[Slater]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6997754/

Wish the US Navy would try to standardize their ship naming system.

[Scott Cunningham]

I just wish they hadn't named it after Jimmy Carter.

[Bulldog76]

I wish they hadn't named it after Carter either. However, I say make lemonade from lemons. Let's see a big rabid rabbit painted on the conning tower!

[Ivanhoe]

Coastal navigation is going to be a bitch in a sub that only turns left. ;)

[Ken Estes]

I think the major problem comes from naming ships [and public buildings] after living persons, especially politicos. It starts with Nimitz and Reagan carriers, subs for congessmen and Rickover. So now we have to have a Carter and Bush I ship, and on it goes. Subs=Fish, CVs=historic fighting ships, BB or SSBN=states, DD for persons, etc. What was so tough about the old way? Perhaps USN=Whores of Capitol Hill?

Cheers, Ken=Curmudgeon

This post has been edited by Ken Estes: 19 February 2005 - 2218 PM

[R011]

Scott Cunningham, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 0223, said:

I just wish they hadn't named it after Jimmy Carter.

I was reading a discussion about this on another board.

According to Stuart Slade, it seems it was all part of the wrangling when the Republican Congress wanted to name CVN-75 after Ronald Reagan, so the Democrats wanted CVN -76 to be named after Jimmy Carter. The compromise aparently was that CVN-75 was named for Harry S. Truman, and CVN-76 ended up being Reagan's.

The Navy, in order to keep Carter's name from being attached to CVN -77, gave it to the new Seawolf class sub, SSN-23 which fortuitously was in need of a name. This made sense seeing as the naming conventions for subs was all over the place at the moment anyway, Carter was a submariner, and, as the Jimmy Carter, is a special ops sub, it will never, ever , be in the news, thus keeping the Carter name from some ships that people might actually hear about or see.

[TomasCTT]

R011, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 1235, said:

as the Jimmy Carter, is a special ops sub, it will never, ever , be in the news, thus keeping the Carter name from some ships that people might actually hear about or see.

Unless, of course, Time or Newsweek doesn't make an "insider special report" of the Jimmy Carter used as a platform for a SEAL team to infiltrate in NoKor or Iran... <_<

[Scott Cunningham]

Just being a president shouldn't be a qualification. You should have to be a good president. Carter wasn't. While a nice guy, he was the worst president since the 1930's. He was awful. There should be no obligation to name a major warship after a failed politician and peanut farmer.

[Scott Cunningham]

And I'll agree on the naming convention. Carriers should have names that are somewhat inspiring. Enterprise, Yorktown, Saratoga, Hornet, Wasp, Lexington, Intrepid, etc...... Those were cool names. Who the hell would be willing to get excited about a ship called the "Stennis". Hell I still don't know who Stennis was, and have no idea why they name a ship after him.

Its all navy ass kissing. They want to reward the clowns who write the checks. Its like a bowling team that gets its shirts from "Vegas Adult Superstore". I suppose its the only form of corporate sponsorship they are allowed.

[Rubberneck]

Stennis was a senator from Mississippi IIRC. Big time Navy supporter in the 70's and 80's.

Imagine if the Air Force and Army did the same thing with their major procurement items in terms of naming?

Could be a fun excercise placing names with these programs.

[R011]

Scott Cunningham, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 1441, said:

And I'll agree on the naming convention. Carriers should have names that are somewhat inspiring. Enterprise, Yorktown, Saratoga, Hornet, Wasp, Lexington, Intrepid, etc......  Those were cool names. Who the hell would be willing to get excited about a ship called the "Stennis". Hell I still don't know who Stennis was, and have no idea why they name a ship after him.

Its all navy ass kissing. They want to reward the clowns who write the checks. Its like a bowling team that gets its shirts from "Vegas Adult Superstore". I suppose its the only form of corporate sponsorship they are allowed.

Exceerpted from tthe CVN-74 website:

http://www.cvn74.nav...cts/senator.htm

"Senator John C. Stennis (D-MISS)

Former U.S. Senator John C. Stennis served with eight presidents, beginning with Harry Truman in 1947 and ending with Ronald Reagan in 1988.

The senior Senator from Mississippi, he was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate for the 100th Congress. As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee from 1969 to 1980, Senator Stennis consistently supported a strong U.S. military and gained the honorary title of "the father of America's modern Navy."

[Slater]

USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

USS Connecticut (SSN-22)

USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)

Boy, talk about a motley collection of names for one ship class.

[John Nelson]

Great boat.
Not a great name for it. :rolleyes:

I attended the comissioning ceremony with Tanknet member Jeff yesterday, both of us living in the area.
See some photos I took and scans from the official program in the Free Fire Forum thread:

A Day in the Life...

Here's one of my photos:
http://img63.exs.cx/img63/3087/img1756b7lg.jpg

[swerve]

Scott Cunningham, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 1441, said:

And I'll agree on the naming convention. Carriers should have names that are somewhat inspiring. Enterprise, Yorktown, Saratoga, Hornet, Wasp, Lexington, Intrepid, etc......  Those were cool names. Who the hell would be willing to get excited about a ship called the "Stennis". Hell I still don't know who Stennis was, and have no idea why they name a ship after him.

Invincible
Illustrious
Ark Royal

Vanguard
Victorious
Vigilant
Vengeance ( SSBN - apt?)

Sovereign
Superb
Spartan
Sceptre

Trafalgar
Turbulent
Tireless
Trenchant
Triumph

Ocean
Albion
Bulwark

:D

[Chris Werb]

Rubberneck, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 1455, said:

Stennis was a senator from Mississippi IIRC.  Big time Navy supporter in the 70's and 80's.

Imagine if the Air Force and Army did the same thing with their major procurement items in terms of naming?

Could be a fun excercise placing names with these programs.

More inspiring names that could have been....

F--15 Jim Talent (Sen. Missouri)

C-130 Saxby Chamblis (Sen. Georgia)

MIM-104 Edward M. Kennedy (Sen. Massachusetts)

DDG-101 Susan M. Collins (Sen. Maine)

[sabotshooter 88]

I understand during the first mission the crew will build 2 houses in Maine for low income Democrat's....(Those making less that 500K per year) :P

[sabotshooter 88]

Mike Steele, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 1641, said:

[Warning: horriffic statements follow] Whatever his faults(legion IMHO) he did authorize the use of submarines in intelligence roles that they had not done previously. He authorized both the big wiretaps that led to what could be argued as the biggest intel coups of the cold war. This naming acknowleges and honors a bold and good decision. Well placed IMO. :o  [/Warning: horriffic statements follow]

Mike...Come back...CLEAR!!...(Electric Shock)... We're getting a pulse... :rolleyes:

This post has been edited by sabotshooter 88: 20 February 2005 - 1157 AM

[JOE BRENNAN]

Slater, on Sun 20 Feb 2005 1509, said:

USS Seawolf (SSN-21)

USS Connecticut (SSN-22)

USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)

Boy, talk about a motley collection of names for one ship class.

Not to mention the bizarre twist of adapting SSN-21 as in "21st century SSN" as the actual hull number of the lead ship, bearing no relationship to the hull number sequence otherwise. They should be SSN-774~776, instead the first three Virginia's got those numbers.

On "inspiring" names once before the USN did that during the "dark ages". In 1869 SecNav Borie carried out a brief wholesale renaming of monitors from Indian names to hokey (sorry they are from an American perspective) RN-style mythological/literary names: USS Achilles, Gorgon, Tartar, Spitfire etc. They were mostly quickly changed back.

I like the first half 20th century USN naming conventions, and think they should be brought back (in spirit, evolutions dealing with the changes in ship types, like SSBN's named for states, can be reasonable) renaming all the violating ships immediately ("adminstrative cost" would be a bs excuse not to) but especially ships named after living politicians. That borders on inherently corrupt.

Joe