Boudicca is a stupid name for a ship. Naming a Liverpool-based cruiseliner after one someone who murdered around 80,000 Romans in antiquity is hardly a great idea, especially when said ship is supposed to be travelling round the Mediterranean – you know, the sea that’s right next to Italy.
The Boudicca’s management are in hot water today, but not the balmy waters of the Med. Rather the ship has had to return to Liverpool early after passengers were struck with the nasty norovirus, an intestinal problem which causes vomiting, nausea and diarrhea, for the sixth time in as many months. Maybe they should get the message and change the ship’s name: you can hardly imagine a Mongolian cruiser being named the Genghis Khan, or a German vessel called the Hitler floating round the Black Sea. At least they spelt Boudicca’s name properly.
Boudicca was a bloodthirsty Celtic battle-axe who rebelled against Rome destroying London (watch a Roman London video), Colchester(watch the video) and St Albans. Her bloody rampage tore a hole in Roman Britannia, but she was soon defeated at the Battle of Watling Street and order was restored. Her current whereabouts is packed with ephemera, though some people think she’s buried under King’s Cross Station. Watch our special Ancient World in London video below to get a taste of the woman behind the many myths.
HD Video: Episode 6 – Boudicca, Warrior Queen
(Transcription of this video.)
It’s not the first time a British ship has been named after a famous ancient figure: interestingly London’s Cleopatra’s Needle has nothing to do with the legendary queen. Instead the obelisk was named after its cigar-shaped container vessel, which arrived from Egypt in 1878.