why a ship is called she

A ship is called a "she" because.....
There is always a great deal of bustle around her
there is usually a gang of men about
She has a waist and stays
It takes a lot of paint to keep her good looking
She shows her topsides and hides her bottom
She can be all decked out
It takes an experienced man to handle her correctly
And without a man at the helm, she is absolutely un- controllable.
It takes a lot of Paint to keep her Good - Looking.
And the main reason....It's not the initial expense that breaks you, It's the upkeep!!!
When coming into port, always heads for the buoys.

In the Chesapeake Bay, many of the workboats were traditionally named for women. The names usually reflected a female family member. No one knows where this tradition originated, but a few speculate that the naming tradition reflects the waterman's connection to his family.http://www.mariner.org/women/myths/she.htm