Q&A: Using a ship prefix to distinguish Mikasa from a person

Should ships such as Mikasa be referred to with a prefix such as HIJMS?

It is not offered as authentic Japanese usage. A chosen prefix can be explained at the first mention to make clear that the name belongs to a ship, then dropped afterward.

Mikasa prompts a practical distinction between historically authentic naming and clarity in English-language writing. Dr. Clarke's practice is to select one convention for a work, use it at a ship's first mention, and then drop the prefix. An accompanying note acknowledges that the convention is not historically accurate. He connects that practice to a lecturer's difficulty distinguishing ships from people when reading unfamiliar names.