To sever ties between a ship and its past, the document suggested removing all tracking devices that might be built into the ship’s console or hull. Get rid of anything on the vessel with its name written on it, including life jackets, bridge paperwork, buoys, stationery, and lifeboats, the glossary advised. “Replace the ship’s first or build name,” it said, which is usually welded onto both sides of the bow and on the stern in foot-high, raised steel letters. “Don’t forget the serial plate on the ship’s main engine,” the document added, because it’s a favorite way for investigators to trace a
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