Ceremonial ship launching
Ceremonial ship launching involves the performance of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back millennia, to accompany the physical process with ceremonies which have been observed as public celebration and a solemn blessing, usually but not always, in association with the launch itself.
1908 launch of the Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes
Stern-first launch of the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39) in 1915 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Sideways launch of littoral combat ship USS St. Louis (LCS-19) in 2018
Launch of the French ship Friedland on 2 May 1810, sliding stern first
Sailors' superstitions are superstitions particular to sailors or mariners, and which traditionally have been common around the world. Some of these beliefs are popular superstitions, while others are better described as traditions, stories, folklore, tropes, myths, or legend.
Odysseus and the Sirens, eponymous vase of the Siren Painter, ca. 480-470 BC, (British Museum)
The Siren, by John William Waterhouse (circa 1900), depicted as a fish-chimera.
Tiddles, a black cat who gained fame as a Royal Navy ship's cat
A Klabautermann on a ship, from Buch Zur See, 1885