In the case of ships, to receive a
commission from the
naval organization to which it belongs. A commission used to be a piece of paper granted to the
captain of a ship, authorizing him
in the name of the issuer (usually a
monarch) to go commit acts of
piracy against
vessels of other nations. This is also known as a
letter of marque and
reprisal. As time went on, 'private' commissions became extinct, and the commission tended to be issued to the ship itself; now, when a ship is completed by the
builders and delivered to the
naval crew that will
man it, there is a ceremony of
issuing the commission to the ship. Then, and only then, can the ship be referred to as a
naval vessel; in the case of the U.S., this entitles it to put the prefix
U.S.S. for United States Ship in front of its name, and to be issued a
unit designation (e.g.
CVN-68 in the case of the
Nimitz) rather than a builder's
hull number.