Musings, leadership tidbits and quotes posted by a retired Navy Captain (really just a high performing 2nd Class Petty Officer) who hung up his uniform a bit too early. He still wears his Navy service on his sleeve. He needs to get over that. "ADVANCE WARNING - NO ORIGINAL THOUGHT!" A "self-appointed" lead EVANGELIST for the "cryptologic community". Keeping CRYPTOLOGY alive-one day and Sailor at a time. 2015 is 80th Anniversary of the Naval Security Group.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
What is WRONG with this picture?
That's better. The ship is right side up now.
Secretary of the Navy, the Honorable Ray Mabus unveils his decision to name LCS-10 USS Gabrielle Giffords.
Although it is standard for the Navy to name its combatants after states/battles/presidents, it is not uncommon to name them after members of Congress. Take for example USS John Warner and USS Henry M. Jackson.
How about naming a ship for the numerous USMC/USN that have fallen in Afghanistan in the last year? What about some of our recent MOH and Navy Cross winners? How about USS Chontosh (Navy Cross receipient from the battle of Fallujah)? This administration is bizzare and I dont quite understand their reasoning for naming conventions.......don't get me started on "USS Murtha".....what's next? USS John Kerry?
Mr. Mabus, a former Mississippi governor, broke with Navy conventions in the past three years when he named an amphibious ship, two cargo ships and a littoral combat ship after two social activists and two fellow Democrats.
"The Navy's ship-naming process remains the subject of criticism based on several recent decisions," Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, wrote to Mr. Mabus on Tuesday. He said there are still opportunities "for the Navy to show its intent to uphold the integrity and tradition of this process."
There was a time when Navy ships were named very much by tradition and that made it easy to understand. There were of course exceptions to those rules but when a ship was mentioned the ship type could usually be determined by its name. Battleships were named after states of the United States, Cruisers were named after American cities, Aircraft Carriers were named after famous battles, events and people. The Auxiliary Navy named many ships after people, and the LST’s were named after United States Counties. Submarines were named for fish or denizens of the deep and Destroyers (DD’s and DDE’s) were named for famous Navy or Marine individuals. Tugboats were named for American Indian Tribes.
Naming ships changed substantially when the Cold War Submarine Fleet (the 41 for Freedom SSBN’s carried The names of eminent figures in American history) not necessarily American names such as USS Von Steuben, USS Tecumseh, USS Kamehameha were some of them. When the name of a ship is given these days one has to goggle it to find out what kind of a ship it is.
The Secretary of the Navy is a high and honored post, and recently SecNav has chosen to depart from naval tradition of the past, I am glad to see that some might try to bring those decisions back to what was once considered traditional.
13 comments:
The poor Lieutenant must feel horrible.
The name for the newest Navy warship is USS Gabrielle Giffords?
Ray Mabus' decision to name LCS-10 USS Gabrielle Giffords is what is WRONG! PC BS!
International distress signal.
The Lt is looking at the picture upside down and thinking, "my career as a PAO is so over."
CTRCS
Although it is standard for the Navy to name its combatants after states/battles/presidents, it is not uncommon to name them after members of Congress. Take for example USS John Warner and USS Henry M. Jackson.
Although, I give him credit for summing up the LCS program better than anyone else has up to this point...
Will we stand for anything??
Or fall for everything?
Sh*t, we are pathetic.
How about naming a ship for the numerous USMC/USN that have fallen in Afghanistan in the last year? What about some of our recent MOH and Navy Cross winners? How about USS Chontosh (Navy Cross receipient from the battle of Fallujah)? This administration is bizzare and I dont quite understand their reasoning for naming conventions.......don't get me started on "USS Murtha".....what's next? USS John Kerry?
Congresswoman Giffords is a wonderfully resilient woman. Her recovery is a real blessing. I am so happy she survived the attempt on her life.
She is not worthy of having a US Navy ship named after her. I prefer Murtha to Giffords. At least he had honorable service as a Marine.
Mr. Mabus, a former Mississippi governor, broke with Navy conventions in the past three years when he named an amphibious ship, two cargo ships and a littoral combat ship after two social activists and two fellow Democrats.
"The Navy's ship-naming process remains the subject of criticism based on several recent decisions," Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, wrote to Mr. Mabus on Tuesday. He said there are still opportunities "for the Navy to show its intent to uphold the integrity and tradition of this process."
Anon @ 14 Feb 0543 got his/her wish!!
Captain Lambert,
There was a time when Navy ships were named very much by tradition and that made it easy to understand. There were of course exceptions to those rules but when a ship was mentioned the ship type could usually be determined by its name. Battleships were named after states of the United States, Cruisers were named after American cities, Aircraft Carriers were named after famous battles, events and people. The Auxiliary Navy named many ships after people, and the LST’s were named after United States Counties. Submarines were named for fish or denizens of the deep and Destroyers (DD’s and DDE’s) were named for famous Navy or Marine individuals. Tugboats were named for American Indian Tribes.
Naming ships changed substantially when the Cold War Submarine Fleet (the 41 for Freedom SSBN’s carried The names of eminent figures in American history) not necessarily American names such as USS Von Steuben, USS Tecumseh, USS Kamehameha were some of them. When the name of a ship is given these days one has to goggle it to find out what kind of a ship it is.
The Secretary of the Navy is a high and honored post, and recently SecNav has chosen to depart from naval tradition of the past, I am glad to see that some might try to bring those decisions back to what was once considered traditional.
Very Respectfully,
Navyman834
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