Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress
Ronald O'Rourke
Specialist in Naval Affairs
September 23, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
RS22478
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

Summary
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.
Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time.
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.” 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. Some observers in recent years have
perceived a breakdown in, or corruption of, the rules for naming Navy ships.
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.
Destroyers are named for U.S. naval leaders and heroes. Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) are
being named for small and medium-sized cities. 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. Lewis and Clark (TAKE-1) class
cargo and ammunition ships
are being named for noted explorers. Joint High Speed Vessels
(JHSVs)
are being named for American traits and values.
The Navy historically has only rarely named ships for living persons. 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.
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.
Congress has long maintained an interest in how Navy ships are named, and has influenced the
naming of certain Navy ships. 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. Measures passed by Congress in recent years regarding Navy ship names
have all been sense-of-the-Congress provisions.
In the 111th Congress, H.Res. 330 expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the
Secretary of the Navy should name an appropriate Navy ship in honor of Marine Corps General
Clifton B. Cates of Tiptonville, Tennessee.

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Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

Contents
Background ................................................................................................................................ 1
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
Legislative Activity in the 111th Congress .................................................................................... 7
H.Res. 330 (regarding naming a Navy ship for Clifton B. Cates) ........................................... 7
FY2010 Defense Authorization and Appropriations Bills (H.R. 2647/S. 1390/H.R.
3326) ................................................................................................................................. 8

Tables
Table 1. Ships Named for Persons Who Were Living at the Time................................................. 4
Table 2. Recent Enacted Provisions ............................................................................................. 5
Table 3. Examples of Proposed Bills and Amendments................................................................ 6

Contacts
Author Contact Information ........................................................................................................ 8

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Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

Background
Who Names Navy Ships?
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.
What Is the Navy’s Process for Selecting Names?
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

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).
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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
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
Are There Naming Rules for Ship Types?
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 then-Secretary of the Navy Donald

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.
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Winter announced that SSN-785, the 12th ship in the class, would be named for
former Virginia Senator John Warner.8
• 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. The third and fourth ships have been
named Fort Worth and Coronado.
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.
Joint High Speed Vessels (JHSVs) are being named for American traits and
values. The ships are being procured for both the Navy and Army. On July 16,
2009, the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of the Army announced that
the first three JHSVs had been named Fortitude (JHSV-1), Vigilant (JHSV-2),
and Spearhead (JHSV-3). JHSVs 1 and 3 are for the Army; JHSV-2 is for the
Navy.9
Can Ships Be Named for Living Persons?
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.

8 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 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.
Winter’s January 8, 2009, announcement assigned a name to SSN-785 before the ship was fully funded. (The ship is
scheduled to be fully funded in the FY2010 budget.) Winter stepped down as Secretary of the Navy on March 13, 2009.
If SSN-785 had not been named for Warner, the 111th Congress might have had an opportunity to consider whether
CVN-79, the next Ford-class carrier, should be named for Warner.
9 “Navy, Army Name First Three Joint High Speed Vessels,” Navy News Service, July 16, 2009; Christopher P. Cavas,
“Independence Shows Its Moves,” Defense News, July 20, 2009: 3. JHSVs are intended for fast intra-theater
transportation of troops, vehicles, and equipment, and are being procured for the Army and Navy through the Navy’s
shipbuilding account.
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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 original y procured in FY1992. Its procurement was suspended, and
then reinstated in FY1996.
What Is the Public’s Role in Naming Ships?
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.10
What Is Congress’s Role in Naming Ships?
Congress has long maintained an interest in how Navy ships are named,11 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).”12 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

10 Dean Lohmeyer, “Students Who Helped Name the Navy’s Newest Sub Tour State’s Namesake,” Navy News Service,
October 25, 2008.
11 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.
12 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.
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(CVN-75) for Truman and another (CVN-76) for Reagan.13 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.14 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.
What Past Legislation Has There Been on the Issue?
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
Year
Public Law
Bill
Section Ship
Name(s)
2007 P.L.
109-364
H.R. 5122
1012 CVN-78
Gerald
R.
Ford
2001 P.L.
106-398
H.R. 4205
1012 CVN-77
Lexington
1999 P.L.
105-261
H.R. 3616
1014
an LPD-17 class ship
Clifton B. Cates
1996 P.L.
104-106
S. 1124
1018 LHD-7
Iwo
Jima
1996 P.L.
104-106
S. 1124
1018 LPD-17
class
Marine Corps battles or members of
amphibious ships
Marine Corps
1996 P.L.
104-106
S. 1124
1019
an appropriate ship
Joseph Vittori
1991 P.L.
101-510
H.R. 4739
1426
the next DDG-51
Samuel S. Stratton
1989 P.L.
100-456
H.R. 4481
1221
the next SSBN
Melvin Price
1989 P.L.
100-456
H.R. 4481
1222
an appropriate ship
Bob Hope
1989 P.L.
100-202
H.J.Res. 395 8138
CVN-74 or CVN-75
John C. Stennis
Source: Prepared by CRS. Al 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

13
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.
14 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.)
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congressional interest in how certain ships should be named, and thus may have influenced Navy
decisions on these matters.
Table 3. Examples of Proposed Bills and Amendments
[Congress] and Bill
Ship
Proposed name(s)
[111th] H.Res. 330
an appropriate ship
Clifton B. Cates
[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. 2057
LPD-17 class ship
Clifton B. Cates
[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. 1026
LHD-7 Iwo
Jima
[104th] S.Amdt. 2277 to S. 1026
LPD-17 class ships
famous Marine Corps battles or
heroes
[104th] S.Amdt. 4350 to S. 1745
a SSN-774 class submarine
South Dakota
[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. 4264
next SSBN-726 class submarine
Melvin Price
deployed after enactment
[100th] S.Amdt. 1354 to H.J.Res. 395
CVN-74 or CVN-75
John C. Stennis
[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.
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Legislative Activity in the 111th Congress
H.Res. 330 (regarding naming a Navy ship for Clifton B. Cates)
H.Res. 330 expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of the Navy
should name an appropriate Navy ship in honor of Marine Corps General Clifton B. Cates of
Tiptonville, Tennessee. As shown in Table 2, Section 1014 of P.L. 105-261 (the FY2009 defense
authorization act, which was signed into law on October 17, 1998) expressed the sense of
Congress that a San Antonio (LPD-17) class amphibious ship should be named for General Cates.
In the years since the enactment of this measure, the Navy has not named a ship for General
Cates. The text of H.Res. 330 states:
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of the Navy should
name an appropriate Navy ship in honor of Marine Corps General Clifton B. Cates of
Tiptonville, Tennessee.
Whereas Clifton B. Cates of Tiptonville, Tennessee served as a United States Marine during
World Wars I and II and the Korean War;
Whereas Clifton B. Cates entered the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant in 1917 at the
beginning of World War I, during which he fought in the crucial Second Battle of the Marne;
Whereas during that fight, then-Lieutenant Cates was wounded and gassed but refused to be
evacuated;
Whereas Clifton B. Cates was the most decorated Marine Corps Officer of World War I,
having been awarded the Navy Cross, Army Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf
Cluster, Silver Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart Medal with Oak Leaf
Cluster, the Legion of Honor, and the Croix de Guerre with Gilt Star and 2 palms;
Whereas during World War II, Clifton B. Cates led Marines at Guadalcanal, and the seizure
of Iwo Jima, and in recognition of his service was awarded the Legion of Merit with Combat
`V’ and the Distinguished Service Medal with a gold star;
Whereas Clifton B. Cates was one of the few officers of any branch of the United States
Armed Forces to command, under fire, a platoon, a company, a battalion, a regiment, and a
division;
Whereas Clifton B. Cates was advanced to the rank of General in 1948 and was named the
19th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps;
Whereas Clifton B. Cates served his country as a United States Marine for 37 years through
3 wars; and
Whereas members of the Clifton Cates Memorial Fund led by retired Colonel Otto Melsa
and Ed Youngblood have worked tirelessly to bring recognition to the significant
accomplishments of General Clifton B. Cates: Now, therefore, be it
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Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the Secretary of the
Navy should name an appropriate Navy ship in honor of Marine Corps General Clifton B.
Cates of Tiptonville, Tennessee.
FY2010 Defense Authorization and Appropriations Bills (H.R.
2647/S. 1390/H.R. 3326)

The FY2010 defense authorization bill (H.R. 2647/S. 1390) and the FY2010 Department of
Defense appropriations bill (H.R. 3326) as reported in the House and Senate do not contain
provisions regarding the naming of Navy ships. S. 1390 contains a provision (Section 1014) that
would designate the historic Navy ship USS Constitution as “America’s Ship of State.”

Author Contact Information

Ronald O'Rourke

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




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