Submarines have always been called by a variety of names in their history such as 'devil divers', 'eel boats', 'plunging boats' and 'pig boats'. Technically speaking, and going by size, a submarine is a ship. However, submarines have been referred to as boats ever since its earliest days. Thus the term has become steeped in tradition. Nowadays submariners nearly invariably refer to their ships 'boats".
In navy jargon, a boat is the name a small vessel which has no living quarters along with an extremely limited range or endurance. The initial submarines were precisely that, little coastal submersible boats in which the crew was unable to live in. These first subs were not even able to cross a substantial body of water. Thus they had to be hauled up on a larger ship in order to be taken across the ocean like a ships boat. It is thought that this is how submarines came to be called boats.
In navy jargon, a boat is the name a small vessel which has no living quarters along with an extremely limited range or endurance. The initial submarines were precisely that, little coastal submersible boats in which the crew was unable to live in. These first subs were not even able to cross a substantial body of water. Thus they had to be hauled up on a larger ship in order to be taken across the ocean like a ships boat. It is thought that this is how submarines came to be called boats.
