crap… well I watch everyday but you get what I’m saying. We are nice over there too, and it’s comforting, like Mike Brady but more chaotic 😅
The Prefix HIJMS(His Imperial Japanese Majesty's Ship) has also been used for Imperial Japanese Navy ships and the prefix JDS(Japanese Defense Ship) is used for ships of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. Tugboats also had prefixes, ST for steam powered tugs and MT for diesel powered tugs.
I just enlisted as a "stoker" here. Mike deserves a bit of money for his work.
As an argentinian, kudos for the ARA's pronuntiation!
Im from Germany and while our Navy still doesn't use a prefix internally, Internationaly our Warships are sometimes given the prefix FGS (Federal German Ship).
Not FDS?
Let me guess, they don't want to name their ships after that SS.
@@linkskywalker5417 👍🏻
DUDE! I googled that exact question yesterday after wondering for about ...all my life.
Life works in truly weird ways. This is so, so weird...
I've always wondered this too, but never really decided to look it up.
So did i! Weird, but I read the SS is actually Screw Steamer to differentiate it from PS for Paddle Steamer
That’s called a coincidence lol
@@zachsmith1634 Really? You don't say! Get outta here ! No way! Wow!! Mind blown.
Big brother is watching you!
This brought back memories of a summer in the 80s when I worked on a tourist vessel out of Halifax harbour. One of our "competitors" was the Bluenose II, a replica of the storied ship portrayed on every Canadian dime. Of course it was impossible for Bluenose II to have sails rigged to tool around the harbour, so she did her thing under deisel power. My boss always enjoyed calling out to them on the radio, "MV Bluenose...." The funny thing was that our boat was designed by the same man who designed the original Bluenose and was built in the same shipyard in Lunenburg, NS. But is was fun to poke at them being a "tall ship" as they puttered about without a sail in sight.
Being a non-native English speaker, I was genuinely surprised with the meaning of HMS. Now, it doesn't just sound cool, but has a unique charm to it!
As far as I know, the last vessel truly operating as (and with) an RMS is the Segwun, found sailing in the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario, Canada. You can still mail your post from her and it will be hand cancelled by the staff.
I'm a DLODS then. A double legged Oceanliner Designs subscriber...
Yes, our friend Mike Brady from Ocean Liner Designs has uploaded again!
Hey, once again it's our friend Mike Brady benefiting us all with a wealth of information we did not know we wanted to know. Thank you! These always make my day.
On my great-great grandfathers crossing records during WW1, Olympic had the prefix S.S instead of HMT. I found it odd the military wouldn't list her as military transport, but considering the number of prefixes shes had, I guess S.S is straight forward enough to get the job done!
That's so interesting. On Mike's video on Olympic's wartime service he mentions how her captain of the time, Bertram Hayes, in his book "Hull Down" names her as "RMS" when referring to her during those years.
Ah, no love for N.S. Savannah? Probably the most unique prefix out there.
I was about to make the comment! I guess there are some Russian icebreakers that might also qualify for that one.
it’s always a good day when my friend, mike brady, from oceanlinerdesigns, uploads a video!
Hi from Belfast, ireland. Thanks for the videos Mike!
Did I sleep though both the referendum and unification?
Worked on the MV Hjaltland for 18 years and just learned what the MV stood for from this video. I'm a bad sailor ☺️
Thank you for this. I've always been interested in why but always was to lazy to look it up.
Nice to see you used photos of some Canadian west coast ships... SS Prince Rupert and TEV Princess Marguerite. 😊
MS or M/S is still used for the passenger ferries (mostly ROROs) that sail the Baltic Sea
i already know this but i wanted to watch anyway bc i want to see how u made an 11 minute video about this, genuinely impressive to make a high quality entertaining video, out of a question that could be answered in like 4 sentences bro really knows how to make content
Mike you have done it yet again. I had correctly guessed SS but I wasn't aware of a lot of those. I am always glad when I see something new from you in my suggestions. I know there is a treat waiting for me. Thank you.
Wonder if a dirty bulbous bow has an effect on performance. Like how barnacles cause drag and whatnot...
I love it when Mike gets to be a little cheeky, it’s fun 😂
About time Mike Brady for this lesson. Seriously, many salutes on 500k!!!!!
Here in Finland we do still use M/S for most ships. All the big ferries traveling in the baltic sea for example. As well as smaller lake ships. Although researching this I realized one well known one is apparently a steamer, although I don't know if they've retrofitted it to run on diesel instead.
It’s nice that you can do a video that’s s bit lighthearted while also being informative. Bravo Mike
I learned a lot! But you missed one that should have been included: the NS Savannah!
You've had it for a little while now but I have to say this current opening of your channel name presentation is so so good. Hope it stays!
I was obsessed with the Titanic as a kid I even still have a model of the Titanic that my grandfather helped me build when I was a kid. I recently came across your channel and now my obsession has been reignited and just when I thought I knew everything there was to you know about Titanic your channel has taught me so much more and now I wanna re-watch the 1997 Titanic movie
Great video, Mike! Your hability to turn a simple question into interesting history is impressive!
This was an awesome video! I have always wondered about this in the back of my mind every time talking about ships. Thank you for being so descriptive and sharing your knowledge.
The term or ship designation like the S.S. in the S.S. Titanic is not an acronym. It’s an initialism, it becomes an acronym when the letters form a word like RADAR or NASA.
You're the first creator that I've supported on pateron! Keep up good work
I fondly remember Summer holidays on the South Coast of England where one could take a longish trip on board a PS (paddle steamer) along the coast calling at various piers on the way
I am always learning something from you, Mike. Thanks for the great content, as always.
Thank you for this, I've been looking up various new-to-me ship prefixes as I see them, if I can't figure them out. I never realized there were so many!
Adorable! I had wondered about this topic for ages 😊 Thank you for clarifying!
This is the video I have been wanting and needing. Thanks so much.
Very interesting! Thank you very much for this video! You had an excellent idea to teach us about these prefixes.
Thank you for the informative video, my friend Mike Brady. Keep em coming :)
Great looking opening intro Mike, well done!
Hello my friend Mike Brady from land locked Colorado. Thank you for doing this video explaining all the prefixes as I had no clue what the heck they all were.
Excellent video. I sailed on what I believe was the last R.M.S, the R.M.S St.Helena, on the route Cape Town, St.Helena and Ascension Island. It went out of service as St.Helena got its airport, a few years ago.
Queen Mary 2 is an RMS
@leftboot83 true, the St.Helena was primarily a mail/supply ship...and tiny! 😀
my favourite kind of informative video - stuff that could come in very handy at a quizz night! 😃
German Navy guy here, although not named officially, we do use “FGS” (federal German Ship) as a prefix, when identifying ourself, especially on radio and when working with multinational groups or fleets :)
Thank you very much for this video Captain Mike, I have always wanted to know and understand this ship topic. I always look forward to listening to your knowledge par excellence on everything ships and therefore your explanation on the topic as I know that it'll be a good one and intricately detailed, that I enjoy, cheers to OD!. 😊❤⚓🚢
There’s another “fan prefix” for WW2 Japanese warship called HIJMS (His Imperial Japanese Majesty’s Ship)
Always something fascinating about ships
Idk maybe I’m a boring person bcuz I actually enjoyed this video. I only knew Hms & RMS. Idk how I didn’t know ss?? I’m fascinated with all types of ships . I’m in my 50s and I’m female but I do any one else in my family that will watch shows like this except my grandson will actually watch stuff like this and we both love watching about trains especially the luxury ones that people travel on are amazing . My sons were like so surprised that I watch stuff like this and history . I told them don’t worry mom can still bake I’m just watching and learning while doing it. This is only the 2nd video I’m watching as I just found your channel about a hour ago and I’ve enjoyed both and am subscribing now thank you for these videos.
Thanks for the great video, Mike! In 1988, I took a Carnival cruise from San Juan to Barbados and back aboard their Festivale. She was the ex-RMS Transvaal Castle, which entered service in 1961. She carried passengers and the Royal Mail between London and Durban, if I recall correctly. It’s interesting that the Mail between the UK and South Africa was still being carried by ship at that late date. Airplanes probably gradually took this over during the 1960s, when ships like Transvaal Castle were in their prime.
The boat on T.V. that had the three hour tour that turned into decades stuck on an island, captained by the Skipper, with the first mate Gilligan was named _S.S. Minnow_
Thanks Mike, most informative! Keep up the great work.
Always impressed how you can make delightful content out of seemingly anything tangentially nautical, Mike.
Hi Mike, thank you. I've always wondered what some of those prefixes stood for.
Short and to the point = *THX* Ocean Design.... where the added humor is _The Spice of Life_ (TOO)!!!👌
Amazingly helpful in model building, thanks!
My dear friend Mike Brady I applaud the arrangement of the video.
It's like the opposite of clickbait.
Not just because it says on the tin that it's about ship naming conventions (probably not the clickbaitiest of topics), but because you answer the question, explain a bit and then give 7 exiting min of bonus ship naming conventions. :)
Have a good one
Thank you for this one, and explanations!
In this world of craziness and always bad news it's refreshing to watch something as wonderful as this!
Always enjoy your videos and information! Thank you my friend, Mike Brady. 😊
So glad you enjoy them!
@@OceanlinerDesigns Always!☺️
Hadn't really thought much about ship prefixes before, this was a really interesting video
Brilliant! I've often wondered about this stuff
Great video as always Mr. B!
Designer of the LRPS Bricktannic and LRS Tubetonic here. My ships get their designated prefixes from the LRTS, which they work for. LRTS supposedly stands for Lego Railway Train/Transport System, and thus the LRPS and LRS stand for Lego Railway Post Ship and Lego Railway Ship respectively.
Obviously, Tubetonic is the one without the onboard mailroom, although efforts were made to allow her to carry a Narrow Gauge Steam Locomotive on board in the cargo hold, but sadly it didn’t work, as the stack and whistle on that little engine were too tall. Darn shame.
Nice vid Mike....i usually learn a lot from your vids,most of the time it's stuff i didn't even know had an answer lol,so i learn the question as well,but this time it answered a question i already had....not too thrilled with how simple SS was,kinda feel bad i couldn't guess it, but either way loved the vid! 👍
I'm going to be taking the South Hampton to New York route on the Queen Mary 2 next year, so I love hearing about her!
For some reason I was reminded of the space ship prefixes used in Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. Which I assume were riffing off Star Trek's USS Enterprise but with much sillier names.
I know your channel deals with ocean vessels, in the world of Star Trek NCC-1701 USS Enterprise, United Space Ship is a continuation on the tradition. Informative video. Thank you.
Acronyms are funny things.
It seems clear that their general intent is to make things simpler.
Yet often, they lead to one of my all time favorite acronyms: SNAFU
Pardon the vulgarity, but it is topical.
They can at least lead to a good laugh though. Thank you, this one was fun
Man, your comment was FUBAR 😁
Strictly speaking, ship's prefixes are initialisms but not acronyms. That's because they don't spell a word and can't be pronounced like a word.
@@scotpens Point taken. Thank you.
Exactly what I need today. Thank you, Mike!
No problem!
I love how Mike just casually uses the RMS (HMT during her wartime service) Olympic as the thumbnail and then introduces her younger sister, RMS Titanic, as the opening piece. You gotta love Mike for doing that.
I instantly recognized the QTEV as the Princess Margerite. I spent many a day on that ship going from Seattle to Victoria BC and back when I was a kid. I miss riding on her to this day.
Great pic of Queen Mary 2 at Sydney (Woollomooloo/Garden Island?) at the end.
A great video, as always. Thanks
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we started ferry service from ports in Marin County to the city in the 1970s. The first three vessels were powered by gas turbines. They were designated G/T County Name for the counties participating in the ferry service district -- Marin, Sonoma, and Del Norte. They have since been re-powered, but the G/T designation remains on the original vessels.
As a former Coastie, thanks for remembering our little service! Great episode.
I have just returned home from an afternoon working aboard NS Savannah, which was named for SS Savannah, the first ship to bear the designation "SS". NS Savannah is the second ship designated "NS", and one of only four.
I'll throw as shout out to PS for Paddle Steamer. I suspect it's a retroactively applied prefix as the earliest steamships were all paddle-steamers.
But as a proud Glaswegian, the PS Waverley holds a special place in my heart.
Explains a lot for me - Thanks!
Cool video mate. Love the fact that you narrate it yourself too & not just use AI. This video reminds me of the Aircraft Carrier in the movie Hot Shots - The USS ESSESS.
Love ur vids mike should keep going and may god bless u cuz ur our friend mike brady
Yay more interesting ship stuff! Love it, thank you! 😀
Thanks for the educational video! 'SS" got my attention a few weeks ago, but I've forgot to search for the meaning of it 😀
Very informative video Mike, nicely done. Would you ever dive into the design of oceanliners' friends, the humble tug? They are quite impressive in their capabilities for such small vessels.
I feel very blessed to have sailed the Atlantic Ocean several times a year as a child. We would normally sail from Southampton to NYC aboard the SS United States and always first class. We met countless celebrities and Royals on every crossing. I have some wonderful memories to treasure.
Really interesting. Always wondered what these acronyms meant 👍
Informative. Well presented.