ship's papers

American  

plural noun

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

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ship's papers British  

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

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Etymology

Origin of ship's papers

First recorded in 1655–65

Example Sentences

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

From 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.

From Literature

“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.

From Scientific American

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.

From 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.

From New York Times