Editing Template:Infobox ship begin/shared doc (section)

=== Parameters ===
{{Further information|Template:Infobox ship begin/Usage guide}}
Most fields are self-explanatory, but here are some tips (see the [[Template:Infobox ship begin/Usage guide|usage guide]] for a complete explanation of all parameter fields):
#'''Ship image''' If your article does not have an image in this field, the ship will automatically be listed at the hidden category [[:Category:Ship infoboxes without an image]].  Editors can use the category to easily see a list of infoboxes where no image is attached and work to find pictures.
#'''Ship caption''' and '''image alt''', the caption and alt for the ship's picture, should be left blank if no extra information about the picture is available; don't just fill in the ship's name.
#'''Ship country''' is necessary when a ship served under multiple countries, but not really necessary otherwise.
#'''Ship class''' should include both the class and the type of ship.  For example, [[Balao class submarine|''Balao''-class]] [[diesel-electric]] [[submarine]] provides complete information.  It can be replaced with '''Ship type''', which displays as "Type:", for ships that aren't members of a class.
#'''Ship name''' is necessary when a ship served under multiple names, but not really necessary otherwise.
#'''Ship fate''' and '''Ship status''' generally shouldn't both be filled in.  Whichever one sounds most appropriate for the situation should be filled in.  Use Ship fate when the ship sank or was scrapped, and use Ship status when the ship is active, kept in reserve, or currently a museum.
#'''Ship displacement''' and '''Ship tonnage''' are not the same thing.  [[Displacement (fluid)|Displacement]] is the mass of a ship in a particular condition, like when it's fully loaded for battle.  It is generally used for military vessels.  [[Tonnage]] is a measurement of the cargo capacity of a vessel and isn't exactly correlated with weight: a ship of a particular tonnage will have a different mass depending on whether it's full of grain or iron. Entries in either parameter need to specifically identify the units in which they are being measured, such as long tons, metric tons or tonnes (unacceptable in articles using American English, use metric tons) or gross register tons or whatever. If possible, use templates such as {{Template|GT}}, {{Template|NetT}} and {{Template|DWT}}.

==== Alternative spellings ====

Some fields provide alternative spellings and should never both be filled in:

# "Ship honors" and "Ship honours"
# "Ship draft" and "Ship draught"
# "Ship armor" and "Ship armour"