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˜—Š•ȱȇ˜ž›”Žȱ
™ŽŒ’Š•’œȱ’—ȱŠŸŠ•ȱŠ’›œȱ
Š—žŠ›¢ȱşǰȱŘŖŖşȱ
˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
ŝȬśŝŖŖȱ
   ǯŒ›œǯ˜Ÿȱ
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Pr
epared for Members and Committees of Congress

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
ž––Š›¢ȱ
Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the
Navy. Congress in recent years has proposed, and sometimes passed, legislation regarding the
naming of specific ships. This report will be updated when events warrant.


˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
˜—Ž—œȱ
Who Names Navy Ships?................................................................................................................ 1
What Is the Navy’s Process for Selecting Names?.......................................................................... 1
Are There Naming Rules for Ship Types?....................................................................................... 2
Can Ships Be Named for Living Persons? ...................................................................................... 3
What Is the Public’s Role in Naming Ships?................................................................................... 4
What Is Congress’s Role in Naming Ships?.................................................................................... 4
What Past Legislation Has There Been on the Issue? ..................................................................... 5

Š‹•Žœȱ
Table 1. Ships Named for Persons Who Were Living at the Time .................................................. 3
Table 2. Recent Enacted Provisions ................................................................................................ 5
Table 3. Examples of Proposed Bills and Amendments .................................................................. 6

˜—ŠŒœȱ
Author Contact Information ............................................................................................................ 7

˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
‘˜ȱŠ–ŽœȱŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™œǵȱ
Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the
Navy, under the direction of the President and in accordance with rules prescribed by Congress.
For most of the 19th century, U.S. law included language explicitly assigning the Secretary of the
Navy the task of naming new Navy ships.1 The reference to the Secretary of the Navy
disappeared from the U.S. Code in 1925.2 The Code today (10 USC §7292) is silent on the issue
of who has the authority to name new Navy ships,3 but the Secretary of the Navy arguably retains
implicit authority, given the location of §7292 in subtitle C of Title 10, which covers the Navy
and Marine Corps.
‘Šȱ œȱ‘ŽȱŠŸ¢Ȃœȱ›˜ŒŽœœȱ˜›ȱŽ•ŽŒ’—ȱŠ–Žœǵȱ
In discussing its name-selection process, the Navy cites the above-mentioned laws and states:
As with many other things, the procedures and practices involved in Navy ship naming are as
much, if not more, products of evolution and tradition than of legislation. As we have seen,
the names for new ships are personally decided by the Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary
can rely on many sources to help him reach his decisions. Each year, the Naval Historical
Center compiles primary and alternate ship name recommendations and forwards these to the
Chief of Naval Operations by way of the chain of command. These recommendations are the
result of research into the history of the Navy and by suggestions submitted by service
members, Navy veterans, and the public. Ship name source records at the Historical Center
reflect the wide variety of name sources that have been used in the past, particularly since
World War I. Ship name recommendations are conditioned by such factors as the name
categories for ship types now being built, as approved by the Secretary of the Navy; the
distribution of geographic names of ships of the Fleet; names borne by previous ships which

1 A law approved in 1819 (Res. of March 3, 1819, §1, 3 Stat. 538, No. 7) stated “That all of the ships of the navy of the
United States, now building, or hereafter to be built, shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of
the President of the United States” in accordance with rules specifying that ships of the first class were to be named
after states of the Union, and second and third class ships were to be named, respectively, after rivers and principal
cities and towns. A law approved in 1858 (Act of June 12, 1858, c. 153, §5, 11 Stat. 319) provided a similar rule for
“steamships of the navy ... ,”except that third-class vessels (those with fewer than twenty guns) were to be named by
the Secretary of the Navy as the President may direct, taking care that no two vessels in the Navy shall bear the same
name.” Section 1531 of the Revised Statutes of 1873-1874, citing the 1819 and 1858 laws, states: “The vessels of the
Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President ... ” in accordance with rules
similar to those above, varying slightly depending on whether the vessel was a sailing ship or a steamship. In 1898,
Congress passed a law (Act of May 4, 1898, c. 234, 30 Stat. 390 [appropriations for the naval services]) prescribing
rules for the naming of “first-class battle ships and monitors,” which specified that these were to be named after States
and “shall not be named for any city, place, or persons until the names of the States, shall have been exhausted.” The
provision did not explicitly state whose duty it would be to assign names to vessels. Congress repealed this provision in
1908 as it pertained to monitors, permitting those vessels to be named “as the President may direct.” (Act of May 13,
1908, c. 166, 35 Stat. 159.)
2 The reference to the Secretary of the Navy found in §1531 of the Revised Statutes of 1873-1874 (see previous
footnote) is absent from the U.S. Code of 1925, which covers Navy vessel names in Title 34, §461-463.
3 34 USC §461-463 of the 1925 U.S. Code (see previous footnote) were later recodified as 10 USC §7292. 10 USC
§7292 provides that battleships are to be “named for a State. However, if the names of all the States are in use, a
battleship may be named for a city, place, or person.” It specifically authorizes the Secretary of the Navy to “change the
name of any vessel bought for the Navy,” §7292(c), but does not explicitly assign responsibility for ensuring that no
two vessels have the same name, §7292(a), or for naming battleships, §7292(b).
˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
ŗȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
distinguished themselves in service; names recommended by individuals and groups; and
names of naval leaders, national figures, and deceased members of the Navy and Marine
Corps who have been honored for heroism in war or for extraordinary achievement in peace.
In its final form, after consideration at the various levels of command, the Chief of Naval
Operations signs the memorandum recommending names for the current year’s building
program and sends it to the Secretary of the Navy. The Secretary considers these
nominations, along with others he receives as well as his own thoughts in this matter. At
appropriate times, he selects names for specific ships and announces them.
While there is no set time for assigning a name, it is customarily done before the ship is
christened.4
›Žȱ‘Ž›ŽȱŠ–’—ȱž•Žœȱ˜›ȱ‘’™ȱ¢™Žœǵȱ
Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time.
Attack submarines, for example, were once named for fish, then later for cities, and most recently
for states, while cruisers were once named for cities, then later for states, and most recently for
battles. The Navy states that while it “has attempted to be systematic in naming its ships, like all
institutions it has been subject to evolutionary change, and the name sources of the Navy’s ships
have not been immune to this change.”5
There have been exceptions to the Navy’s ship-naming rules, particularly for the purpose of
naming a ship for a person when the rule for that type of ship would have called for it to be
named for something else.6 Some observers in recent years have perceived a breakdown in, or
corruption of, the rules for naming Navy ships.7 For example, the three-ship Seawolf (SSN-21)
class of attack submarines—Seawolf (SSN-21), Connecticut (SSN-22), and Jimmy Carter (SSN-
23)—were named for a fish, a state, and a president, respectively, reflecting no apparent rule. For
ship types now being procured for the Navy, current naming practices can be summarized as
follows:
• The 10 most recently named aircraft carriers have been named for U.S.
presidents (8 ships) and Members of Congress (2 ships).
Virginia (SSN-774) class attack submarines are being named for states. An
exception occurred on January 8, 2009, when the Secretary of the Navy
announced that SSN-785, the 12th ship in the class, would be named for former
Virginia Senator John Warner. Warner served as a sailor in World War II, as a
Marine in the Korean War, as Under Secretary of the Navy in 1969-1972, and as

4 Naval Historical Center, “Ship Naming in the United States Navy,” available online at
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq63-1.htm.
5 Ibid.
6 Ohio (SSBN-726) class ballistic missile submarines, for example, were named for states, but one (SSBN-730) was
named for Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson of Washington, who died in office in 1983. Los Angeles (SSN-688) class
attack submarines were named for cities, but one (SSN-709) was named for Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the longtime
director of the Navy’s nuclear propulsion program. Ticonderoga (CG-47) class cruisers were named for battles, but one
(CG-51) was named for Thomas S. Gates, a former Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of Defense.
7 See, for example, Donald R. Bouchoux, “The Name Game,” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, March 2000: 110-111,
and Norman Polmar, The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, 18th edition. Annapolis
(MD), Naval Institute Press, 2005. p. 241.
˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
Řȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
Secretary of the Navy in 1972-1974. Warner served as a Senator from January 2,
1979, to January 3, 2009. He was a longtime member of the Senate Armed
Services Committee, and was for several years the chairman of that committee.
• The first DDG-1000 class destroyer has been named for Admiral Elmo R. “Bud”
Zumwalt, Jr., who was the Chief of Naval Operations from 1970 to 1974. On
October 29, 2008, the Navy announced that the second ship in the class would be
named for Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL (i.e., a member of the Navy’s special
operations force) who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his
heroic actions in Iraq in September 2006. These two names are consistent with
past practice of naming U.S. Navy destroyers for U.S. naval leaders and heroes.
Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) are being named for small and medium-sized
cities. The Navy has named the first two LCSs Freedom and Independence, after
multiple U.S. cities with these names.
• San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ships are being named for U.S. cities.
• The Navy announced on June 27, 2008, that the first LHA-6 class amphibious
assault ship would be named America, a name previously used for an aircraft
carrier (CV-66) that served in the Navy from 1965 to 1996. The previous eight
Wasp (LHD-1) class big deck amphibious assault ships were named for World
War II-era Navy aircraft carriers and earlier Navy ships.
• Lewis and Clark (TAKE-1) class cargo and ammunition ships are being named
for noted explorers.
Š—ȱ‘’™œȱŽȱŠ–Žȱ˜›ȱ’Ÿ’—ȱŽ›œ˜—œǵȱ
The Navy historically has only rarely named ships for living persons. As shown in Table 1, at
least 11 U.S. military ships since the 1970s have been named for persons who were living at the
time the name was announced.
Table 1. Ships Named for Persons Who Were Living at the Time
Ship type
Hull number
Ship name
Procured
In service
Aircraft carrier
CVN-70
Carl Vinson
FY1974
1982
Attack submarine
SSN-709
Hyman G. Rickover
FY1974
1984
Destroyer DDG-51
Arleigh
Burke FY1985
1991
Aircraft carrier
CVN-74
John C. Stennis
FY1988
1995
Sealift ship
TAKR-300 Bob
Hope
FY1993
1998
Aircraft carrier
CVN-76
Ronald Reagan
FY1995
2003
Destroyer DDG-94
Nitze
FY1999
2005
Attack submarine
SSN-23
Jimmy Carter
FY1996
2005
Aircraft carrier
CVN-77
George H.W. Bush
FY2001
2008
Destroyer
DDG-108
Wayne E. Meyer
FY2004
2009
Attack submarine
SSN-785
John Warner
FY2010 ~2015
Source: Compiled by CRS. SSN-23 was originally procured in FY1992. Its procurement was suspended, and
then reinstated in FY1996.
˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
řȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
‘Šȱ œȱ‘Žȱž‹•’ŒȂœȱ˜•Žȱ’—ȱŠ–’—ȱ‘’™œǵȱ
Members of the public are sometimes interested in having Navy ships named for their own states
or cities, for older U.S. Navy ships (particularly those on which they or their relatives served), for
battles in which they or their relatives participated, or for people they admire. Citizens with such
an interest sometimes contact the Navy, the Department of Defense, or Congress seeking support
for their proposals. An October 2008 news report suggested that a letter-writing campaign by
New Hampshire elementary school students that began in January 2004 was instrumental in the
Navy’s decision in August 2004 to name a Virginia-class submarine after the state.8
‘Šȱ œȱ˜—›ŽœœȂœȱ˜•Žȱ’—ȱŠ–’—ȱ‘’™œǵȱ
Congress has long maintained an interest in how Navy ships are named,9 and has influenced the
naming of certain Navy ships. For example, one source states that “[the aircraft carriers] CVN 72
and CVN 73 were named prior to their start [of construction], in part to preempt potential
congressional pressure to name one of those ships for Admiral H.G. Rickover ([instead,] the
[attack submarine] SSN 709 was named for the admiral).”10 Another example was a rivalry of
sorts in Congress between those who supported naming the aircraft carrier CVN-76 for president
Truman and those who supported naming it for president Reagan; the issue was effectively
resolved by a decision announced by President Clinton in February 1995 to name one carrier
(CVN-75) for Truman and another (CVN-76) for Reagan.11 One press report suggests that the
decision to name CVN-77 for President George H. W. Bush may have been influenced by a
congressional suggestion.12 Section 1012 of the FY2007 defense authorization act (H.R.
5122/P.L. 109-364 of October 17, 2006), expressed the sense of the Congress that the aircraft
carrier CVN-78 should be named for President Gerald R. Ford, and the Navy announced on
January 16, 2007, that CVN-78 would be so named. The Navy suggests that Congressional
offices wishing to express support for proposals to name a Navy ship for a specific person, place,
or thing contact the office of the Secretary of the Navy to make their support known. Congress
may also pass legislation relating to ship names.

8 Dean Lohmeyer, “Students Who Helped Name the Navy’s Newest Sub Tour State’s Namesake,” Navy News Service,
October 25, 2008.
9 For example, the 1819 and 1858 laws cited in footnote 1 set forth naming rules for certain kinds of ships. Today, 10
USC §7292(b) still requires that battleships (which the United States has not built since World War II) be named after
states.
10 The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet, op cit, p. 113. See also p. 70 and p. 86.
11
Patrick Pexton, “Clinton Compromise: Carriers Truman And Reagan,” Navy Times, February 13, 1995: 19. See also
“Navy Announces Aircraft Carrier To Be Named For President Truman,” Associated Press, February 2, 1995. CVN-75
had been preliminarily named the United States.
12 The article, which reported on the ship’s official naming ceremony, states: “[Senator] Warner recalled that he first
suggested naming a carrier in the senior Bush’s honor last year [i.e., in 2001], during a ceremony in Newport News to
christen the [previous] carrier Ronald Reagan.” (Dale Eisman, “Navy Names New Aircraft Carrier For Elder Bush,”
Norfolk Virginian-Pilot, December 10, 2002.)
˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
Śȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
‘ŠȱŠœȱŽ’œ•Š’˜—ȱ Šœȱ‘Ž›ŽȱŽŽ—ȱ˜—ȱ‘Žȱ œœžŽǵȱ
Table 2 shows recent enacted provisions regarding the names of Navy ships. All of these
measures expressed the sense of the Congress about how a Navy ship should be named.
Table 2. Recent Enacted Provisions
Fiscal
Public
Year
Law Bill Section
Ship
Name(s)
2007 P.L.
109-
H.R. 5122 1012
CVN-78
Gerald R. Ford
364
2001 P.L.
106-
H.R. 4205 1012 CVN-77
Lexington
398
1999 P.L.
105-
H.R. 3616 1014
an LPD-17 class ship
Clifton B. Cates
261
1996 P.L.
104-
S. 1124
1018 LHD-7
Iwo
Jima
106
1996 P.L.
104-
S. 1124
1018 LPD-17
class
Marine Corps battles or members of
106
amphibious ships
Marine Corps
1996 P.L.
104-
S. 1124
1019
an appropriate ship
Joseph Vittori
106
1991 P.L.
101-
H.R. 4739 1426
the next DDG-51
Samuel S. Stratton
510
1989 P.L.
100-
H.R. 4481 1221
the next SSBN
Melvin Price
456
1989 P.L.
100-
H.R. 4481 1222
an appropriate ship
Bob Hope
456
1989 P.L.
100-
H.J.Res.
8138
CVN-74 or CVN-75
John C. Stennis
202
395
Source: Prepared by CRS. All of these provisions expressed the sense of the Congress about how a Navy ship
should be named.
Table 3 shows examples of proposed bills and amendments regarding the names of Navy ships
going back to the 93rd Congress. Some of these measures expressed the sense of the Congress
about how a Navy ship should be named, while others would mandate a certain name for a ship.
Although few of these measures were acted on after being referred to committee, they all signaled
congressional interest in how certain ships should be named, and thus may have influenced Navy
decisions on these matters.



˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
śȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
Table 3. Examples of Proposed Bills and Amendments
[Congress] and Bill
Ship
Proposed name(s)
[109th] S. 2766
CVN-78
Gerald R. Ford
[107th] H.Con.Res. 294
a new naval vessel
Bluejacket
[106th] S.Con.Res. 84
CVN-77 Lexington
[105th] S.Amdt. 2812 to S.
LPD-17 class ship
Clifton B. Cates
2057
[104th] H.J.Res. 61
CVN-76
Ronald Reagan
[104th] H.R. 445
CVN-76
Harry Truman
[104th] S.Con.Res. 62
SSN-774 South
Dakota
[104th] S.J.Res. 17
CVN-76 Ronald
Reagan
[104th] S.Amdt. 2277 to S.
LHD-7 Iwo
Jima
1026
[104th] S.Amdt. 2277 to S.
LPD-17 class ships
famous Marine Corps battles or
1026
heroes
[104th] S.Amdt. 4350 to S.
a SSN-774 class submarine
South Dakota
1745
[103rd] H.R. 5283
an appropriate ship
Joseph Vittori
[102nd] H.Con.Res. 354
a guided missile cruiser
Pearl Harbor
[102nd] H.R. 6115
CVN-76
Harry S Truman
[100th] H.Amdt. 614 to H.R.
next SSBN-726 class submarine deployed after Melvin Price
4264
enactment
[100th] S.Amdt. 1354 to
CVN-74 or CVN-75
John C. Stennis
H.J.Res. 395
[98th] H.Res. 99
an aircraft carrier
Wasp
[97th] H.Con.Res. 312
a nonlethal naval vessela Corpus
Christia
[97th] H.Res. 174
an aircraft carrier
Wasp
[97th] H.R. 4977
CVN-72
Hyman G. Rickover
[93rd] H.Con.Res. 386
CVN-70
Carl Vinson
[93rd] H.Con.Res. 387
CVN-70
Carl Vinson
[93rd] H.J.Res. 831
CVN-70
Carl Vinson
Source: Prepared by CRS.
a. The resolution expressed the sense of Congress that the attack submarine Corpus Christi (SSN-705) be
renamed, and that a nonlethal naval vessel be named Corpus Christi.

˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
Ŝȱ

ŠŸ¢ȱ‘’™ȱŠ–ŽœDZȱŠŒ”›˜ž—ȱ˜›ȱ˜—›Žœœȱ
ȱ
ž‘˜›ȱ˜—ŠŒȱ —˜›–Š’˜—ȱ

Ronald O'Rourke

Specialist in Naval Affairs
rorourke@crs.loc.gov, 7-7610




˜—›Žœœ’˜—Š•ȱŽœŽŠ›Œ‘ȱŽ›Ÿ’ŒŽȱ
ŝȱ