 Distinguishing between a strict and loose sense of ‘identical’ yields the following solution in the case of Theseus' Ship. Let Original be the original ship, Replacement be the ship that results from replacing Original's original planks, and Reassembly the one that results from their reassembly. In that case, deploying the distinction between a strict and loose sense of identity, we can say this. Reassembly is strictly identical with Original, but Replacement is only loosely identical with Original. A conflict with transitivity of identity is avoided for the following reason. It follows by transitivity from Replacement being identical with Original, and Original being identical with Reassembly, that Replacement is identical with Reassembly only if a single relation of identity is involved.