Again from comparing with German, “ship” would almost have to have been a neuter noun, not feminine. “Boat”, too.
In the title “Das Boot” (the boat), “das” is the neuter nominative definite article.
While on the subject of German boats, the battleship Bismarck was officially referred to as “he”, a purposeful change from previous tradition.
Who referred to the Bismark that way and why?
I believe assigning genders to things in English is bending the rules and cities, animals and babies should always be “it” and not he or her. Ships I believe are about the only admitted exception and I would say even that usage would be restricted to people of the sea.
Max Torque wrote:
Also, German airships (e.g. the Graf Zeppelin and the Hindenburg) were also referred to in the masculine gender – wonder if it had something to do with their shape 