# Lesbian Ships? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011 "2001-11-01T23:24:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gitfiddle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/898d66/32.png) [@gitfiddle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gitfiddle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/1 "2001-11-01T23:24:16Z")
I was reading recently in Western Civ. book DISCOVERING THE WESTERN PAST (I think, or it was THE WESTERN EXPERIENCE), but anyway somewhere in there it mentioned something about lesbian ships! What is that. Was that a group of people that for some reason had some kinky customs that made them desirous to go down (no pun untended) in history as a bunch of homosexuals? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/2 "2001-11-01T23:36:36Z")
Could it be Greek history and the ships were from the island of Lesbos? Other than that I never knew ships had sexual preferences of any kind although they do seem to enjoy screwing the owner… ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/3 "2001-11-01T23:44:56Z")
Yes, in the context of a history book “Lesbian ships” can only refer to ships from the Island of Lesbos in Greece. This would have nothing whatsoever to do with female homosexuals. “Lesbian,” as a term for female homosexual, derives from the fact that the Greek poetess Sappho, who lived on Lesbos, celebrated love between women in her poetry. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/4 "2001-11-01T23:46:13Z")
Oh yeah, I think I might have seen a . . . uh . . uhm . . a “documentry” based on this idea. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/5 "2001-11-02T02:46:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Colibri \* > \*\*Yes, in the context of a history book “Lesbian ships” can only refer to ships from the Island of Lesbos in Greece. This would have nothing whatsoever to do with female homosexuals. > > “Lesbian,” as a term for female homosexual, derives from the fact that the Greek poetess Sappho, who lived on Lesbos, celebrated love between women in her poetry. \*\* Correct on both counts. From Sappho: > [@](#): > > **I have not had one word from her** > > Frankly I wish I were dead > When she left, she wept > > a great deal; she said to me, “This parting must be > endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly.” > > I said, "Go, and be happy > but remember (you know > well) whom you leave shackled by love > > "If you forget me, think > of our gifts to Aphrodite > and all the loveliness that we shared > > "all the violet tiaras, > braided rosebuds, dill and > crocus twined around your young neck > > "myrrh poured on your head > and on soft mats girls with > all that they most wished for beside them > > “while no voices chanted > choruses without ours, > no woodlot bloomed in spring without song…” ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/6 "2001-11-02T04:45:34Z")
There was also a story about a woman pirate with a female crew. I’ll get back to you on that one. Jill ---
**Author:** ![kniz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@kniz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kniz)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/7 "2001-11-02T06:54:30Z")
Jill is right. Go [here](http://goodies.freeservers.com/femalepirates.html) and [here](http://www.azstarnet.com/~edavis/fpmh.htm). But, Jill, are you saying that they possibly got horny at sea and cuddled together? (links fixed - Jill) [Edited by JillGat on 11-02-2001 at 01:09 AM] ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/8 "2001-11-02T07:00:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kniz \* > \*\*Jill is right. Go [here](http://goodies.freeservers.com/femalepirates.html) and [here](http://www.azstarnet.com/~edavis/fpmh.htm). > > But, Jill, are you saying that they possibly got horny at sea and cuddled together? \*\* I couldn’t possibly tell you if they were horny and/or cuddled. I’ll leave it up to your imagination. Jill c [Edited by JillGat on 11-02-2001 at 01:08 AM] ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/9 "2001-11-02T07:17:10Z")
FWIW, the inhabitants of the Isle of Lesbos officially changed their nomiker from “Lesbians” to “Lesbosians.” I imagine the joke would have worn thing on me eventually as well… “Well isn’t Danny Thomas lesbian?” “No, Blanche - Danny Thomas is _Lebanese_…” - The Golden Girls Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Ace\_Face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/858c86/32.png) [@Ace\_Face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace_Face)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/10 "2001-11-02T07:22:11Z")
_Lesbian ships, on the water, very free, and easy, Easy you know the way it’s supposed to be._ ---
**Author:** ![douglips](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@douglips](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/douglips)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/11 "2001-11-02T07:52:54Z")
_I thought that they were Lesbians, when much to my surprise… they climbed aboard their starship and headed for the skies!_ ---
**Author:** ![Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/53a042/32.png) [@Vinnie\_Virginslayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vinnie_Virginslayer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/12 "2001-11-02T14:13:57Z")
Damn. I thought for a second Ellen Degeneres and Rosie O’Donnell were making cameos on “Love Cruise”. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/13 "2001-11-02T14:35:08Z")
[http://goodies.freeservers.com/femalepirates.html](http://goodies.freeservers.com/femalepirates.html) says about Ann Bonny: **“Her father was a prominate lawyer”** … I think that pretty much explains it. I would also become a pirate if my father was a “prominate lawyer” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/14 "2001-11-02T16:43:36Z")
Sappho’s poetry isn’t doing it for me like a _Penthouse_ style “documentary.” I hope they at least had some k.d. lang records with them. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/15 "2001-11-02T16:52:42Z")
\*Originally posted by Ace\_Face \* > [@](#): > > _Lesbian ships, on the water, very free, and easy, > Easy you know the way it’s supposed to be._ So _“Wooden Ships”_ would be about… ---
**Author:** ![Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e480ec/32.png) [@Milton\_De\_La\_Warre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milton_De_La_Warre)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lesbian-ships/91011/16 "2001-11-02T17:54:57Z")
Esprix: I hadn’t heard “Lesbosians” before this; AFAIK, it is common for Greeks from there to refer to this island and themselves (if they’e from there) as Mytelene and Mytelinian, respectively (I may have misspelled one or the other slightly). There is a pretty good harbor on the island, so it would not surprise me that in olden times there was a substantial “Lesbian Fleet” at one time or another. Today, the island is known for its Ouzo and olive groves. I believe there are more olive trees than people there. Apparently, Lesbian as a term for female homosexuality is much more recent… 19th Century, I think. “Lesbian Rule” used to refer to a rule (ruler) made of lead, and thus is a metaphor for adaptablility. I’m not sure, but perhaps Aristotle used it as such in the Nicomedian Ethics. A person more up on classical linguistics can tell us if the ancients even had a specific word for female homosexuality. Perhaps “trivio”, as in “tribad”? I don’t know. It wasn’t “Lesbian” for sure. My personal opinion is that generally on the Greek mainland and later in Roman times, the lower status of women was such that their other activities didn’t rate much mention as long as they did their familial duties. A total trivial point which others can confirm or deny is that Sappho would have spoken Aeolian Greek, and so would have called herself Psappha.