Two words for you: Abraham Lincoln. The long answer: Consider, if the ship (which is called, for example, the Medusa) burns, we still can talk about The Medu

Two words for you: Abraham Lincoln. The long answer: Consider, if the ship (which is called, for example, the Medusa) burns, we still can talk about The Medusa as a ship using its identity. People will know what we're talking about even though the ship has been destroyed. The ship is still a ship even though its been turned to ashes; its identity is not the same as its corporeal form.