Titanic or The Titanic

 11, 2016

Hello!

I wonder if I should put "the" when writing a name of a ship or a yacht. What is the rule in this case?

"Titanic" or "The Titanic"

"Zephyr" or "The Zephyr"

Thanks much in advance!

The official name is RMS Titanic. If Zephyr is the British naval vessel, HMS Zephyr. If you're referring to them, it's common to write the Titanic or the Zephyr.

In addition, "The Titanic" is probably something of an exception as everyone has heard of it, and the film was called "Titanic", not "The Titanic". Alas, the power of the big screen and the global entertainment industry is greater than that of the generally established practice.

Sometimes, as it is so well known that people refer to it as if it were a person.

eg. John died a few years ago.

eg. Titanic sank in 1912.

Or: the "Titanic"/the Titanic.

It has long been normal to call boats by their name, without an article. For example, Erskine Childer's 1903 novel The Riddle of the Sands refers to the protagonist's yacht as "Dulcibella", not "the Dulcibella". Similarly, the 1951 novel The Cruel Sea by Nicholas Monsarrat recounts the travails of the crew of HMS Compass Rose and she is referred to as "Compass Rose". Getting right up to date, this Royal Navy web page calls HMS Dragon "Dragon" - HMS Dragon roars again | Royal Navy.

Articles are used, too. As Enquiring Mind mentioned, it is common to see "the Titanic". There is also a well-known 1960 film "Sink the Bismarck!"