Ships have been called "she" for centuries; it's a seafaring tradition that began with the earliest sailors and is still widely practiced today. No one knows for sure how this gendering of ships came to be. One common theory is that ships are female because male captains named their ships after women they loved. Another states that "she" was used because ships were once dedicated to goddesses.

A tongue-in-cheek ditty by an anonymous author answers the question thus:

"A ship is called a she because there is always a great deal of bustle around her; there is usually a gang of men about; she has a waist and stays; it takes a lot of paint to keep her good-looking; it is not the initial expense that breaks you, it is the upkeep; she can be all decked out; it takes an experienced man to handle her correctly; and without a man at the helm, she is absolutely uncontrollable. She shows her topsides, hides her bottom and, when coming into port, always heads for the buoys."