1 ... The United States Ship Naming Conventions for the U.S. Navy ... Were Established ... by Congressional Action at Least as Early as ... 1862 ... Title 13, section 1531, of the ... US Code ... enacted in that year, reads, in part ... The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule ... Sailing-Vessels of the First Class shall be Named after the States of the Union ... Those of the Second Class ... Are Named after the Rivers ... Ships of the Third Class ... Are Named After the Principal Cities and Towns ... Those of the Fourth Class are Named at the Direction of the President ... Further clarification was made by the executive order of ... President Theodore Roosevelt in 1907 ... However ... Many Decisions were made Before His Time ... For Example ... If a Destroyer is Converted to a ... MineLayer ... it Retained its Original Name in Accordance With ... traditional conventions ... Aircraft Carriers ... These were the Navy's First Carriers ... The USS Langley ... was converted from a collier, while the carriers ... The USS Lexington and ... USS Saratoga ... were ... Started as Battle Cruisers ... but these were also converted to carriers ... Due to the Washington Naval Treaty ... The USS Ranger ... was the First Purpose-Made Carrier ... Like Battle Cruisers ... the names of battles or famous U.S. Navy ships became the standard for aircraft carriers, with the exception of ... The USS Langley ... The USS Wright ... and ... The USS Kitty Hawk ... of which all were references to aviation ... 2 ... The USS Hancock ... Was Named for John Hancock ... Who was ... A Founding Father ... The USS Franklin D. Roosevelt ... was Named for President Franklin, D. Roosevelt ... and ... The USS Forrestal was Named for ... James Forrestal ... He ... Was the First US Secretary of Defense ... All were Named for Politicians ... The USS Independence was Named for the Concept of Independence ... 3 ... Ammunition Ships ... These ships were named either after ... Volcanoes ... or ... Words Relating to Fire and Explosions ...4 ... Battlecruisers ... Under the 1916 program ... Battlecruisers ... Received names of battles or famous U.S. Navy ships with significant overlap because several famous U.S. Navy ships ... Were Named after Revolutionary War Battles ... Battleships ... by Law ... Were Named for States ... Except for The ... USS Kearsarge ... She was named after ... A ... mountain in Merrimack County ... and an American Civil War sloop-of-war ... 5 ... Combat Stores Ships (AK, AF, and AFS) were named ... After Stars and Other ... Heavenly Bodies ...6 ... Cruisers, Both Light and Heavy (CL and CA) ... Were Named for Cities in the United States and its Territories, with the exception of ... The USS Canberra (CA-70), which is named after HMAS Canberra (D33) and Canberra, ... the capital of Australia ...This makes ... The USS Canberra the Only U.S. warship Named for a Foreign Warship and ... A Foreign Capital City ... 7 ... Cruisers ... Under the 1940 Program ... Cruisers Were Named for United States Territories ... Examples are ... Guided Missile Nuclear Powered Ships ... These are named after after the first nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser ... The USS Long Beach ... The California ... and Virginia Classes ... were named for states, with the exception of; The USS Bainbridge and The USS Truxtun ... These two Ships commissioned as frigates ... 8 ... Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts ... These ships were named for Navy and Marine Corps heroes, with the exception of ... The USS Douglas A. Munro ... This ship was named for ... Douglas Albert Munro ... He is ... The only Member of the US Coast Guard to Receive the ... Medal of Honor ... However, he was was under the command of the U.S. Navy at the time rather than the peacetime command of the Department of the Treasury ... 9 ... Destroyer Leaders ... These ships were also named after naval heroes ... and they were classified as ... Cruisers or Destroyers in 1975 ...10 ... Escort Carriers ... These were initially named after bays and sounds though many received battle names while under construction. Escort carriers that appear to be named for cities or islands, such as ... The USS Casablanca ... or ... The USS GuadalCanal ... Were actually named for battles fought within those locations ... 11 ... Fast Combat Support Ships ... These ships were named after U.S. cities ... 12 ... Fleet Tugs, and Harbor Tugs ... These ships were named after ... Native Americans Tribes ...13 ... Frigates ... These ships were previously used as ... Ocean Escorts ... They were named in honor of ... Naval Heroes ...14 ... Gunboats ... These ships are named for smaller... US Cities ... ... While ... River Gunboats ... Were Named for Islands ...15 ... Hospital Ships ... These Ships are given names related to their function, such as ... Comfort and Mercy ...16 ... Landing Ships and ... Tanks ... These were built for ... The United States Navy ... during and immediately after ... World War II ... They Were Only Given an LST-Hull Numbers ... but ... Beginning on July 1955, County or Louisiana-Parish Names Were Assigned to Those Ships that Remained in Service ...These Were Named When Launched ...17 ... Minesweepers ... These were named for ... Birds ... or Other Positive Traits Such As ... Admirability ... This Refers to Being Named After ... a Historical Statesman who is considered to be considered to be ... A Great American ... 18 ... Nuclear Ballistic Missile Submarines ... (the first forty-one boats), also called "boomers", were named after historical statesmen considered "Great Americans." 19 ... Oilers AO and AOR ... These were named for rivers with Native American names, and colliers named for mythical figures. 20 ... Submarines ... These were either given a class letter and number, as in S-class submarines, or the names of fish and marine mammals. 21 ... Aircraft Carriers ... Both with conventional and nuclear propulsion ... These ships have a history of various legacy names, mostly taken from battles, until 1968 ... With the Commissioning of USS John F. Kennedy ... Since then, carriers have been named for U.S. presidents, with the exception of ships named ... Enterprise ...22 ... The USS Nimitz ... She is the lead ship of her class, named for Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander of all U.S. and Allied naval forces in the Pacific theatre during World War II. 23 ,,, USS Carl Vinson ... This ship is named for a former Congressman, Chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee, Chairman of the successor United States House Committee on Armed Services, a strong supporter of the Navy through the Naval Act of 1938 (also called the "Vinson Acts") who became known as "The Father of the Two-Ocean Navy", 24 ... The USS John C. Stennis ... This ship is named named for a former United States Senator, President pro tempore of the Senate, Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services, and a strong supporter of the navy, who became known as ... The Father of America's Modern Navy ...25 ... The USS Doris Miller ... This ship is Named For ... the ... First Black American to be awarded ... The Navy Cross ... For His Actions ... During the Attack on Pearl Harbor. ... 26 ... Amphibious Assault Ships ... These ships are are named after early U.S. sailing ships, such as ... The USS Bonhomme Richard ...27 ... Marine Corps Battles ... Examples of theses types of ships are ... The USS Iowa ... or legacy names taken from earlier carriers from World War II, such as ... The USS Essex ... 28 ... Amphibious Command Ships ... These types of ships are named for geographical areas ... Within the USA ... Examples are mountains or mountain ranges. 29 ... Amphibious Transport Docks ... These are named after U.S. cities, with the exception of the following: 30 ... USS Mesa Verde ... Named after Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, 30 ... The USS New York ... This ship is named for the ... State of New York ...31 ... Instead of New York City ... after a special request for the name was made by ... Governor George Pataki ... To the Navy after the September 11 attacks of 2001 ...31 ... The USS Arlington ... This Ship is named for ... Arlington County, Virginia, where Flight 77 crashed into The Pentagon during the September 11 attacks of 2001 ...32 ... The USS Somerset ... This ship is named named for ... Somerset County, Pennsylvania, where Flight 93 Crashed During the September 11 attacks of 2001 ... 33 ... The USS John P. Murtha ... This ship is named for a former U.S. Marine Corps Officer, Vietnam veteran, former Congressman and chairman of the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, The USS Richard M. McCool Jr ...33 ... This Ship is Named for a World War II Naval Officer and Medal of Honor Recipient ...34 ... Auxiliary Floating Drydocks ... These Vessels are named after ... Towns Having ... Nuclear Power Generators or Nuclear Research Facilities ...35 ... Ballistic Missile Submarines and Guided Missile Submarines have Names that are Dependent on Class 36 ... Thus Far ... the Navy has only announced the names of the ... First Two Submarines ... These are ... The USS District of Columbia ... And The USS Wisconsin ... These are ... Named for The ... District of Columbia in Washington D.C ... And the State of Wisconsin ...37 ... As of March 2023, in a Report to Congress ... The Navy has Announced ... that while the class would continue to be known as the ... Columbia-Class ... there was as of yet no particular naming scheme ... Set for the Class ... But with only two state names available, a change to a different scheme is likely ... 39 ... Dock Landing Ships ... These ships are named after cities or important places in ... The U.S. and U.S. Naval History ...38 ... Dry Cargo Ships ... These ships are named for ... U.S. Explorers, Pioneers, Activists and U.S. Naval Officers ... 39 ... Expeditionary Fast Transports ... These ships are named for U.S. cities, with the exception of ... The USNS Spearhead ... She is the Lead Ship of Her Class ... The Spearhead is named after a similar ship with the same name ... The USA Spearhead ... This ship was previously in service with the US Army ... 40 ... The USNS Choctaw County ... This ship is named for 3 different counties with the same name in the states of ... Alabama, Mississippi and Oklahoma ...41 ... The USNS Puerto Rico ... She is named for an unincorporated territory of the U.S ... Located in the Caribbean ... 42 ... The Expeditionary Dock and it's Sub-Variant ... The Expeditionary Mobile Base and Transfer Dock Has Been Named for ... U.S. Marine Corps Heroes ... with the exception of ... The USNS Montford Point ... This lead ship of the class, named in honor of ... African American Marine Corps Recruits who Trained at Montford Point Camp, North Carolina, from 1942 to 1949 ...45 ... Fast attack Nuclear Powered Submarines ... names are dependent on class ...46 ... The Los Angeles Class ... This class is named after cities, with the exception of; ... The USS Hyman G. Rickover ... This sub is named for an Admiral who was a pioneer of the nuclear Navy ...43 ... The Seawolf Class ... (only 3 boats are in this class) ... The Lead boat ... The USS Seawolf ... is named for the ... Atlantic Wolffish ... and is the fourth submarine to carry the name ... 44 ... The 2nd boat is ... The USS Connecticut which is named for ... a U.S. state ... 45 ... The 3rd 3rd boat is the USS Jimmy Carter ... It is named for ... A Former U.S. President ... and ... Naval Officer ... Who Served Aboard Submarines ...