Your thoughts.... What is a "sister ship"?

[Hucc]

What is your understanding of the term "sister ship"?

On the news this morning, they talked about the QM2 and the QE2 starting their voyages across the pond. The newscaster then referred to them as "sister ships".

Now... which of these definitions do you consider to be sister ships?

* similarly built ships (same size, same layout, perhaps different artwork/decor) in the same fleet of ships; such as the "sisters" in the Voyager class

OR

* any two ships within the same fleet of ships; for instance, the QE2 and QM2 are sisters; so would be the Carnival Triumph and the Fantasy, etc. ,etc.

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[birdyhunter]

Similar class ships. ie; Voyager class, Destiny class etc. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

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[Florida Beach]

My sisters might look alike, but they don't have the same size http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif. They, however, have the same mother http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

So, my vote would be "any two ships within the same fleet of ships" http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

March 28, 2004 - Mariner of the Seas

[woodz]

We sailed 3 "Vision" series. The layout is almost identical. On deck 8 there is an aft staircase that we always took to get up to the pool deck. You have to go through the Spa to use it but it is so handy and the spa people didn't seem to mind.

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[DChabira]

It refers to ships of the same class (Voyager, Vision, etc.)

[superjerryw]

I vote for ships in the same class.

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[Hucc]

http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_cool.gif thanks for your thoughts

My vote is also ships in the same class.

That's what threw me off in the news report this morning.

[DFritz]

Same class, as in Voyager, Vision, etc. Ships in the same fleet are simply sibling ships. http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

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[CruiserCanyon]

I also think its a ship in the same fleet, I consider ships like the voyager and explorer twins.

[the_psycho]

When you are talking about the class of a ship, it refers to near-identical dimensions, layout, tonnage, etc. A "sister" ship is just another ship in the same class as another. RCI has 5 classes of ships bobbing around the seas these days, and each of these classes has several sister ships.

The concept of the sister ship is an old naval tradition. For example, the Titanic had a sister ship, the Britannia, who was identical in almost all respects, and also sank soon after she was completed.

The ships are called sisters becuase 1) all ships are female, 2) they are built at roughly the same time, and 3) they are very similar looking on the outside, but may differ in their outfitting.

Your newscaster this morning was wrong. The QE2 is not a sister of the QM2... as a matter of fact, neither of them have a sister. However, Cunard line operated a trio of sister ships in the early 20th century that would all gain worldwide fame-- the Mauretania set the ocean going speed record, the Carpathia rescued survivors of the Titanic sinking, and the Lusitania was cited as one of the causus belli for the US to enter WWI.

Sorry about that, I love nautical trivia. Have a good day.

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[Bonnie Voyager]

I believe QM2 and QE2 are Step-Sisters http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

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[want2seaitall]

I've always referred to ships being "sister" ships when they are in the same class...they are ships identical in size and layout primarily...but the decor is different.

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[Mark_K]

The QM2 & QE2 are definitely 'associated as companions or associates'.

sister - adj : being associated as a companion or associate; "fellow traveler"; "brother workers"; "sister ship" [syn: fellow, brother, sister]

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[the_psycho]

According to the Coast Guard, my definition is the correct one. They classify any ship in the same builder's "class" as sisters. Their criteria are same shipyard or shipbuilder, roughly the same displacement, same engine arrangement, roughly the same top speed, and the same general exterior apperance, not including paint schemes.

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[bobbie0253]

I have always thought sister ships to be the same class, not fleet.

Bobbie

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[TPKeller]

Google came through with a definition (http://www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn?stage=1&word=sister+ship) for the actual term:

1. sister ship -- (a ship that is one of two or more similar ships built at the same time)

I agree that the newswriter got this one wrong. I don't see why that is such a big surprise... They get a lot of stuff wrong!

Interesting that the Coast Guard definition stipulated same yard or builder. The US Navy gets destroyers and cruisers from two different builders (Bath, Maine, and Pascagoula, Mississippi), but they are definitely sisters of the same class. And you also definitely do not call all US Navy ships "sisters" even though they are in the same fleet!

Of course... it takes so long to build any ship these days, nobody really builds them "at the same time"... so that part is not quite correct.

Theron

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[DFritz]

TPKeller- I would think that if they were built at the same time they would be "TWIN" sisters.

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[Mark_K]

TPKeller,

I don't know if I'd say they got it wrong just based on one definition you found on google. It's like a lot of things in this world, it's open to various interpretations.

The definition I posted, which seems to cover the QE2 & QM2 as being "sister ships", was also from an online dictionary.

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"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits" Mark Twain

"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's formal night attire, poolside attire, child rearing practices, walk-talkie usage, chair hogging, seat saving, line cutting ..." Mark_K

[mafig]

If you pick up a boating magazine and look in the classified ads they will show a picture and sometimes it says "sistership photo." This means same class, same size.

You would not see a photo of a 36-foot boat when they are selling a 50-footer.