ship's papers

plural noun

1. necessary papers presented at all legal inspections of a ship, and containing the owner's name, description of cargo, destination, etc.

ship's papers

plural noun

1. the documents that are required by law to be carried by a ship for the purpose of ascertaining details of her ownership, nationality, destination, and cargo or to prove her neutrality

Word History and Origins

Origin of ship's papers¹

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

We learned later that the owners had demanded and taken the ship's papers from the captain.

Read more on Salon

And this sailor, tall, dark and crowlike, marked his ship's papers with a circle that night and was on deck at dawn when the ship sailed out of the harbor in the morning mist.

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“Hurricane-whipped with only 63 cents and my ship’s papers in my pocket,” he wrote, “I sought refuge on the small island of Bonaire, an old Dutch Colony rooted deep in the southern Caribbean. The Governor said, ‘A bum you become, you’re out.

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It was found to be carrying 29 shipping containers of explosives and detonators, which according to the ship’s papers had been loaded in Turkey and were destined for the east African port of Djibouti.

Read more on Seattle Times

With both books, we have translators critiquing translators, which is a big help for old salts deciding if they want to sign ship’s papers or for landlubbers who wonder if they are seaworthy.

Read more on New York Times