Jump to content

Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Ships: Difference between revisions

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
Change of title
Line 90: Line 90:
:::::: May I point out that if you refer to our [[List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy]] you can see the thinking behind how the USN defined designators for vessels of this type. It is consistent. First (the useage), second (the qualifier), third (a further method of subdivision). Example PHM, Patrol Missile Hydrofoil. You can see the applied logic through all the designators listed, and they are in caps. Yes, it's clunky, but it ''is'' by design. Presumably because its clunky its not often echoed in free speech or prose. As an aside it's well documented elsewhere that the US in common with the French revolutionaries favored any method different from the old order, justification enough not to follow the logic of similar in the Royal Navy. [[User:Broichmore|Broichmore]] ([[User talk:Broichmore|talk]]) 10:44, 13 August 2019 (UTC)
:::::: May I point out that if you refer to our [[List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy]] you can see the thinking behind how the USN defined designators for vessels of this type. It is consistent. First (the useage), second (the qualifier), third (a further method of subdivision). Example PHM, Patrol Missile Hydrofoil. You can see the applied logic through all the designators listed, and they are in caps. Yes, it's clunky, but it ''is'' by design. Presumably because its clunky its not often echoed in free speech or prose. As an aside it's well documented elsewhere that the US in common with the French revolutionaries favored any method different from the old order, justification enough not to follow the logic of similar in the Royal Navy. [[User:Broichmore|Broichmore]] ([[User talk:Broichmore|talk]]) 10:44, 13 August 2019 (UTC)
::::::: It is fairly common practice to capitalise the words when explaining as initialism or acronym (although not all the entries in [[List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy]] are strictly so, that is probably better for visual consistency), but that doesn't establish what is appropriate in running text or descriptors. [[User:Davidships|Davidships]] ([[User talk:Davidships|talk]]) 11:07, 13 August 2019 (UTC)
::::::: It is fairly common practice to capitalise the words when explaining as initialism or acronym (although not all the entries in [[List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy]] are strictly so, that is probably better for visual consistency), but that doesn't establish what is appropriate in running text or descriptors. [[User:Davidships|Davidships]] ([[User talk:Davidships|talk]]) 11:07, 13 August 2019 (UTC)
At the WP:VPP discussion (notified below) I made the comment [https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Village_pump_(policy)&diff=910726227&oldid=910724242 there], quoted as follows. Disclosure: I arrived here after a post to my TP but I am reasonably an "interested party" following my post at VPP. [[User:Cinderella157|Cinderella157]] ([[User talk:Cinderella157|talk]]) 10:15, 15 August 2019 (UTC)
{{bquote|There are many misconceptions about what a proper noun/name is, including a false view of equivalence between capitalisation (a matter of [[orthography]]) and what is a proper noun (a matter of [[onomastics]] and grammar). A [[proper noun]] is not descriptive yet such a designation is. Consequently, asserting that this disignation is a "title" actually has more merit than asserting it is a "proper name". My version of ''[[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage|Fowler]]'' (2nd Ed, 1990 reprint) refers to capitalisation of titles in such a way as to make them separate from proper nouns (section on capitalisation). This type of military double-back speak (Boat, Patrol, Torpedo) is a designation format (complete with the capitalisation of which the military is fond). It is used in equipment tables and like for everything from the common nail upward (nail, bullet-head, 10 ga, 2 in long, wire, plated). While a "designation" may be considered a synonym of "title", it is not a "title" in the same sense of the guidance on titles of works. Further, if it ''were'' the title, it would (probably) be written by the designation, ''Boat, Patrol, Torpedo'', and not ''Patrol Torpedo Boat'', since the latter may be common usage but is unlikely the ''formal'' designation. The OP's proposition only has any chance of being compelling if it is used as the title of a work and I am not yet seeing any ''evidence'' that would support the arguement being made that it is. Regards, [[User:Cinderella157|Cinderella157]] ([[User talk:Cinderella157|talk]]) 00:59, 14 August 2019 (UTC)}}


===RM discussion open===
===RM discussion open===

Revision as of 10:15, 15 August 2019

WikiProject iconShips Project‑class
WikiProject iconThis page is within the scope of WikiProject Ships, a project to improve all Ship-related articles. If you would like to help improve this and other articles, please join the project, or contribute to the project discussion. All interested editors are welcome. To use this banner, please see the full instructions.WikiProject icon
ProjectThis page does not require a rating on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.

Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/WikiProject used

Main Project Page Talk
Things you can do
Information and sources

Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 and other such boats

Is "Motor Torpedo Boat" really part of the name? Or why is it capped? Sources mostly have it lowercase. Why not just title it PT-109 (motor torpedo boat)? For less famous ones, something like PT-109 wouldn't be ambiguous. Is there a relevant convention or guideline? Dicklyon (talk) 03:18, 13 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Personally, I think it should be Patrol Torpedo Boat PT-109, as that was the correct designation, and the reason for the PT in PT-109. There is an example, but using Motor Torpedo Boat, at the bottom of WP:SHIPNAME#Naming articles about military ships. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 04:27, 13 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting; it also says "but be sure the ship type name is correct". The example "German submarine" is fine, but why the caps for "Motor Torpedo Boat", and why not "Patrol torpedo boat"? Doesn't say. Ideas? Dicklyon (talk) 04:47, 13 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I think it's because US PT boats in WWII were in Motor Torpedo Boat Squadrons (abbreviated USN-style as MTBRON 1 etc., nicknamed "Ron 1" for short), and as a military unit name it was naturally capitalized. They are listed under the heading "Motor Torpedo Boats" (all caps in the original) in "US Warships of WWII" by Silverstone, first published in the 1960s. I'll also comment that the name in general use for a ship type is not always derivable from that type's hull classification symbol, such as CA for heavy cruiser or AV for seaplane tender. Not saying that we are obligated to follow this style, just mentioning the origin and perpetuation of this designation. RobDuch (talk·contribs) 06:37, 13 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Interesting. So what do you think would be an improvement? Motor torpedo boat PT-109? PT-109 (motor torpedo boat)? Patrol torpedo boat PT-109? Or something else? The current title suggests a proper name where there is not one. Dicklyon (talk) 15:53, 13 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • It's US, so should be PT, not MTB.
If it had been a RN boat, MTB would be correct and should absolutely be capitalised.
Why is it that the only edits I ever see from you are you popping up at a random range of articles and announcing, "I know nothing about this topic. Watch me enforce a renaming of all articles across it!" Andy Dingley (talk) 17:36, 13 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
You're free to look at my contributions if you want to analyze where we intersect and where we don't. Dicklyon (talk) 03:09, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Dicklyon Patrol Torpedo Boat is the proper name of the type. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 02:37, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
OK. But why is it so rare to find it capped in sources? Is patrol torpedo boat also a common generic term? Dicklyon (talk) 03:08, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I would have thought in most sources it would be introduced as Patrol Torpedo Boat, then PT boat thereafter. I have no idea what you mean about patrol torpedo boat being a common generic term, it is a very specific proper name for the type of high-speed torpedo-armed boat of about 80 ft used by the USN in WWII. Other navies had their own proper names for similar types of small combatant vessels, such as the British Motor Gun Boat or MGB and Motor Torpedo Boat or MTB. It depends on what sources you are referring to. I would be looking to definitive and high quality texts like Norman Friedman's Small US Combatants for guidance on this, not books that just mention PT boats in passing. I don't have a copy of Friedman to hand, but @Sturmvogel 66 and Parsecboy: might. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 03:58, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Just noting that most books don't cap it. So if it's a proper name sometimes, it's a generic other times? Dicklyon (talk) 04:04, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I don't know what you are trying to get at with "generic". It is the proper name of the type, and only refers to one type of small combatant boat built for and operated by the USN, as I've explained. Naturally, when introduced in any given book, they would capitalise it and introduce the PT initialisation, after that they will probably refer to it as a PT boat as shorthand. But as I said, we should be relying on definitive texts on the subject, not random Google Books results. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 04:25, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
By "generic" I just meant not proper, that is, not capitalized. I'd be interested in seeing books that cap it. Dicklyon (talk) 04:29, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

It's about six years since we last had one of these capitalisation discussions, see Talk:Motor_Gun_Boat#Requested_move_20_October_2013, Talk:Harbour_Defence_Motor_Launch#Requested_move_20_October_2013 etc GraemeLeggett (talk) 07:42, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Wow, what a mess. I certainly agree with Andy that the Royal Navy prefers to cap all their boat types. But some of these are not really just about Royal Navy boats, right? Like Motor Launch is a confusing inconsistent mess. Dicklyon (talk) 20:50, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, see what damage people cause when they start blindly decapitalising stuff, because wikidogma says "words must never be capitalised", and with no understanding of the subject. Andy Dingley (talk) 20:55, 14 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Friedman does not capitalize motor torpedo boat or patrol torpedo boat, apparently viewing them as generic terms like cruiser or destroyer.--Sturmvogel 66 (talk) 00:16, 15 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks Sturm. I managed to get a snippet on the Osprey book on PT boats, and it doesn't either, so I would support a move to Patrol torpedo boat PT-109, and consequential moves of any other PT boats with articles. The British boats seem to be a different case. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 01:01, 15 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I must modify the above in that I had a better look at the Osprey US PT boat book by Rottman, and he says (on page 6) that USS was part of their official name, along with their Bureau of Ships hull number. In which case, IAW WP:NCS, individual PT boats should really be at <prefix><hull number> USS PT-109 etc rather than the other alternatives, and we should modify the MOS to that effect. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 04:23, 15 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
My understanding is that the PT boats weren't actually commissioned, so they wouldn't get the USS prefix. Parsecboy (talk) 13:26, 16 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
What terminology does DANFS use, completed or commissioned? And does that differ from that used by larger US ships?--Sturmvogel 66 (talk) 13:51, 16 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Well, we have at least one source that says USS was officially used for PT boats, and Rottman also says they were commissioned (p. 18). Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 00:14, 17 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
DANFS only has an entry for one PT boat I can find, and that is PT-109. It calls it "Motor Torpedo Boat 109", doesn't use USS and doesn't refer to a commissioning date. However, other ship entries don't use USS either, for example USS Pruitt (DD-347) is just referred to as Pruit (DD-347) in its entry, not as USS Pruitt (DD-347). Frankly, I don't think that DANFS really progresses this discussion much. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 07:08, 17 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
On the contrary, the fact that DANFS doesn't include a commissioning date is rather telling, especially for a boat in the 1940s. Also consider, for example, this list of vessels damaged or sunk during WWII from the NHHC; they clearly differentiate between commissioned warships that receive the prefix and those that don't (i.e., all of the PT boats, among others).
As for Rottman, I don't know anything about him, but the Ospreys are hit-or-miss; I wouldn't put a lot of faith on him alone. Parsecboy (talk) 12:17, 17 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Certainly that list draws into question the USS prefix. Bulkley [1] reckons each squadron was commissioned, rather than each PT boat individually. So I guess we are back at either Motor torpedo boat PT-109 or Patrol torpedo boat PT-109. Peacemaker67 (click to talk to me) 23:56, 17 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
As a slight aside - talking about ships whose commissioned status in the USN (and hence use of the USS prefix is uncertain, how about USS Richard Bulkeley (1917), a Naval trawler built for the Royal Navy in 1917 and loaned to the USS in 1919 to help in clearing the Northern Barrage - she had a US Navy crew when she was mine and sunk in July 1919, but I havn't seen any thing definitive about whether she was counted as a commissioned US vessel (or even remained a commissioned RN ship) at the time of her loss.Nigel Ish (talk) 20:35, 19 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

She was acquired 31 May 1919 on loan for U.S. Navy service as a minesweeper and commissioned the same day

Thanks - I'd somehow missed the "...and commissioned the same day" bit in DANFS. I'm still not sure whether the article would be better at HMT Richard Bulkeley, as she served most of her life under RN control, during a war, even though we don't have very much info on her service, or as USS Richard Bulkeley, where service was very short (less than 2 months) but there are accounts of her sinking.Nigel Ish (talk) 12:38, 20 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I wouldn't bother changing it now, just ensure that there are redirects from HMT Richard Bulkeley, HMS Richard Bulkeley and a link from Richard Bulkeley. If it were to be changed then I would suggest moving it to Richard Bulkeley (1917) and making HMT Richard Bulkeley, HMS Richard Bulkeley and USS Richard Bulkeley redirects. Just my 2d worth. Martin of Sheffield (talk) 15:11, 20 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I'm not advocating a name change in this specific instance, but... The policy is quite clear at WP:NAMINGCRITERIA we should name a ship article in its best known (most notable) form. The policy says use consensus, but (when in doubt) returns on a google search would probably be better. Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (ships) should refer to that policy for guidance. Broichmore (talk) 10:24, 11 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  • That's because they're also generic terms. That doesn't mean that some uses (most obviously the RN, maybe the USN here too) are more specific than this, and refer to more specific classes where they are treated as proper names. Andy Dingley (talk) 11:14, 15 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I went ahead and did the case-fixing move, without prejudice for what a better name might be. Dicklyon (talk) 15:22, 20 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I think it is with prejudice, I don't see you have the consensus for the change. As I pointed out elsewhere it is standard Engineering practise to capitalise titles on drawings. That is no different for song titles, which you seem to think are precious. I don't understand why you're making needless changes, creating needless re-directs and wiping out stat scores, over such a trivial issue. I'm not against style guideline as such, but...
When in doubt the Article writers judgement call should be respected. Substance over style. I don't get it how can there be an objection to caps in this case when there is a project page entitled Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Capital letters? This is a nonsense, how can Motor torpedo boat PT-109 be correct when it is a particular of Motor Torpedo Boat.
This stems from this piece of contradictory nonsense in MOS:THECAPS, which needs changing. In English-language titles, every word is capitalized, except for articles, short coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions. First and last words within a title, including a subtitle, are capitalized regardless of grammatical use. This is known as title case. Capitalization of non-English titles varies by language.This is not applied to Wikipedia's own articles, which are given in sentence case:[a] capitalize the first letter, and proper names (e.g., List of selection theorems, Foreign policy of the Hugo Chávez administration).
Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109 is a title, the fact that it is also an article title, is neither here or there.
The project is in English. We need to conform to the English language not the other way round. If this Under My Thumb can be an exception then so should drawing / engineering titles. Which are of course works. Broichmore (talk) 11:19, 23 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Dicklyon: I take your not answering my points as agreement that I'm right. I have moved the article back to its's original name because you changed it without consensus, in addition the original name was correct. If the policy is wrong in any way or open to the wrong interpretation then it should be change. You are an expert on said policy, please change it. Broichmore (talk) 09:26, 31 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I'm just going to stay out of this nonsense. You guys sort it out. Dicklyon (talk) 13:51, 31 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I had changed the title back to upper case and Dicklyon has called that into question, and from reading this discussion it looks like the correct name for this page has yet to be found. For such a historical topic the encyclopedia should get it right. There seem to be several names deemed correct or incorrect, and aside from the common name for this topic (which would be just PT-109 with no descriptor) all additional names can be boldfaced as alternate names. But the title should be clarified and labeled correctly. Have the participants in this discussion settled on the most likely name? Thanks. Randy Kryn (talk) 11:15, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Randy, the one you changed was Motor Torpedo Boat PT-59; there are still some others that I lowercased that have not been reverted. I agree it's a good idea to focus on PT-109 first, but it needs to be decided whether to treat it like the rest, versus special. I have no opinion on that either way. Dicklyon (talk) 21:45, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
As I said earlier the policy itself says In English-language titles, every word is capitalised, except for articles, short coordinating conjunctions, why cant the policy be changed to follow the acknowledged rules of the English language? Broichmore (talk) 22:09, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Good news: Policy can be changed. Just go propose it at WP:VPP. Dicklyon (talk) 22:22, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
PT-109 is certainly, I'd guess by far, the common name for this page. Probably should be moved to that while the other PT-109 entries stay at a disamb page. This discussion should continue on what to call the boats and in what casing, but calling the page PT-109 works for all the titling criteria. Randy Kryn (talk) 22:38, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I also moved some pages to include a hyphen between the PT and number, as that's what sources usually do. For the type and case, I suggest Torpedo boat PT-59 etc. Maybe I'll get back into it if nobody from the project wants to take the lead or propose something different. Dicklyon (talk) 18:26, 10 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I've noticed that your only giving lip service to democracy here, yet still pushing hard for an immediate name change at Talk:Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109. This is still actively under discussion. Please don't bulldoze this change into place until this discussion has matured. You conspicuously have yet to tell us why the rules of the English language can be or should be ignored in this matter, by this contradictory and superficial policy. Broichmore (talk) 19:00, 12 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
No, we don't work by democracy. We make proposals and discuss them. The RM discussion that you link is the way a multi-article move discussion is formalized, when the moves might be controversial. It is conventional for editors who care to say Support or Oppose, with an explanation, or to present alternatives there. Please join. Dicklyon (talk) 20:54, 12 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
May I point out that if you refer to our List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy you can see the thinking behind how the USN defined designators for vessels of this type. It is consistent. First (the useage), second (the qualifier), third (a further method of subdivision). Example PHM, Patrol Missile Hydrofoil. You can see the applied logic through all the designators listed, and they are in caps. Yes, it's clunky, but it is by design. Presumably because its clunky its not often echoed in free speech or prose. As an aside it's well documented elsewhere that the US in common with the French revolutionaries favored any method different from the old order, justification enough not to follow the logic of similar in the Royal Navy. Broichmore (talk) 10:44, 13 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
It is fairly common practice to capitalise the words when explaining as initialism or acronym (although not all the entries in List of patrol vessels of the United States Navy are strictly so, that is probably better for visual consistency), but that doesn't establish what is appropriate in running text or descriptors. Davidships (talk) 11:07, 13 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

At the WP:VPP discussion (notified below) I made the comment there, quoted as follows. Disclosure: I arrived here after a post to my TP but I am reasonably an "interested party" following my post at VPP. Cinderella157 (talk) 10:15, 15 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There are many misconceptions about what a proper noun/name is, including a false view of equivalence between capitalisation (a matter of orthography) and what is a proper noun (a matter of onomastics and grammar). A proper noun is not descriptive yet such a designation is. Consequently, asserting that this disignation is a "title" actually has more merit than asserting it is a "proper name". My version of Fowler (2nd Ed, 1990 reprint) refers to capitalisation of titles in such a way as to make them separate from proper nouns (section on capitalisation). This type of military double-back speak (Boat, Patrol, Torpedo) is a designation format (complete with the capitalisation of which the military is fond). It is used in equipment tables and like for everything from the common nail upward (nail, bullet-head, 10 ga, 2 in long, wire, plated). While a "designation" may be considered a synonym of "title", it is not a "title" in the same sense of the guidance on titles of works. Further, if it were the title, it would (probably) be written by the designation, Boat, Patrol, Torpedo, and not Patrol Torpedo Boat, since the latter may be common usage but is unlikely the formal designation. The OP's proposition only has any chance of being compelling if it is used as the title of a work and I am not yet seeing any evidence that would support the arguement being made that it is. Regards, Cinderella157 (talk) 00:59, 14 August 2019 (UTC)

RM discussion open

Broichmore's comments above remind me that I should have explicitly announced here my new proposal at multi-RM discussion Talk:Motor Torpedo Boat PT-109#Requested move 12 August 2019. Sorry for the few hours of delay on that. Please bring ideas if you don't like the one I proposed. Dicklyon (talk) 21:15, 12 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Diving bell caps similar case

Caisson Diving Bell Barge
This discussion, in part, derives from a dialogue at User talk:Dicklyon#Air lock diving-bell plant about Dicklyon renaming Air Lock Diving-Bell Plant which I still think was un-called for as it was properly titled with caps; on the basis it's an Admiralty vessel with a proper name. Apparently the Engineering convention of using caps for titles is not covered by Wiki guidelines. I disagree with him on this. The barge was given a proper name as it's a unique creation in the same way as is, a song title, book or musical composition. In any event, the author of article should have the last say on the matter. By the way, changing a title to sentence case wipes out the stat count of user Views. Also while I'm at it, Dicklyon, has still not explained to me why WP:Manual of Style/Trademarks is not written as WP:Manual of style/trademarks? -Broichmore (talk) 19:31, 19 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I answered on 15 June where you asked about why title guidelines don't apply to pages in WP. And I don't think you showed anywhere that "Air Lock Diving-Bell Plant" was "an Admiralty vessel with a proper name". You said "The titles vary that's why I combined them." Which is it? Dicklyon (talk) 21:52, 19 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Saw this section when I was commenting above. The editor implies in the discussion that they named the article themselves using a composite name, so in this case Dicklyon is correct. It is not a proper name, although named in good faith, but a creative combination of two descriptors. Randy Kryn (talk) 11:15, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
He did say that, but there are a few sources that use that exact name, too (like here, in a sentence, lowercase and generic sounding). Dicklyon (talk) 21:45, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
The Admiralty bought it as a Caisson Diving Bell Barge, I went with a simpler title for the masses, is all. As the author I should have the last word? Broichmore (talk) 22:09, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I'll keep out of further comments, as not a ships expert. This has been brought to the right place, and further comments and a final decision would probably best be reached here. Randy Kryn (talk) 22:41, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Broichmore, what you did is WP:OR. Follow what the sources use. If the source called it a caisson diving bell barge, then that is what the article should be called. If you want to rename the thing, write your own book. We use WP:RS to distinguish titles, not whatever we make up. 11:26, 11 August 2019 (UTC) Llammakey 11:26, 11 August 2019 (UTC)
Were it so simple. Where is the sense of good faith? I always try my best to follow policy. There was no OR as such, what I did was amalgamate multiple similar titles from different sources. The fact that there is a different Admiralty title surfaced late in the game (and even later in my mind). Just to make it complicated the Admiralty title has never been in common usage. Still, I well take your point. Policy can never be perfect. It's not cast in stone, it should evolve with the project. Broichmore (talk) 18:08, 12 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

WP:VPP

At Dicklyon's suggestion I have opened a discussion at Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)#Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style - a contradiction in the use of Capital_letters. No doubt someone will want to change it to a more elegant title. Feel free. Broichmore (talk) 12:18, 13 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

The clipper ship Baltimore

StateLibQld 165875 Baltimore (ship)

Any ideas on the build date for this clipper the Baltimore. The ticket is for a sailing in 1853, from New York to Melbourne. Could the photograph be the same ship? The ship photograph is from an Australian Library collection, but it doesn't follow that the image was taken there. Broichmore (talk) 15:48, 27 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Judging by the flag, the Baltimore in the photo appears to be a German or Dutch vessel. Not necessarily the same vessel as that the ticket was valid for. Mjroots (talk) 19:47, 29 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Italicising titles

I have been trying to italicise the title of KM Pekan, KM Arau, and KM Marlin. As far as I can see, the "infobox ship begin" template should have automatially italicised it. Indeed, when I put in a {{DISPLAYTITLE}} it produces an error message: Warning: Display title "KM Pekan" overrides earlier display title "KM <i>Pekan</i>"" What gives? Shuipzv3 (talk) 13:43, 28 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

You shouldn't need to do this. As noted, the infobox ought to "just do it". But if you have something especially weird, {{infobox ship begin}} allows |display title=none See §Title styling.
It may also be working fine already, as you don't see the full effects of {{DISPLAYTITLE}} in a preview; you have to actually save the page. Andy Dingley (talk) 14:14, 28 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
I don't believe that you don't see the full effects of {{DISPLAYTITLE}} in a preview is a correct statement. While writing my response to OP, I added my example for #2 to the appropriate article and clicked Show preview; the article title was properly formatted.
Trappist the monk (talk) 14:29, 28 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

(edit conflict)

{{infobox ship begin}} doesn't know about every possible ship prefix. When I wrote the code that does italic title I used a list of articles that transcluded {{infobox ship begin}} as the source from for the list of supported ship prefixes. That work was mostly done in September 2015. The articles mentioned here were created in July 2018. The creating editor apparently did not know about proper ship-name format or did not care.
When the article title does not render properly, there are a couple of remedies:
  1. add the prefix to Module:WPSHIPS utilities at ship_prefix_list = {} – preferred but requires template editor rights
  2. add |display title=<article title with markup> to the article's {{infobox ship begin}} – for these examples: |display title=KM ''Pekan'' etc
I have done #1 above. Articles may need a null edit.
Trappist the monk (talk) 14:24, 28 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
@Andy Dingley: I purged one of the pages and the result was the same, and that was when I was at my wit's end and came here. @Trappist the monk: The issue appears to be resolved now. Thank you to you both. Shuipzv3 (talk) 14:29, 28 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Tendentious editing on the USS Arizona article

User Lanemiker (talk) has been engaging in an edit war with me over the proper style of rendering the turret numbers of the ship. I used Roman numerals because that's what the damage reports by the US Navy used, but Lanemiker asserts that the navy used Arabic numerals without providing any evidence. This isn't our first interaction as we had a long edit war over the categorization of the Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber in the article that only ended when another editor intervened. I believe Lanemiker has chosen this turret numbering issue out of a desire to declare some sort of victory over me, rather than any factual basis, and he seems to have fixated on the article as his method of choice. I'd like an admin to look into this admittedly trivial issue and issue the appropriate warnings.--Sturmvogel 66 (talk) 14:43, 28 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Warned, next step banhammer. Mjroots (talk) 19:44, 29 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
He just reverted to his preferred text, so bring on the hammer.--Sturmvogel 66 (talk) 21:27, 9 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Created an SIA, probably needs to be modified

I’ve never made a ships SIA, so could someone from this project add what’s needed to PS Solent? I was clueless about the descriptions (obviously), and unsure of categories. Much appreciated! — Gorthian (talk) 23:42, 3 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

I have tweaked it as "PS" is not part of the actual names of the ships. However, my inclination is that this should be moved to List of ships named ''Solent'' or similar. Apart from the two RN vessels, there are a number of others which could well sustain articles, particularly the two passenger liners of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company. PS Solent could remain as a regular dab. Davidships (talk) 09:03, 4 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
What do others think? Davidships (talk) 13:30, 6 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
That makes sense to me, and follows an established pattern (i.e., List of ships named Nautilus, which keeps HMS Nautilus, SMS Nautilus, and USS Nautilus as sub-indices). Parsecboy (talk) 13:41, 6 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Vasa (ship), FA deteriorating

Vasa (ship) is an FA but it is deteriorating. People with the know-how are encouraged to improve it. I was hoping to include it at WP:OTD for August 10 but there are too many citations needed. --- Coffeeandcrumbs 03:04, 7 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

IMO number conflicts

Back in 2015, this WikiProject asked for a bot to create redirects for all IMO numbers, which was implemented as Wikipedia:Bots/Requests for approval/AnomieBOT 73. I noticed today that the Category:IMO Number the bot had been using was moved to Category:IMO numbers last year, and while I was fixing that I noticed that the bot was logging that there are some cases where multiple articles claim to be for the same ship. For example, MS Jupiter and MS Svea Corona both claim to be IMO 7360186 (the latter article seems to be IMO 7360174 instead), and Italian training ship Italia and Swan fan Makkum both claim IMO 8872825 (looks like two articles about the same ship). I thought you might find a list of such conflicts useful, so I updated the bot to create one at User:AnomieBOT/IMO number conflicts as it does its daily run looking for redirects to create/update. Anomie 00:27, 8 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]