Topic on Forum:Trope Talk

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Yet something else I also brought up once on TVT, and still has problems.

The term "Ghost Ship" can refer to two things in normal usage:

A derelict ship.
A ship crewed by ghosts.

Ghost Ship currently means the first of these, rather than being a disambiguation, which is already confusing. It then claims that "If you're looking for otherworldly ships with tattered sails crewed by the damned, see Afterlife Express."

If you go to Afterlife Express, almost all of the text claims that it specifically is about a ship that transports souls to the afterlife--not about any old ship crewed by ghosts. Only the word "often" suggests otherwise.

Flying Dutchman often covers the second meaning of Ghost Ship, but it isn't the same thing; for one thing, it can be about a ship that's cursed without anyone being dead. Also, it needs to have Wandering Jew made into a separate trope.

Furthermore, "crewed by ghosts" and "to the afterlife" can also apply to trains. And Ghost Ship is named after ships and Afterlife Express after trains--that implies that the dividing line is based on type of vehicle when it certainly isn't. (I can't think of anything other than ships and trains that does this commonly enough to be called a trope.)

In other words, it's all sort of right but confusing and not quite.

Possible solution:

Ghost Ship is a disambiguation for three tropes:
1. Derelict Ship
2. Haunted Ship. Also includes ships that are themselves supernatural.
3. Afterlife Express
Flying Dutchman can be the second but isn't necessarily.
Names are up for grabs--there may be better ones.

On TVT there was also the idea of distinguishing between a haunted ship and a ship crewed by ghosts, which I'm no longer so sure about. Link to TVT discussion: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1301884599098664600