Balao is it Bal-hay-oh or Balhow?

[perisher]

Help a poor Limey, just how do you pronounce Balao? I have actually been aboard one, USS Lionfish, but there was no one there to ask

[AirborneTD]

I pronounce it "Baa Lay O".

[WilhelmSchulz.]

Gato Gay-toe
Balao Ba-lay-o

[boatfull]

I pronounce it Ba-La-oh.:D

Like Laos is La-Ohs not Lay-ohs

[skullman86]

I pronounce it Ba-La-oh.:D

Like Laos is La-Ohs not Lay-ohs


I pronounce it the same way....I always thought that the spelling made it pretty straight forward :P, then again I have never heard anybody actually say it so who knows.

ba la oh
ga toe

[perisher]

Thanks everyone.

With my Royal Naval background I can't pronounce anything right. In the RN, with its strange sense of humour, HMS Penelope is jokingly pronounced Penny-lope, while HMS Antelope is pronounced Ant-el-o-pee.

[-Pv-]

Yup. I had a lot of fun with vitamin and jaguar when I visited east of the pond.
-Pv-

[perisher]

Yup. I had a lot of fun with vitamin and jaguar when I visited east of the pond.
-Pv-

Don't mention aluminium. :o)

[John Channing]

HMS Superb = HMS Super Bee

JCC

[NonWonderDog]

Gato is Spanish for cat, as in catfish, so I pronounce it that way. GAH-toe.

Balão is Portuguese for balloon (although I have no idea what that has to do with the halfbeak the sub is named after), but the Portuguese pronuncation of ã sounds really funny. I compromise with bah-LAHH-oh. :)

I don't know how the sub captains said it.

[Tobowsi]

Speaking of the halfbeak the sub is named after, here's another pronunciation possibility to throw in the works.

ba·lao uh[/I]-[B]lou]
–noun, plural -laos. a halfbeak, Hemiramphus balao, of tropical western Atlantic seas.

From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/balao

So "buh-lou"? Shrug.

[Hylander_1314]

Dad being an ex-submariner, and his CO a WWII vet, said that Gato was pronounced Gah-toe, and the Balao was pronounced Bu-lay-o. That's what I was told, anyways.

[Cakewalk]

Gah-Toe and Bah-Low for me.

*shrug*

[ccruner13]

Speaking of the halfbeak the sub is named after, here's another pronunciation possibility to throw in the works.

ba·lao uh[/I]-[B]lou]
–noun, plural -laos. a halfbeak, Hemiramphus balao, of tropical western Atlantic seas.

From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/balao

So "buh-lou"? Shrug.

like the jungle book or tailspin?

[Crosseye76]

I pronounce it "Baa Lay O".


This is how I've always heard it too.

Be sure and check out the "Subsessed" mockumentary. IIRC, that's how he says it also.

[Siegfried von Funk]

Feh. Just call it a pig boat. A rust-bucket. Home. Or trade down to a porpoise class.

SS-174 USS Shark (If W@W Pacific gets going...)

[mrbassbone]

Gato is Spanish for cat, as in catfish, so I pronounce it that way. GAH-toe.

Balão is Portuguese for balloon (although I have no idea what that has to do with the halfbeak the sub is named after), but the Portuguese pronuncation of ã sounds really funny. I compromise with bah-LAHH-oh. :)

I don't know how the sub captains said it.


That "might" be true but the correct way to pronounce it according to actual crew members is "GAY-TOE" a la "Kato" in Green Hornet.

Another that is confusing to some is USS BASHAW pronounced BAY-SHAW.

USS BOWFIN is BOW as in bow and arrow and not bow as in bow-wow.

[John Channing]

A Balao, also known as the Ballyhoo is a small bait fish found in Gulf waters, used for catching Dolphin (no, not Flipper, the other Dolphin). Similar to a needlefish. It's pronounced Buh-Lou

But I use Bah-LAY-oh, because I'm the Captain, and what I say, goes!

JCC