The term 'Gilbert and Sullivan Ship' refers to the HMS PINAFORE, a comic opera written by the famous Victorian-era duo of William Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan. The HMS PINAFORE is a lighthearted story about a captain's daughter who falls in love with a common sailor, and the ensuing chaos that ensues. It was first performed in 1878 and has since become one of the most popular works of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta canon.