This is Saberwyn's Preference 1A.

The main changes from the main proposal are.

Disambiguation by ship type instead of contextless-year-of-launch (per Saberwyn's Preference 1)
Depreciation of "<nationality> <type> <italicised shipname> <(disambiguation)> (as suggested by Gatoclass)
Standardisation of disambiguation for ship class articles on year of first launched (as suggested by Trappist the Monk)

Proposal for updating Wikipedia:Naming conventions (ships)

This guideline describes Wikipedia's conventions for naming articles about ships and ship-related subjects (such as ship classes and ship-index pages), and for referring to such in article prose.

Ships share names with other topics (such as people, places, animals and other things). Articles about ships must be named to distinguish them from other similarly-named ships, as well as from other topics with which they share a name.

Articles on individual ships

Applies to named ships, boats, yachts, etc.

Article titles for individual ships should meet the Wikipedia:Article titles policy. The policy page states, in summary, that "Article titles should be recognisable, concise, natural, precise, and consistent."

A typical ship article name has the following form:

<italicised name> <(disambiguation)>

In instances where a prefix is part of the common name, article names take the following form:

Where possible, the title should be at the "common name". Per Wikipedia:Article titles#Use commonly recognizable names: "Wikipedia generally prefers the name that is most commonly used (as determined by its prevalence in reliable English-language sources)". There may be a difference between the official name and the common name for a ship. The article title should be at the common name (or as close to the common name as possible, allowing for appropriate identification and disambiguation).

Admiral Kuznetsov (aircraft carrier), not Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov (aircraft carrier)

In the article where the ship is the subject, use the official name when referring to the ship for the first time, and the common name in later occurrences.

Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov at first occurrence, followed by Admiral Kuznetsov in subsequent occurrences

In articles where the ship is not the subject, it is usually sufficient to use the common name in all occurrences.

If a ship had multiple names, use the best known name for the ship. Per the Wikipedia:Article titles policy, the best known name for the ship is to be determined by editor consensus, supported by use in a majority of reliable, published sources. Create redirects from all other names to assist in successful article location.

Liaoning (aircraft carrier), with redirects from Riga (aircraft carrier) and Varyag (aircraft carrier)

Some ships (such as small patrol vessels, along with early submarines) may not have a conventional name, and instead be only identified by their pennant/hull number or other code. In these situations, treat the pennant/hull number or code as the ship's name.

T1 (torpedo boat)

HMS X1

When referring to a ship in prose, do not use a 'shortening' of the ship's name, unless that form is supported by reliable, published sources. Similarly, do not omit parts of the name just because they are, for example, common for all ships of a shipping company.

SS Christopher Columbus at first occurrence, Columbus in subsequent occurrences

Maersk Alabama in all occurrences, not Alabama in subsequent occurrences

RFA Largs Bay at first occurrence, and Largs Bay at subsequent occurrences, not Largs

If shortening a name could result in confusion with another ship within an article, do not shorten

USS Frank E. Evans at first occurrence, Evans in subsequent occurrences, except when ships named USS Evans are also discussed in the article.

Prefixes

Ship prefixes should only be used in article titles if multiple reliable, published sources consider the prefix to be a part of that specific ship's common name.

New Carissa, not MV New Carissa (Although MV is the official prefix for the ship, it is not part of the ship's common name)

USS Enterprise, not Enterprise (The USS prefix is considered part of both the official and common names of the ship)

AHS Centaur, not Centaur (The AHS designation is part of how the ship is commonly referred to in sources)

Do not punctuate the prefix, although some sources do render it in this fashion.

USS Constitution, not U.S.S. Constitution

SS Christopher Columbus, not S/S Christopher Columbus

Do not use a prefix on ships that never carried the prefix.

Do not 'backdate' the prefix onto ships that existed before the prefix's creation (example: His/Her Majesty's Ship (HMS) for British warships before 1660).
Conversely, if a prefix falls out of use, do not apply it to subsequent ships (example: German warships used Seiner Majestät Schiff (SMS) until the end of World War I).
Some military history sources invent prefixes for consistency, but only those actually used for the subject ship should be used in article titles. If reliable, published sources frequently use an invented prefix when discussing a ship, consider creating redirects to assist in successful article location.
Yamato (battleship), not HIJMS Yamato or IJN Yamato
If a ship is associated with a nation, but not the navy using the prefix, do not apply the prefix to the ship. (example: Harry Chauvel was an Australian military ship, but never part of the Royal Australian Navy, so should not be used with the HMAS prefix)

In prose, prefixes should only be used as part of the ship's name in the first occurrence, and dropped from further occurrences. In articles where the ship being referred to is not the subject, consider omitting the prefix when not required for context:

When obvious from the context and unnecessarily repetitive
The List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy omits the "USS" prefix when listing ships.

Likewise, the section of Royal Mail Ship that lists relevant ships omits the "RMS" prefix.
As warship prefixes are used to indicate the operating nation and warship status of a vessel, when the nation of the warship is otherwise indicated:
USS Enterprise was escorted by the Australian frigates Sydney and Toowoomba. (not "HMAS Sydney and HMAS Toowoomba", as the relevant context has already been indicated by "Australian frigates")
For civilian ships, italicising the ship name is usually sufficient context to identify that the subject is a ship.

Disambiguation

If a ship's name is unique, or it can be considered the primary topic for subjects of the same name (see Wikipedia:Disambiguation#Is there a primary topic? for advice), it does not need to be disambiguated.

No other known ships or topics are named "New Carissa", so the article for the freighter New Carissa needs no further disambiguation.

The merchant brigantine Mary Celeste, famous for being found under sail but abandoned with no explanation, is considered the primary topic for that name.

If disambiguation from other topics is required, add the type of merchant vessel or warship (or rig/sail-plan for sailing vessels) the vessel is most commonly identified as to the end of the article title in parentheses. See #Ship type for advice on using ship types in article titles. No other forms of disambiguation are valid.

Santa Maria (carrack) to disambiguate from other topics named Santa María, not Santa Maria (ship) (too generic) or Santa Maria (launched 1460) (years should be used as a second-level disambiguator)

Canberra (ocean liner) to disambiguate from other topics named Canberra, not SS Canberra (unless it can be demonstrated to be the ship's common name) or Canberra (steamship)

Girl Pat (trawler) to disambiguate from other topics named Girl Pat, not FV Girl Pat (no evidence that the prefix was part of the ship's common name)

USS Arizona (battleship) to disambiguate from other topics named USS Arizona, not USS Arizona (BB-39) (pennant/hull numbers are depreciated for article titles)

Prefixes should not be added to a title for the sole purpose of disambiguating articles.

If additional/second-level disambiguation is required, add the ship's year of launch to the disambiguation in the following form:

(<type>, launched <yyyy>)

USS Enterprise (aircraft carrier, launched 1936) and USS Enterprise (aircraft carrier, launched 1960), vs USS Enterprise (motorboat) (not USS Enterprise (motorboat, launched 1917), no further disambiguation needed as no other motorboats of that name)

USS Enterprise (1936 aircraft carrier) or USS Enterprise (1960)

If the year of launch is unknown or uncertain, use an appropriate confirmed 'milestone' date, and change "launched" to the appropriate context. 'Milestone' dates are important dates in a ship's construction and operational history, and include (but are not limited to) completion of construction, commissioning into naval service, entry into civilian service, acquisition or capture (Many of the fields at {{Infobox ship career}} deal with milestone dates, see Template:Infobox ship begin/Usage guide#Infobox ship career for further information on what they represent). Be careful not to use one milestone's date with another's descriptor: a ship commissioned or entering service in a certain year may not have been launched or completed in that year. Any date used in the title should be supported by reliable, published sources in the article itself.

USS Enterprise (sloop, captured 1775)

USS Enterprise (schooner, commissioned 1776)

USS Enterprise (schooner, built 1799)

USS Enterprise (schooner, launched 1831)

Italicisation

Ship names are always italicised. Disambiguators and prefixes are not italicised.

Mary Celeste, not Mary Celeste

HMAS Australia (battlecruiser), not HMAS Australia (battlecruiser), HMAS Australia (battlecruiser), or HMAS Australia (battlecruiser)

To italicise an article title, use the {{DISPLAYTITLE}} magic word. This can be done directly, via the {{Italic title}} or {{Italic title prefixed}} templates, or be implemented by {{Infobox ship begin}} (which only works with recognised ship prefixes).

As italicisation does not work inside wikilinks, linking to ship articles will involve use of a Wikipedia:Piped link.

[[RMS Titanic|RMS ''Titanic'']]

Links should also be piped to hide disambiguators (except on disambiguation/ship-index pages, or other instances where showing the disambiguator is advantageous)

[[Ohioan (cargo ship)|''Ohioan'']], not [[Ohioan (cargo ship)|''Ohioan'' (cargo ship)]]

[[Sevastopol (battleship, launched 1895)|''Sevastopol'']], not [[Sevastopol (battleship, launched 1895)|''Sevastopol'' (battleship, launched 1895)]]

"the later [[USS Lexington (aircraft carrier, launched 1942)|USS ''Lexington'' (aircraft carrier, launched 1942)]] was laid down as Cabot but renamed in honour of the earlier [[USS Lexington (aircraft carrier, launched 1925)|USS ''Lexington'' (aircraft carrier, launched 1925)]]" (the context from disambiguation information aids understanding and differentiation).Saberwyn's note: I can't think of any intelligent way to use disambiguators of this form in prose that would not be better achieved by rephrasing the sentence.

To reduce the amount to type when linking to a ship article, consider using {{Ship}} or one of the specific ship prefix variants. This reduces the number of characters that have to be typed.

{{ship|HMCS|Kootenay|destroyer, launched 1932}} instead of [[HMCS Kootenay (destroyer, launched 1932)|HMCS ''Kootenay'' (destroyer, launched 1932)]]

Splitting articles

If the size of a ship article becomes excessive, it may be necessary to split it into smaller articles.

If a ship operated under multiple names, and there is sufficient content to justify articles at each of the names, consider splitting the article into articles about the ship's operations under each name. Use summary sections (per Wikipedia:Summary style) to link the articles.

Article A covers Career A from launch to transfer, followed by a couple of paragraphs on Career B, Article B covers Career B from transfer to fate, introduced by a summary of Career A.

HMS Vengeance (aircraft carrier) covers the ship's British and Australian careers, while Minas Gerais (aircraft carrier) covers the Brazilian career

If splitting in this manner is not viable (because of a single name across most to all of the entire operational life), consider splitting out information on major incidents and events, with a summary section left in the ship article.

The entire career of HMAS Melbourne (aircraft carrier) was spent in the Australian navy, so detailed content on two major collisions the ship was involved in are at Melbourne–Voyager collision and Melbourne–Evans collision, with summaries in the ship article.

The events and aftermath of a major turret explosion aboard USS Iowa (battleship, launched 1942) are covered in detail at USS Iowa turret explosion.

Pennant and hull numbers

Pennant/hull numbers are not considered part of the official or common name of a ship on Wikipedia (except when this is the only identification given to a ship). However, as they are officially used to identify warships, there will be instances where they are referred to in prose, or when creating redirects.

The letter or letters in a pennant/hull number identify the ship type, while the numbers identify the ship within that type. There are national/regional variations in the formatting of pennant/hull numbers:

The United States Navy and United States Coast Guard hull numbers should be written with a hyphen between the letters and the numbers. Ships of the Military Sealift Command add the prefix "T" before the letter code; this is also hyphenated.
CVN-65, WHEC-715, T-AKR-304
The pennant numbers used by NATO, along with most European and British Commonwealth navies, have no hyphen or space between the letters and numbers. There will typically only be one letter, with some ships only having a number.
D108, 91
The Australian and Canadian navies were originally integrated into the British Commonwealth pennant number system, but later established their own systems based on US usage (Australia in 1969, Canada in ????). Pennant/hull numbers for post-change ships are written with a space between the letters and numbers. Pre-change ships follow the European pennant style above.
LHD 01, M 82

Definite article ("the")

Do not use the definite article ("the") before a prefix or when introducing a ship for the first time; e.g., at the beginning of the lead section.

HMS Victory was ..., not The HMS Victory was ...

Use of the definitive article before any occurrence of a ship's name is not necessary, but not technically wrong.

Victory was Nelson's flagship ... (preferred) vs. The Victory was Nelson's flagship ... (not recommended)

Possessive form of a ship's name

When using the possessive form of a ship's name in articles, use the {{'}} template to provide proper styling and avoid coding problems that can occur when an apostrophe follows italicised text. The apostrophe and "s" are not italicised:

Linked names: {{USS|Ticonderoga||2}}{{'}}s displays as Ticonderoga's
Regular names: ''Ticonderoga''{{'}}s displays as Ticonderoga's

Pronouns

Shortcut

WP:SHE4SHIPS

Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Military history offers identical advice, at the shortcut WP:SHIPPRONOUNS

Ships may be referred to by either feminine pronouns ("she", "her") or neuter pronouns ("it", "its"). Either usage is acceptable, but each article should be internally consistent and employ one or the other exclusively. As with all optional styles, articles should not be changed from one style to another unless there is a substantial reason to do so.

Articles on ship classes

Ship-class article titles should follow the following form:

<class name>-class <ship type> <(disambiguation)>

Tucker-class destroyer

See #Ship type for advice on using ship types in article titles.

There are two types of ship-class names, 'ship name' and 'theme'. For 'ship name' ship classes, the name of the class is shared with a ship (typically the lead ship of the class); in these situations, the class name is italicised. For 'theme' classes, the class is named after a theme (from which the names of individual ships are derived) or other descriptor, so the class name is not italicised. Some 'theme' classes may include the theme in the individual ships' names. Do not italicise these, as the class is still named after a theme, not a ship name:

Tucker-class destroyer, not Tucker-class destroyer, as the class name is shared with the destroyer USS Tucker.

U-20-class submarine, not U-20-class submarine, as the class name is shared with the submarine SM U-20.

Flower-class corvette, not Flower-class corvette, as the ships are named after flowers, not a ship named Flower.

250t-class torpedo boat, not 250t-class torpedo boat, as the class is designated based on the vessels' displacement

Bay-class landing ship, not Bay-class landing ship, even though the first ship of the class is named Mounts Bay.

Article names for ship classes are adjectival, with 'class name' and the word "class" modifying the noun 'ship type'. As such, there should be a hyphen linking 'class name' and class. This applies even if there are multiple words making up the class name.

Tucker-class destroyer, not Tucker class destroyer

Evergreen State-class ferry, not Evergreen State class ferry or Evergreen-State-class ferry

In prose, use of the class name as an adjective (where the class name modifies the 'ship type' noun, or any other noun) should be hyphenated.

Construction of the Tucker-class destroyers began in...

Tucker-class names were taken...

Use of the class name as a noun (typically in prose, but occasionally encountered in article titles for disambiguation pages) should not be hyphenated.

The Tucker class was designed by...

... last surviving example of the Tucker-class.

[[Bay class]]

In article titles and in article text, use a hyphen; do not use an en dash (–) or em dash (—).

Tucker-class destroyer, not Tucker–class destroyer or Tucker—class destroyer

To reduce the amount to type when linking to a class article, consider using {{sclass-}} (for 'ship name' classes) or {{sclass2-}} (for 'theme name' classes). These templates have multiple variables for formatting and linking of the name and type.

If an entire ship class was renamed, or reclassified to a different ship type, use the name or type that the class is best known for. Create redirects from all other names to assist in successful article location.

Knox-class frigate, with a redirect from Knox-class destroyer escort, as the ship class was changed shortly after the ships entered service (see United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification), and were known for the majority of their operational lives as frigates.

Permit-class submarine, not Thresher-class submarine, as the class was renamed after the loss of lead submarine Thresher, and the majority of sources describe the class under the Permit name.

If an article title refers to two or more ship classes, every 'class name' is hyphenated.

J-, K- and N-class destroyer, not J, K and N-class destroyer or J, K and N -class destroyer

Some nations and organisations use a different format for naming ship classes. In these situations, the common name for the class overrules the advice here.

Examples: Design 1047 battlecruiser, Type 45 destroyer, Mark 8 Landing Craft Tank, National Security Cutter,

In some instances, multiple ship classes are described collectively in a single article, under a common name that uses a different format. In these situations, the common name for the class overrules the advice here.

Examples: 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier, Medium endurance cutter

Do not create classes that are not supported by reliable, published sources for presumably identical ships.

Example: Spanish aircraft carrier Príncipe de Asturias and HTMS Chakri Naruebet are not part of a ship class, despite being based on the same design.

Only describe a ship as being part of a class if reliable, published sources do so.

Example: Spanish ship Juan Carlos I is not a part of the Canberra-class landing helicopter dock ship class, despite being the design basis of, and externally identical to, the Canberra-class ships.

For disambiguation of ship classes with the same name and type, disambiguate by the year the first ship of the class was launched:

(first launched <year>)

Porpoise-class submarine (first launched 1935) and Porpoise-class submarine (first launched 1956)

King George V-class battleship (first launched 1911) and King George V-class battleship (first launched 1939)

If the year of launch is unknown, consider using another milestone and change the context accordingly (as per second-level disambiguation for individual ship article titles).

If additional/second-level disambiguation is required, consider adding the month of launch to the disambiguator.

Using ship type in article titles

Do not be over-specific with the ship type in the title of a ship or class article. More specific details on the ship type can be conveyed in the article prose.

aircraft carrier, not fleet aircraft carrier or nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

Use the singular form of the ship type.

submarine, not submarines

If a ship or class is known for fulfilling different type roles during its life, use the type the ship or class was best known for. Create redirects from other relevant types to assist in successful article location.

Canberra (ocean liner), with a redirect from Canberra (troopship)

Knox-class frigate, with a redirect from Knox-class destroyer escort

Article titles for other ship-related subjects

For ship-related topics other than ships and ship classes, consider the advice in other naming conventions and guidelines that may be more directly related to the subject (for example, Wikipedia:Naming conventions (companies) for shipyards and related companies, or Wikipedia:Naming conventions (events) for articles on events and incidents in a ship's career)

Country and navy-specific articles

Articles which name the country or navy in the article title should conform to the country-specific guidelines. This states that: "In general, country-specific articles should be named using the form: "(item) of (country)"... This will usually hold true in other geography-specific topics, such as for cities, continents, provinces, states, etc."

Note: navies are country or geography-specific.

List of ships of the line of Italy, not List of Italian ships of the line

List of naval ships of Portugal, not List of Portuguese naval ships

List of ships of the Canadian Navy, not List of Canadian Navy ships

Early naval vessels of New Zealand, not Early New Zealand naval vessels

Coastal Forces of the Royal Navy, not Royal Navy Coastal Forces

Ship-index pages

If there are multiple ships of the same name, a ship-index page should be created at the base name, with individual ship-article titles disambiguated by year of launch.

HMS Amethyst lists six British warships named HMS Amethyst

Chilean ship Almirante Latorre lists four ships of the Chilean Navy named Almirante Latorre

If one ship is the primary topic for the name, the ship-index page should be located at the title "List of ships named ...":

the article for Horatio Nelson's flagship is HMS Victory; other Victorys are listed at List of ships named HMS Victory.

the article for Charles Darwin's vessel of exploration is HMS Beagle; other Beagles are listed at List of ships named HMS Beagle.

For names used by multiple navies, or both military and civilian ships, also disambiguate at the usual disambiguation page for the name:

Nautilus (disambiguation) refers to ships named Nautilus

Discovery refers to ships named Discovery