Ships are frequently or even usually female, but not always. In particular, in the Second World War the German battleship Bismarck, and another ship built to the same specifications, were regarded as being so magnificent that they were described using male terms.

Traditionally, ships have been referred to using female pronouns like "she" and "her" for centuries, a practice rooted in the idea of the ship as a protective mother figure or a goddess watching over the crew. However, there are notable exceptions where ships were officially designated as male. The most famous example is the German battleship Bismarck during World War II; Captain Ernst Lindemann insisted on referring to the vessel as "he" (er) due to its immense power and "masculine" persona. Similarly, in the Russian language, the word for "ship" (korabl) is masculine, so Russian sailors often refer to their vessels using male pronouns. In modern times, the maritime industry is shifting toward gender-neutral language. Organizations like Lloyd’s List and the Royal Navy have largely moved toward using "it" to refer to vessels in official documentation. Despite this, the seafaring tradition of the "female" ship remains deeply ingrained in naval culture, and true "male" ships remain rare linguistic or cultural anomalies rather than a standard practice.