Superstitions of the Sea

"The insulting names of sea vessels..."

The various sailors and seafarers of Gothenya (especially in the west) have a number of bizarre superstitions and associated rituals to ward off harm, evil spirits, the wrath of the gods, etc.
The first to fall under our spotlight is the tradition of "Ship Shaming."
It is widely believed that if you set sail under a banner of "hubris" or "bravado," the gods will quickly humble you. And when a god humbles you, it typically involves you getting a long, first-hand look at the bottom of the ocean floor. As such, a great many captains attempt to offset this potential downturn of fate through the usage of insulting ship naming conventions.
Where many would be normally tempted to give their vessels names that inspire dread (pirates or warships), prosperity (sea merchants) or even mastery of the sea, more often than not captains will name their ships as if they were gravely disappointed by their performance or potential. It's not uncommon to see ships named "Hargold's Doom" (where Hargold is the ships' captain) or "Dorlan's Folly." There have been ships named "Flotsam," "The Wreckage," and even "The Cannon Fodder."
By naming their ships with something akin to the opposite of pride (well, namely, shame), their captains attempt to keep the watchful (and vengeful) eyes of the gods away from their travels. It shows a special sort of deference to insult yourself by proxy of your vessel. It's a sort of humility, or a pre-humiliation. Ultimately, it's thought to bring good luck to those who traverse the World Sea.
In addition to straight insults, captains may elect to name their ships after animals or creatures that aren't known for their speed, bravery or even prowess.
It is said that one can tell the mettle of a captain by the degree of shame they brought to their own ship name. It takes a lot of chutzpa to sail under the banner of the "Chamber Pot," so you might not want to engage its master in ship-to-ship combat.
OTHER COMMON SHIP NAMES
"The Shame"
"The Folly"
"The Wreck Worthy"
"The Sea Slug"
"The Stink Beetle"
"The Affront"
"The Chum Lord"
"The Bottom Scraper"
"Shapeless Wood"
"The Floating Grave"
"Old Rickety Bottom"
"The Pride of None"
"The Scrap"
"The Sea Gnat"
"The Deep Disappointment"
"The Dead Seagull"
"The Crushed Crab"
"The Red Headed Stepchild"
"His Mother's Scorn"
"The Depression"
"The Coward"
"The Turn Coat"
"The Sewer Scraper"
"The Anal Wind"
"The Rapidly Sinking Rat"
"The Toothless Trollop"
"The Overweight Mother"
"Fish Rot"
"The Wastrel of Spactrel"
"The Just Okay"
"Free To A Good Home"
"Mirror Breaker"
"The General Failure"
"The Deep Indignity"
"The Inhospitable"
"The Pond Scum"
"The Flaccid Sail"
"The Doubtful" (an actual ship belonging to Dreeva Vaeless)