Is naming ships just a Western Tradition? If so when did it start

>>1114452
It started as a mediterranean tradition. Arguably from the Phoenicians dedicating their boats to their gods and calling it by the name of their gods. Romans, Greeks took it up, and then Medieval Europe/Islam took it up as well. Outside the Med, I think only vikings did name their ships.

File: Chinese Naval ship.jpg (730KB, 1174x1300px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1114459
Contd.

In E. Asia - based on the Chinese example- they definitely did not have names. If anything, a ship's name is the name of the commander in charge of the vessel. Traditionally the only East Asian ship with a name is the unusually large Japanese Atakebune warship "Nihonmaru." But even this isn't a name: it just means "Ship of the State." (i.e. Flagship).

However, Asians do have traditions and supersitions on their ships. Nips tie votive Shinto amulets to the god, Susanoo on the prow. Chinks carve faces on the prows of their ships so that the spirits guiding the ship could see, often fierce faces to scare bad luck. Flags depicting bats were put on the masts as bats were considered good luck among Chinese sailors.

>>1114459
This kind of surprises me. I always thought that people have a natural tendency to give important objects names.

>>1114468
Oh, and since I only know the Philippine example, in SEA boats did not have names. But a fleet did, and it was the name of the tribe. The maritime based Austronesian peoples that settled in the Philippine coasts and rivers even had the same word for "village" and "fleet."

>>1114468
>In E. Asia - based on the Chinese example- they definitely did not have names.
>did not

But they do now. And it seems they did throughout the 20th century, at least. So when and why did that change?

File: NihonMaruvsTurtleShip.jpg (148KB, 1024x762px) Image search: [Google]

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>>1114468
What about the Indian Ocean? Do you know if Indians, Indonesians or Persians named their ships?

>>1114504
I'm guessing whenever they westernized their navies.

>>1114468
So how did they tell ships apart? Did they number them?

>>1114788
>a ship's name is the name of the commander in charge of the vessel.

>>1114747
Indians did as per Muslim Tradition. The most famous Indian Ship was the Mughal Treasure Ship "Ganj I-Sawai." Which British Seaniggery under Henry Avery stole.

Why do Britbongs always have the coolest ship names?

>>1114452
>If so when did it start and how did it start?
How else are you going to differentiate them?

>>1115371
To further argue this.

Think how planes have call signs. This is because there are a lot, so using a personal designation would be impracticable. Ships need names, but there arent so many to give them simple call signs, but there are enough to need names, so with this you can get away with using personal names because there is just the right amount

>>1115371
Nobody gave chariots and carts names.

>>1115433
No one gives a shit about carts
How do you know chariots didnt have names?