# Is a ferry a ship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 21, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898 "2009-09-21T01:26:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/1 "2009-09-21T01:26:37Z")
My husband insists that a “ship” is determined only by length, but I think that ferries, like [these](http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/your_wsf/photo_gallery/) are not ships, but boats. I know it’s a silly thing to wonder about, but, well, you know. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/2 "2009-09-21T01:33:38Z")
Old Sea Dog: “A boat is something that lifted up and put aboard a ship.” While there’s no hard and fast definition of size, a ferry would be considered a ship by most mariners. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/3 "2009-09-21T01:34:26Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > My husband insists that a “ship” is determined only by length, but I think that ferries, like [these](http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/your_wsf/photo_gallery/) are not ships, but boats. > > I know it’s a silly thing to wonder about, but, well, you know. 🙂 [Our Fleet](http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/your_wsf/our_fleet/): > [@Washington State Ferries](#): > > …In the fleet, the Captain (or Master) supervises the entire ship’s operation from the pilothouse, which is the communications and navigation center of the ship…the steering of the ship… securing lines when the ship docks… So Washington State Ferries certainly seems to think so. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/4 "2009-09-21T01:39:15Z")
One simple (but rather pat) definition is that a boat can be carried by a ship. Of course, in practical use certain types of vessels (submarines in particular) are called “boats” for historical reasons, even though the biggest submarines are comparable in size to vessels that everyone considers “ships”. And there are floating drydocks that can carry some of the biggest “ships”. IMO, I’d refer to a big ferry like the one you link to as a ship – it’s pretty big, and it’s certainly not carried routinely by any other vessel. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/5 "2009-09-21T01:46:40Z")
My reasoning is ferries are called ‘ferry boats’. I’ve never heard of a ferry ship, unless Tinkerbell took over Cap’t Hook’s. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/6 "2009-09-21T01:53:56Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > … And there are floating drydocks that can carry some of the biggest “ships”… And salvage ships, too: [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/MV\_Blue\_Marlin\_carrying\_USS\_Cole.jpg](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/MV_Blue_Marlin_carrying_USS_Cole.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![dragonlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@dragonlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragonlady)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/7 "2009-09-21T02:06:02Z")
I was on that very ferry just two weeks ago and I thought of it as a boat. No way did I see it as big enough to qualify as a ship. And Bremerton, one of the docking sights, is a Navy town - I’ll bet the sailors don’t consider them ships. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/8 "2009-09-21T02:08:10Z")
I’m sure some Navy vet will correct this Marine Corps vet if I am wrong, but as far as the Navy is concerned all submarines and surface vessels 165’ or less in length are considered boats. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/9 "2009-09-21T02:35:51Z")
Great Lakes freighters are commonly called boats rather than ships, in spite of the existence of a 1000 foot class. There isn’t really a universally agreed upon rule. I’ll consider ferries boats, for the simple reason that I’ve always heard them referred to as “ferry boats”, not “ferry ships”, as mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/10 "2009-09-21T03:08:18Z")
I would call it a boat since it is not designed to operate at sea for any extended period. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/11 "2009-09-21T04:44:55Z")
I would call them boats. They do not require an unlimited licience for the mates or engineers. they are limited in Hp and tonnage. ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/12 "2009-09-21T11:43:22Z")
In the UK we wouldn’t say ‘ferry boat’, just ‘ferry’. [This one](http://www.brittanyferries.ie/1121) is pretty much a cruise ship that happens to be able to carry 650 cars along with its 2400 passengers. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stafford_cripps/32/7167_2.png) [@The\_Stafford\_Cripps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stafford_Cripps)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/13 "2009-09-21T12:15:19Z")
Yes, ferry routes within Britain are as much as 14 hours (between Aberdeen and Lerwick). There are even longer routes going from British ports to Spain, Denmark etc. Generally people would refer to those ferries as “ships”. ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/14 "2009-09-21T14:52:13Z")
Surely the point is that “ferry” defines the function of the vessel, not its type, and they can range from [this](http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/47332)to [this](http://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/fleet/pont-aven). One of those is a boat, the other isn’t 😃 The ferries in the OP are somewhere in-between and open to all salty sea-dogs to argue over on the grounds of size but not because they are ferries. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/15 "2009-09-22T19:12:19Z")
First off, there’s no Ministry of Language which defines the rules of things. You can call it whatever you like. Most of the time, a boat is a either a very small vessel or a river/lake craft. A ship is a large vessel or a seagoing one. But there’s no formal dividing line except possible public humiliation among those who disagree with your definition and would mock you publicly. Kind of like the whole nonsense about the season starting at solstices and , apparently because some oddbody put it down on a calender or something. There’s no hard and fast rules, or for that matter soft and slow ones, and I favor concepts which make some sense. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/16 "2009-09-22T20:24:17Z")
Technically, a _dinghy_ is a watercraft without living quarters. Huge America’s Cup racers are dinghys. Is a ferry a dinghy? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-ferry-a-ship/510898/17 "2009-09-22T21:37:31Z")
‘Ferry’ is what it _does_, not what it looks like.