How we name our US Navy ships

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tlawler

tlawler

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Has anyone ever figured out the conventions for the naming of Navy ships? I’ve been studying it for almost 50 years and other than the obvious strings of names (Aircraft Carriers-Presidents; Ohio class boomers and capital battleships-states; fast attack sinkers and cruisers-major cities, etc.), I am utterly befuddled by how some are named.

Some examples are:

After naming the last several Aircraft Carriers after US Presidents, why is the next one being named after a Mess Specialist 2nd Class who was awarded the Navy Cross for valorous action during the attack on Pearl Harbor? (USS Doris Miller)

Why does LBJ only get a Zumwalt Class DDG named after him?

Why did Medal of Honor recipients and Delta Operators Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon only have renamed USNS supply ships named after them?

Why did Adm. Raymond Spruance have an entire class of Frigates named after him when Bull Halsey only got one ship? I know the lead ship always carries the Class designation, but I think Halsey should have had a Halsey Class of ship named after him. On the same note, why did Chester Nimitz get the first Super Carrier named after him?

Why aren’t ships names retired after a catastrophic event where there has been a very high loss of Sailors, out of respect. Here, I’m referring to the USS Indianapolis sinking during transit back from Tinian during WWII. Since then, the Fast Attack sub USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) and Littoral Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) have been named after her.

There’s many more examples, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I just wanted to start a discussion and get everyone thoughts and ideas on the matter. Thanks.
 
The only reason I see to retire a ship's name is if the loss is due to some major screwup. The Thresher is a good example, along with HMS Thetis, later raised and renamed HMS Thunderbolt. There has never been another HMS Victoria after the naval disaster off Tripoli, Lebanon, instigated by Admiral Tryon. Tryon is unlikely to ever have a ship named after him, and rightly so.

A ship being lost in action is just what happens in war, regardless of the number of casualties. Yes, I am a bit of a hardacre on the subject.

As for Spruance and Halsey and who was the better admiral, I believe the debate still rages. LBJ only getting a DDG named for him? He is lucky his name doesn't appear on a blue room in Thule for the way he and McNamara handled the military during Vietnam.
 
Prior to WW II, it used to be simple. Battleships were named after states. Cruisers were named after cities. Aircraft carriers were named after famous Navy ships (Hornet, Wasp, Intrepid) or important battles (Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown). Destroyers and destroyer escorts were named after deceased naval heroes. Submarines were named after aquatic animals. Most interestingly, ammunition ships were named after volcanoes.:oops:

It's all gone sideways since the end of the war, seemingly with no hard-and-fast rules about ship naming. I gave up trying to understand it long ago.
 
Here - Many Middle Schools are named for Presidents.
My Kids went to Eisenhower.
LBJ, Hoover, Carter, Truman and a bunch more.
Then there’s Hubert Humphrey. Tilt?
Nay, Nay!
It’s an Elementary School!
Back to them Ships.
My Army Buddy Milt’s Son graduated from Texas Tech.
So naturally, he went Navy. Nothing says navy quite like Texas Tech.
Down the road aways, he was assigned to a not yet even completed supply- replenishment ship.
When I heard the name of this new vessel. I yelled something like is the Navy completely out of ship names?
USS Supply. Really?
In War Two my Dad was on the Transport, the Gen. McRay.
 
Spruance was a great Destroyer Squadron Commander, perhaps the greatest ever! The first ship built in a class has a name given, then all ships in that class are known by that name.

Nimitz is a ship and a class of Aircraft Carrier. AS for the "Presidential" Aircraft Carriers, I know there are more than one design.
[As an aside, in WWII, we had 3 types of aircraft carriers Fleet, Attack, & Escort. In those 3 rolls there were 50 (or more) ships, but total number of designs is a mystery to me, as they added new features to every ship they produced!] We now have small countries made of steel, some fly all aircraft, some are more specialized and "Fly" Helicopters and Hovercraft.

As long as we go to WAR in, over, and under water, we will need ships to do it. The more ways we do that kind of war, the more ways we need to build ships.

Ivan
 
tlawler said:
Has anyone ever figured out the conventions for the naming of Navy ships? I’ve been studying it for almost 50 years and other than the obvious strings of names (Aircraft Carriers-Presidents; Ohio class boomers and capital battleships-states; fast attack sinkers and cruisers-major cities, etc.), I am utterly befuddled by how some are named.

Some examples are:

After naming the last several Aircraft Carriers after US Presidents, why is the next one being named after a Mess Specialist 2nd Class who was awarded the Navy Cross for valorous action during the attack on Pearl Harbor? (USS Doris Miller)

Why does LBJ only get a Zumwalt Class DDG named after him?

Why did Medal of Honor recipients and Delta Operators Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon only have renamed USNS supply ships named after them?

Why did Adm. Raymond Spruance have an entire class of Frigates named after him when Bull Halsey only got one ship? I know the lead ship always carries the Class designation, but I think Halsey should have had a Halsey Class of ship named after him. On the same note, why did Chester Nimitz get the first Super Carrier named after him?

Why aren’t ships names retired after a catastrophic event where there has been a very high loss of Sailors, out of respect. Here, I’m referring to the USS Indianapolis sinking during transit back from Tinian during WWII. Since then, the Fast Attack sub USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) and Littoral Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) have been named after her.

There’s many more examples, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I just wanted to start a discussion and get everyone thoughts and ideas on the matter. Thanks.
Click to expand...

I would love to answer some of your questions with legitimate answers but politics is a forbidden topic on this forum.
 
Puller said:
I would love to answer some of your questions with legitimate answers but politics is a forbidden topic on this forum.
Click to expand...
Interesting that you mention that. Also a thought that I had, but not broached for that same rule.

I will concede one idea that I had. It involves the ceremony where the fathers of Shughart and Gordon did an about face and refused shake Clinton’s hand. I could see where Clinton would have taken that very personally and blocked any greater honor to the two heroes than renaming supply ships after them, USNS Shughart (former MV Laura Maersk) and USNS Gordon (former MV Jutlandia).

To me, it’s a travesty and an abomination to trivialize the sacrifice of these two heroes so blatantly.
 
tlawler said:
Has anyone ever figured out the conventions for the naming of Navy ships? I’ve been studying it for almost 50 years and other than the obvious strings of names (Aircraft Carriers-Presidents; Ohio class boomers and capital battleships-states; fast attack sinkers and cruisers-major cities, etc.), I am utterly befuddled by how some are named.

Some examples are:

After naming the last several Aircraft Carriers after US Presidents, why is the next one being named after a Mess Specialist 2nd Class who was awarded the Navy Cross for valorous action during the attack on Pearl Harbor? (USS Doris Miller)

Why does LBJ only get a Zumwalt Class DDG named after him?

Why did Medal of Honor recipients and Delta Operators Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon only have renamed USNS supply ships named after them?

Why did Adm. Raymond Spruance have an entire class of Frigates named after him when Bull Halsey only got one ship? I know the lead ship always carries the Class designation, but I think Halsey should have had a Halsey Class of ship named after him. On the same note, why did Chester Nimitz get the first Super Carrier named after him?

Why aren’t ships names retired after a catastrophic event where there has been a very high loss of Sailors, out of respect. Here, I’m referring to the USS Indianapolis sinking during transit back from Tinian during WWII. Since then, the Fast Attack sub USS Indianapolis (SSN 697) and Littoral Ship USS Indianapolis (LCS 17) have been named after her.

There’s many more examples, those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I just wanted to start a discussion and get everyone thoughts and ideas on the matter. Thanks.
Click to expand...
The Indie was not transiting back from Tinian, it was moving forward to the Philippines. Tinian was a stop enroute.
 
Its always irritated me that any USNS was named after a politician.
At least semi modern politicians.

As for Slick, I forgot what they call those things you pull up along side and pump CHT into.
A class of those would be most fitting.
 
The rounded end of the ship has some resemblance to the rear end of a horse.
Politicians and the rear of a horse have some similarity.
A politicians name on the round end of ship seems appropriate.

Quoting: Its always irritated me that any USNS was named after a politician.

Bekeart - Resident Cynic
 
Last edited:
Doris Miller went down on the USS LIscome Bay when it was torpedoed off Tarawa. His heroic performance at Pearl Harbor received wide publicity and was seen as way to rally the black population in 1941.
Spruance did not receive his 5th star because the number of Fleet Admirals was limited to 4.
Then there's the matter of renaming ships. The largest US Navy ship lost in WWI was the USS San Diego. It was originally the USS California, launched in 1904 and designated an armored cruiser, renamed when the dreadnaught battleship California was built. The USS Texas (1892) was our first battleship, renamed the San Marcos in 1911 to free the name for the USS Texas we know.
 
When I was a little kid my grandfather taught me how Navy ships were named in the old days, having spent 41 years building and maintaining them at the Philly Navy Yard. He wouldn’t think much of the Navy’s current naming conventions.

I firmly believe we should have never started naming ships, especially capital ships, for politicians. If you must name a ship for someone whose claim to fame was holding elective office then name a destroyer or frigate for them. Oh, and wait until they’re dead. Carriers would just sound more impressive named for battles and legendary Navy ships.

Another opinion, the Nimitz class should have been the Halsey class. No offense to Admiral Nimitz, but if you are going to name an entire class of aircraft carriers after an admiral, they should be a brown shoe admiral not a black shoe admiral. I’d have also accepted the Mitscher class.
 
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