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From: gmoulais@epas.utoronto.ca (Glenn Moulaison)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Gilligan's S.S. Minnow
Date: 3 Dec 1993 12:33:54 -0500

Ok, here goes, I'm going to correct myself before someone else does or before I get e-mail from other Nova Scotians calling me names.

The Bluenose on the Canadian dime is the "Bluenose", the "Queen of the North Atlantic fishing fleet".. It is a ship of sail, but that doesn't mean S.S.

It is a "schooner", said type of vessel having at least 2 masts, all equipped with fore-and-aft sails.

I checked the Encyclopedia Canadiana (1958), under "Sailing Ships".

As for "clipper", according to the Shorter OED, it is "a vessel with sharp forward-raking bows and masts raking aft." In other words, this is more of a general term than schooner.

As for SS, according to the Dictionary of Abbreviations, by Ralph de Sola, it means:

diesel-powered attack submarine (naval symbol) Saints
Science Service
Secret Service
Secretary for Scotland
Secretary of State
Selective Service
Sharpshooter
Ship Service
Ship's Stores
Silver Star
Social Security
Special Service
Special Staff
Specification(s) for Structure
Standard Score
steamship
Straits Settlements
Submarine Studies
Sunday School
supersonic
Support Services
Support System
Surveillance Station
sworn statement

I kinda like supersonic for the Bluenose, or the Minnow, though.

Glenn "Boy, is my face red and nose blue" Moulaison