When entering text in a text field (e.g. the ship name), holding Shift causes the autorepeat timer to start, which causes the first letter to repeat quickly when pressed.
To reproduce:
[]Create a new ship[/]
[]Click in the ship name text field[/]
[]Hold the shift key for a second (as if about to start typing a capital letter)[/]
[]Press a letter key. It will repeat without any initial delay.[/]