embarked or embarked on the ship

[Sammy Sam]

Which of the following statement is grammatical and natural?

He embarked the ship last Thursday.
He embarked on the ship last Thursday.

I would like a native English speaker to answer my question especially Jutfrank. I really admire his answers because he explains everything very technically.
(Request faded. All members are free to respond to all questions if they feel they can help. Moderator.)

 

[jutfrank]

There are several points to make about this.

1) Only the second is grammatically correct. We don't normally use 'embark' transitively.

2) You should understand that the verb 'embark' means 'get on a ship', so to follow the verb with 'on a ship' is really quite unnecessary. You don't have to follow with anything:

Passengers should be ready to embark in half an hour.

3) If you want to use 'ship' as a direct object, the best verbs to use are 'get on' and 'board':

After bidding farewell to their loved ones, the passengers excitedly boarded the ship, ready for their unforgettable journey.

4) The verb 'embark' is collocated with the following on-phrases:

embark on a journey
embark on a new career
embark on a mission
embark on a project
embark on an adventure

 

[emsr2d2]

Note that in the examples at point 4 in jutfrank's response, many people would use "embark upon".

 

[Sammy Sam]

There are several points to make about this.

1) Only the second is grammatically correct. We don't normally use 'embark' transitively.

2) You should understand that the verb 'embark' means 'get on a ship', so to follow the verb with 'on a ship' is really quite unnecessary. You don't have to follow with anything:

Passengers should be ready to embark in half an hour.

3) If you want to use 'ship' as a direct object, the best verbs to use are 'get on' and 'board':

After bidding farewell to their loved ones, the passengers excitedly boarded the ship, ready for their unforgettable journey.

4) The verb 'embark' is collocated with the following on-phrases:

embark on a journey
embark on a new career
embark on a mission
embark on a project
embark on an adventure

Very descriptive, hats off. I think according to your description you wanted to say only the first is grammatically correct. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Sammy Sam]

Note that in the examples at point 4 in jutfrank's response, many people would use "embark upon".

Yes because "on" and "upon" are interchangeable.

 

[5jj]

I think according to your description you wanted to say only the first is grammatically correct. Correct me if I am wrong.

You are wrong. Read jutfranks's words again.

 

[5jj]

Yes because "on" and "upon" are interchangeable.

In those sentences. Not in others.