What's in a name?

EdGrune wrote:

The US Navy had ships named for such concepts;  Fury,  Tenacity, Dauntless, Courage,  Ready,  Restless.   They were former Royal Navy Flower-class corvettes (reverse Lend-Lease) with names such as Larkspur,  Candytuft, Periwinkle, Pansy ... My guess is that they were trying to change their image

NOTE: The Victoria Cross could be awarded to anyone regardless of political affiliation.

The US Navy had ships named for such concepts;  Fury,  Tenacity, Dauntless, Courage,  Ready,  Restless.  

They were former Royal Navy Flower-class corvettes (reverse Lend-Lease) with names such as Larkspur,  Candytuft, Periwinkle, Pansy ...

My guess is that they were trying to change their image

Phil_H wrote:

subfixer wrote: The Royal Navy has the best names for their ships by far. I mean names like Courageous, Audacity and my favorite: Indefatigable. I dare the US Navy to come up with a name like that one! It just rolls off the tongue like a load of boulders. How about USS Bon Homme Richard? Anyone know the story behind this one?

John Paul Jones first ship (a frigate), formerly Duc de Duras  during her days as an Indianman merchant ship.

"Jones renamed her Bon Homme Richard- usually rendered in more correct French as Bonhomme Richard, to honor Benjamin Franklin, the American Commissioner at Paris whose almanac, Poor Richard's Almanac had been published in France under the title Les Maximes du Bonhomme Richard."

subfixer wrote:

The Royal Navy has the best names for their ships by far. I mean names like Courageous, Audacity and my favorite: Indefatigable. I dare the US Navy to come up with a name like that one! It just rolls off the tongue like a load of boulders.

I like the idea of naming ships after concepts, ideas and principals better than Senators...

NOTE: The term Senator, initself, is politically neutral, as the Senator(s) in question could be from any political standing or point of view.  

subfixer wrote:

The Royal Navy has the best names for their ships by far. I mean names like Courageous, Audacity and my favorite: Indefatigable. I dare the US Navy to come up with a name like that one! It just rolls off the tongue like a load of boulders.

We could beat that, just need to name a ship the USS Chuck Norris

(sorry meant ship, that was a typo!)

subfixer wrote:

The Royal Navy has the best names for their ships by far. I mean names like Courageous, Audacity and my favorite: Indefatigable. I dare the US Navy to come up with a name like that one! It just rolls off the tongue like a load of boulders.

How about USS Bon Homme Richard? Anyone know the story behind this one?

The Royal Navy has the best names for their ships by far. I mean names like Courageous, Audacity and my favorite: Indefatigable. I dare the US Navy to come up with a name like that one! It just rolls off the tongue like a load of boulders.

Remember too that there is a Trident sub named for Senator Henry M "Scoop" Jackson.  Scoop Jackson of Washington State was a strong friend of defense. 

He died soon after the Korean Airliner shoot-down (1983)  He was honored with the Trident sub.   I thing Rhode Island is the name which is burned into her keel.   Rhode Island did get one of the last Tridents. 

And also because nuclear cruisers (originally designated guided missile destroyer leaders) were being named after states in lieu of cities. The Los Angeles class SSN took up that mantle (with the exception of the USS Rickover) until the new Trident boomers took over the state names. Then came the new Virginia class SSN and it has changed again.

The USS Triton wasn't named for a fish either, although she was an early nuke back in the day of fish named nukes. Is anyone keeping score? There have been a slew of submarines named for all kinds of things since the nuclear navy came into being. And not just submarines. What a mess!

Yankee Clipper wrote:

Don't forget the story about Admiral Rickover and his testimony on Capital Hill before a congressional committee. When asked by a congressman, "Admiral Rickover, I have notice recently that the Navy has started to name its submarines after cities rather than the custom of naming them after species of fish. Why is that sir? Rickover and only as Rickover was, moved forward to the microphone and said, "Because fish don't vote". "I have no further questions for the Admiral, Mr. Chairman".

LOL !!!  Good story. 

And for the posting police, I feel that was a politically neutral story...the "voters" Rickover was referring to could be from any party...

warshipguy wrote:

I also missed any political reference.  I thought we were discussing the lack of any naming system in the USN. Bill Morrison

It's not that there isn't "any" naming system, it's just that the system is followed so loosely.

I also missed any political reference.  I thought we were discussing the lack of any naming system in the USN.

Bill Morrison

Manny and others,

It has nothing to do with lack of fun or people needing to grow thicker skin. Our guidelines clearly state politics should be left off the Forum. There are plenty of places on the Web where those discussions are welcome. The primary role of this site is to encourage modeling among all members. If by a choice of words or a joke another modeler is discouraged and leaves the Forum the poster has ruined the experience for that person, and taken a potential resource out of the loop. I love and relish political discussions as much as anyone, but there is a time and a place for it AND THIS IS NOT IT.

Regards,

nah, was not me, my skin is thick enough except on my right tigh where I dropped my Xcto blade last night. That sucker went in deep.

Cool story about the Nimitz though, few post above.

I remember couple years ago some people complaining on the sinking of the USS America CV-66 after being target practice, due to its "namesake". There is a grassroots movement to name carrier CVN 78 "America" (and you can insert here the appropriate "better than name it for so and so" comment ;)

http://www.cvn78.com/page26/page26.html

It was my fualt Manny. I made a crack at a former, impeached President. That started the whole "thing". You probably blinked and that is why you missed it.

Attention All Hands, The Fun Lamp Is Out Until Further Notice... 

Ok, I'm done. I have a Big Ol' Bismarck to tackle. 

JMart wrote:

SSN 21     SSN 21     SEAWOLF  SSN 21     SSN 22     CONNECTICUT  SSN 21     SSN 23     JIMMY CARTER yep, no sense at all... reminds me, the oil company in which Condolezza Rice used to work several years ago wanted to name a tanker in her honor. The company decided such an obvious name tag could make the ship more of a target, if I recall the details properly, and decided against the idea. Wonder if such a variable is taken into consideration when naming warships... would a USS America be more of a target than the USS Cole? probably not...

Who was it that was complaining about keeping politics out this thread?  ;)

Unfortunately, I see it as an unintended consequence of naming ships after contemporary political figures, especially living ones.  Reminds me of the scene from The Final Countdown when the fictious 40's Senator Chapman (Charles Durning) becomes indignant when he finds out he is on the USS Nimitz and thinks that Admiral Nimitz has named the ship after himself... :)

Mark

SSN 21     SSN 21     SEAWOLF 
SSN 21     SSN 22     CONNECTICUT 
SSN 21     SSN 23     JIMMY CARTER

yep, no sense at all... reminds me, the oil company in which Condolezza Rice used to work several years ago wanted to name a tanker in her honor. The company decided such an obvious name tag could make the ship more of a target, if I recall the details properly, and decided against the idea. Wonder if such a variable is taken into consideration when naming warships... would a USS America be more of a target than the USS Cole? probably not...

As a retired submariner, I remember when SSN's were named after fish and SSBN's were named after famous Americans. Then, with the advent of the 688's and the 726's, SSN's became named after U.S. cities and SSBN's named after states (USS Los Angeles and USS Ohio began this trend).  Then, with the new SSN 21 Seawolf, followed by the USS Jimmy Carter, and the newer class of SSN (The Virginia class), it seems that the naming system for the US Submarine Service is as chaotic as that of the carrier navy.  So much for elitism!

Bill Morrison

and some of the old post WW2 oilers, like the Cimarron class were named for rivers (ie Platte).

But the best "fit" between the name and the ship are the current USN Hospital ships: Mercy and Comfort, very fitting names!

all the names here

http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/s_type.htm

Kelly Shaw wrote:

Hi Guys, Please keep politics out of this discussion. Kelly, FSM

Aww... and I was about to say we should get Poland to name one of their infamous screen door submarines after our current president.

Honestly I find it alittle strange that we name our ships.  It just seems wierd that we do it.  I mean, give real names to them.  I could see things like the Enterprise, or the Dauntless.  But I also think there are enough names out there that we should have to repeat.

Hi Guys,

Please keep politics out of this discussion.

Kelly, FSM

JMart wrote:

EdGrune wrote:  JMart wrote: And to drag this back on topic..what about the USS Princeton, named for the University? (CVL-23 lost in Leyte Gulf, also the name of a modern cruiser). Cant recall how that happened, I know at the Princeton chappel they have one of the flags from the ship, but cant remember much, been almost 25 years! Battle of Princeton,  Revolutionary War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Princeton Ah! Mythology lives... we got the myth so ingrained in our brains while at college that I blanked out on the RevWar battle... lol..and who says propaganda does not work? ;)

EdGrune wrote:

JMart wrote: And to drag this back on topic..what about the USS Princeton, named for the University? (CVL-23 lost in Leyte Gulf, also the name of a modern cruiser). Cant recall how that happened, I know at the Princeton chappel they have one of the flags from the ship, but cant remember much, been almost 25 years! Battle of Princeton,  Revolutionary War http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Princeton

Ah! Mythology lives... we got the myth so ingrained in our brains while at college that I blanked out on the RevWar battle... lol..and who says propaganda does not work? ;)

JMart wrote:

And to drag this back on topic..what about the USS Princeton, named for the University? (CVL-23 lost in Leyte Gulf, also the name of a modern cruiser). Cant recall how that happened, I know at the Princeton chappel they have one of the flags from the ship, but cant remember much, been almost 25 years!

Battle of Princeton,  Revolutionary War

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Princeton