# I Saw Three Ships ...?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 21, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627 "2000-12-21T01:22:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627/1 "2000-12-21T01:22:56Z")

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There is a Christmas song built around the theme (and hence title) “I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In” Presumably to visit the stable in Bethlehem, kinda like the 3 Kings (of Orient are …). How did these ships get from either the Mediterranean or the Sea of Galilee to Bethlehem? It isn’t on the water.

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**Author:** ![tshirts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627/2 "2000-12-21T02:33:45Z")

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Mirage?

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**Author:** ![tshirts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@tshirts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tshirts)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627/3 "2000-12-21T02:34:52Z")

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How about “The Camel is the Ship of the Desert”

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**Author:** ![Totoro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Totoro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totoro)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627/4 "2000-12-21T02:38:45Z")

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Well, if it was rowboats, they would have a tough time, but they might be able to make it…

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627/5 "2000-12-21T03:13:09Z")

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There was a thread in GQ about this song just yesterday. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51740](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=51740)

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**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2000, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-three-ships/46627/6 "2000-12-21T04:12:29Z")

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Thanks bibliophage. Two mea culpas, first, I should have been in GQ to submit this, but since my mind is going… Second, I did a SEARCH on this, but I guess something went awry. Anyway, the neither thread has definitively put this to bed yet.