Schoonerbum - Nifty idea. I wasn't actually thinking of Mahan; whether one considers him a professional historian or not is, I guess, a matter of opinion. To my knowledge he never worked in an academic institution (other than the Naval War College), but it certainly could be argued that his literary output qualifies him for the title.
The one I was thinking of was George Bancroft. Several warships have been named after him, beginning with the "training gunboat" that was operated for some years by the Naval Academy (and later transferred to the Revenue Cutter Service). The other Bancrofts were destroyers.
He got ships named after him because of his service as Secretary of the Navy; he's often credited with the founding of the Naval Academy in the 1840s. One reason he was so interested in higher education was that prior to going into politics he was a professor of history (at Yale, I believe). The Bancroft textbook on American history was standard reading in college courses around the country for many years.
About the only vessel that could appropriately be named "Tilley" would, I think, be a garbage scow. But thanks for the thought.
Youth, talent, hard work, and enthusiasm are no match for old age and treachery.