List of warships by nickname

The following is a list of warships listed by nickname. See below for a key to abbreviations.

A

 * "Abe" &mdash; USS Abraham Lincoln; Abraham Lincoln is often informally referred to as "Abe"
 * "Ageless Warrior" &mdash; USS Coral Sea
 * "Aggie" &mdash; HMS Agamemnon
 * "Aggie on Horseback" &mdash; HMS Weston-Super-Mare; nickname named for Agnes Weston, a temperance and sailor's advocate; "on horseback" is a jocular mistranslation of Latin "super-mare" ("on the sea"), "mare" being equated with a female horse
 * "'A Gin Court"; '''HMS Agincourt; Battleship seized from turkey 1914 because of its luxurious Turkish outfit
 * "'Am and Tripe" &mdash; HMS Amphitrite; humorous malapropism
 * "America's Favorite Carrier" &mdash; USS Carl Vinson
 * "Angry Cat" &mdash; French ship Henri IV; named so by the British, a play on the pronunciation of "Henri Quatre"
 * "Archdeacon" &mdash; HMS Venerable; a play on the phrase "venerable archdeacon"

B

 * "Battle Cat" &mdash; USS Kitty Hawk
 * "Battle Schmoozer", "Belcrash" &mdash; 'USS Belknap''; reference her collision with the USS Kennedy in 1975
 * "Big Ben" &mdash; USS Franklin; the ship is named after the Battle of Franklin(? - see link)
 * "Big D" &mdash; USS Dallas; Given to the ship to denote being named in honor of the city of Dallas.
 * "The Big E" &mdash; USS Enterprise (CV-6) (CV-6) and USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
 * "The Big J" &mdash; USS New Jersey
 * "Big John" &mdash; USS John F. Kennedy
 * "Big Lizzie" &mdash; HMS Queen Elizabeth (1913)
 * "Big Mamie" &mdash; USS Massachusetts
 * "The Big Nasty" &mdash; USS Nassau
 * "The Big Stick" &mdash; USS Theodore Roosevelt; based on Theodore Roosevelt's quotation, "Speak softly and carry a big stick". Also used for the USS Iowa (BB-61) for its role as the Big Stick of the Pacific during most of the naval battles it participated in.
 * "Big Gray Deuce" – USS Essex; humorous malapropism
 * "Billy Ruffian" &mdash; HMS Bellerophon; humorous mispronunciation
 * "The Black Dragon" &mdash; USS New Jersey
 * "The Blue Ghost"&mdash; USS Lexington (CV-16); nickname supposedly bestowed by Japanese radio propagandist Tokyo Rose because of the color of her camouflage painting and because she repeatedly disproved reports that she had been sunk
 * "Bonnie" &mdash; HMCS Bonaventure
 * "Building (hull number)" &mdash; a U.S. Navy joke about ships that don't go to sea much.
 * "Building 575" &mdash; USS Seawolf (SSN-575)
 * "Building 587" &mdash; USS Tullibee(SSN-587)
 * "Building 21" &mdash; USS Seawolf (SSN-21)
 * "The Big Risk" &mdash; USS ''Oriskany (CV-34)
 * "Bag Lady" – USS Bagley (FF-1069); humorous malaproprism
 * "Berzerkly" – USS Berkeley (DDG-15); humorous malaproprism
 * "Broke" – USS Brooke (FFG-1); humorous malaproprism

C

 * "C-ville" – USS Chancellorsville
 * "Cannabis" – USS Canopus; humorous malapropism
 * "Can Opener" - USS John F. Kennedy, after collision with USS Belknap
 * "Century One" – HMS Centurion; humorous malapropism
 * "Christmas Anthem" – HMS Chrysanthemum; humorous malapropism
 * "Chuckie V" — USS Carl Vinson
 * "Cocoa Boat" – HMS Curacoa; humorous malapropism
 * "Connie" – USS Constellation; diminutive of ship's name
 * "The Count" - USS Comte de Grasse; named for Comte de Grasse (French, "Count de Grasse"), an ally of the Americans in the American War of Independence
 * "Curious" &mdash; HMS Furious (47)
 * "Cellblock 70" – USS Carl Vinson; humorous reference to restricted liberty for crew after incidents in Bremerton, WA, in the mid-1980s.

D

 * "Despair Ship Remorse" - HMS Resource; humorous malapropism on "Repair ship Resource"
 * "Dirty Cush" - USS Cushing
 * "Dirty V" — USS Carl Vinson; humorous malapropism
 * "Dreado" - HMS Dreadnought; diminutive of ship's name
 * "Dull Ass" – USS Dallas; humorous malapropism
 * "Dickover"-USS Hyman G. Rickover
 * "Dickey B"—USS Richard B. Russell (SSN-687)

E

 * "Eggshells" - HMS Achilles; humorous malapropism
 * "Enterprison" - USS Enterprise; humorous malapropism
 * "Evil I" - USS Intrepid
 * "Exploder" - HMS Explorer (submarine); experimental & temperamental submarine fitted with dangerous hydrogen peroxide propulsion system.

F

 * "The Fightingest Ship in the RCN" – HMCS Haida; gained this moniker by reason of sinking 14 enemy ships during patrols in the English Channel and the Bay of Biscay; she also sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian ship
 * "The Fighting G" – HMS Gloucester
 * "The Fighting J" - '"HMS Jamaica'''
 * "The Fighting I" – USS Intrepid
 * "The Fighting Lady" - USS Yorktown
 * "The Five Mile Sniper" – HMAS Brisbane
 * "Flatiron" – HMS Argus (I49); from the shape of the ship
 * "Forrest Fire" – USS Forrestal; humorous malapropism, also because of the fire on deck.
 * "Fraser Blade" – HMCS Fraser
 * "Fleet Starship" - '''USS Enterprise (CVN-65)
 * "The Furry Wet Mound" - USS Harry W. Hill (DD-986), humorous malapropism

G

 * "Gin Palace" - HMS Agincourt; originally built for Brazilian Navy and given higher standards of comfort for officers, and lesser standards of comfort for the crew than most RN ships. Also a deliberate misspelling of the name: A Gin Court.
 * "Ghetto" - USS Gato
 * "Gipper" – USS Ronald Reagan; named for Ronald Reagan's nickname, from his role of George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne, All American
 * "The Gold Eagle" – USS Carl Vinson
 * "The Golden Devil" (Dutch "Den Gulden Duvel") – HMS Sovereign of the Seas
 * "Le Grand Hotel" – French ship Hoche
 * "The Grand Old Lady" – HMS Warspite
 * "The Gray Ghost" – USS Enterprise (CV-6)
 * "The Gray Lady" – USS Lexington
 * "GW" – USS George Washington; initials of the ship's namesake
 * "Greenpig" -USS Greenling
 * "The Golden Guad" - USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7)
 * "Germanclown" - USS Germantown (LSD-42)

H

 * "Happy Valley" – USS Valley Forge
 * "He-Cat" - HMS Hecate; humorous malapropism
 * "HMAS Can Opener" - HMAS Melbourne; given by US Navy sailors for the ships part in the sinking of the US Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans.
 * HMS Refit - HMS Renown (1916);
 * HMS Repair - HMS Repulse
 * "Hiroshima" - Soviet submarine K-19, due to a nuclear accident onboard
 * "Holiday Express" – USS Bunker Hill
 * "HST" – USS Harry S. Truman; initials of the ship's namesake Harry S. Truman
 * "Hairy Ass" – USS Harry S. Truman; humorous malapropism
 * "Hymi G" - USS Hyman G. Rickover
 * "Happy Harry" - USS Harry W. Hill (DD-986)

I

 * "Ike" – USS Dwight D. Eisenhower; based on nickname of namesake, Dwight D. Eisenhower
 * "Ikeatraz" - USS Dwight D. Eisenhower; derogatory nickname given to those that served on board and had gotten in trouble in some way.
 * "Indy" - USS Independence
 * "Iron Duck" - HMS Iron Duke
 * "Fighting I" - USS Intrepid

J

 * "Jimmy K" – USS James K. Polk
 * "Johnny Reb" – USS John C. Stennis

K

 * "Kami-ha-ha" — USS Kamehameha; humorous malapropism
 * "King of Tomahawks" — USS John Young; probably after the ship's BGM-109 Tomahawk weapons system, or "The John Bone" humorous malapropisms
 * "Shitty Kitty" — USS Kitty Hawk; humorous malapropism
 * "Knockwood" – USS Lockwood

L

 * "Lady Lex" – USS Lexington
 * "Long Delayed" – HMAS Adelaide; rhyming play on ship's name. Fitting out and completion of the ship were delayed (almost 3 years) due to the loss of important machinery parts, as a result of enemy action, which gave rise to the nickname.
 * "The Lord's Own" - HMS Vengeance; derived from the phrase "The Lord's own vengeance", based on the sentiment of Romans 12:19
 * "Lost and Confused" – USS Lewis and Clark
 * "Lusty" - HMS Illustrious

M

 * "Maggie" - HMS Magnificent; HMCS Magnificent
 * "The Mighty Hood" - HMS Hood (51)
 * "Mighty O" - USS Oriskany
 * "Mighty Mo" - USS Missouri
 * "Mighty Moo" – USS Cowpens
 * "Mobile Chernobyl" - USS ''Enterprise
 * "Moskvitch" - Finnish navy Tuima class missile boats. Soviet-built Moskvitch cars had notoriously poor reputation in Finland.
 * "Motel 6" - USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6)

N

 * "Nelly" — HMS Nelson (28) - also "Nelsol" - from fleet oilers with names ending in 'ol'
 * "Niffy Jane" — HMS Iphigenia
 * "Northo" — HMS Northumberland

O

 * "O'Broken" — USS O'Brien
 * "The O-Boat" - USS Oriskany
 * "Old Formy" - HMS Formindable
 * "Old Ironsides" — USS Constitution
 * "The Old Lady" — HMS Warspite, from a comment by Viscount Cunningham; impressed by the vintage ship's speed during a mission to aid the British Army in Sicily, Cunningham remarked, "When the old lady lifts her skirts she can run."
 * "Old Salt" — USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
 * "One-Eye" — HMS Polyphemus; Polyphemus was a cyclops in Greek mythology
 * "Orjalaiva Kurjala" - Finnish Navy corvette Karjala. The word orjalaiva means slave ship in Finnish, while Kurjala references the Finnish word kurja ("miserable").
 * "Outrageous" — HMS Courageous; humorous malapropism
 * "The Oki Boat" – USS Okinawa

P

 * "Pierwolf" – USS Seawolf
 * "The Pool" - HMS Liverpool
 * "Proud Pete" - USS Peterson; play on "Pete" as a diminutive of "Peterson", and on the ship's motto, "Proud Tradition"
 * "Prune Barge" - 'USS California''
 * "Puffington" - HMS Effingham
 * "Puuhamaa" - Finnish navy minelayer Pohjanmaa. An ironical remark of Puuhamaa amusement park.
 * "Pepper Pot" - HMS Penelope (97) - while docked in Valletta harbour, during the Siege of Malta, she was bombed so much she resembled a pepper pot

Q

 * "Queerfish" – USS Queenfish
 * "Quiet Warrior" — USS Spruance

R

 * "Raglafart" - HMS Trafalgar (inverted)
 * "Refit" - HMS Renown (1916)
 * "Repair" - HMS Repulse
 * "Rezzo" - HMS Resolution
 * "Rough Rider" – USS Theodore Roosevelt
 * "Rodnol" — HMS Rodney - from fleet oilers with names ending in 'ol'
 * "Rusty-guts" – HMCS Restigouche
 * "Rusty W" - USS Washington

S

 * "Sara", "Sorry Sara", "Sister Sara", "Stripe-Stack Sara", or "Sara Maru" - USS Saratoga
 * "Saggy Pants" — HMCS Saguenay
 * "San Francisco's Own" — USS Carl Vinson
 * "Seapuppy" — USS Seawolf
 * "Shall Not Perish" - USS Abraham Lincoln
 * "Shiny Sheff" - HMS Sheffield
 * "Shitty Kitty" — USS Kitty Hawk
 * "Showboat" - USS North Carolina
 * "Slack Jack" - USS John F. Kennedy
 * "Smiley" — USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) - nickname of former US President Carter
 * "The Smoke" — HMS London
 * "Sodak" - USS South Dakota
 * "USS Spring-a-leak" - USS Springfield (CLG-7) - for her alleged degraded engineering condition near the completion of her final deployment as Sixth Fleet Flagship (over 3 years)
 * "Spurious" — HMS Furious (47)
 * "Starship Vinson" — USS Carl Vinson
 * "Steel Cat" — HMAS Brisbane
 * "Stinkin Lincoln" — USS Abraham Lincoln
 * "Suckin' 60 From Dixie", or "Suckin' Sara" - USS Saratoga
 * "Surunmaa" - Finnish navy corvette Turunmaa. Literally "land of sorrow".
 * "Swayback Maru" - USS Salt Lake City
 * "Stressex" – USS Essex; humorous malapropism
 * "Steamin' Duece" - USS Essex, humorous malapropism
 * "Slimey Lymie" – USS Lyman K. Swenson
 * "Saint Pauline" – USS Saint Paul; Humorous malapropism
 * "The Stain" – USS Stein
 * "Special K" – USS Kawishiwi

T

 * "T.R." – USS Theodore Roosevelt
 * "Tea Boat" – HMS Ceylon
 * "Tea Chest" – HMS Thetis
 * "Teacup" – USS Tecumseh
 * "Tico" – USS Ticonderoga
 * "Tiddly Quid" – HMS Royal Sovereign. Both quid and sovereign are synonymous to pound sterling.
 * "Tin Duck" – HMS Iron Duke
 * "Three-Quarter Mile Island" - USS Enterprise (CVN-65) (a pun on Three Mile Island)
 * "The Toothless Terror" – HMS Scylla
 * "Toasted O" - USS Oriskany
 * "Traffie" – HMS Trafalgar
 * "Trawler Mauler" - HMCS Nipigon - stems from an incident in the late 1980s when Nipigon sank a civilian fishing trawler for being a hazard to shipping
 * "Tullibeast" – USS Tullibee
 * "The Tartan Terror" - HMAS Stuart
 * "Tottenham" - HMS Hotspur. After football team Tottenham Hotspur.
 * "Tupperware" - HMS Wilton. First warship to be constructed from Glass-reinforced plastic.
 * "Tuska class" - Finnish navy Tuima class missile boats. Tuska means "agony" in Finnish.
 * "Tortanic" - USS Tortuga (LSD-46)

U

 * "Uproarious" – HMS Glorious

V

 * "Von Stupid" – USS Von Steuben
 * "Vince" - HMS Invincible

W

 * "Weavy" &mdash; USS West Virginia
 * "Wet Ass Queen" &mdash; HMCS Wetaskiwin
 * "Wisky" &mdash; USS Wisconsin

Z

 * "Zippo" – USS Forrestal

Abbreviations

 * HMAS - "His/Her Majesty's Australian Ship"; applied to Royal Australian Navy vessels
 * HMCS – "His/Her Majesty's Canadian Ship"; applied to Royal Canadian Navy and Canadian Forces vessels
 * HMS – "His/Her Majesty's Ship"; applied to Royal Navy vessels
 * USS – "United States Ship"; applied to United States Navy vessels