# USS Abraham Lincoln **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 15, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359 "2026-08-15T21:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/462 "2026-08-23T10:28:58Z")
Not to mention that Nimrod (pronounced “Neem-RODE”) is a fairly common Israeli boy’s name. I’ve known more than a few. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/463 "2026-08-23T12:40:31Z")
The U.S. had the _Enola Gay,_ yet somehow nobody was laughing about that one. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/464 "2026-08-23T13:18:42Z")
I totally get the joke, but the USAAF didn’t name it that, the pilot did, after his mother. I actually wonder what she thought about it. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/465 "2026-08-23T13:40:06Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > The U.S. had the _Enola Gay,_ yet somehow nobody was laughing about that one. Well, at least [one person](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enolastraight/summary) must have thought it was funny… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/466 "2026-08-23T15:30:06Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I actually wonder what she thought about it. In a way, she’s actually more famous for Hiroshima than her son. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/467 "2026-08-23T15:30:35Z")
To be fair, most of the names are funny only in retrospect. Not only do connotations change over the decades and centuries, but they are also being filtered across an ocean. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/468 "2026-08-23T15:45:36Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > The U.S. had the _Enola Gay,_ yet somehow nobody was laughing about that one. No, just [temporarily] purged 80 years later due to the Trump administration’s ham-handed (and reprehensible) anti-DEI efforts. > **[World War II Enola Gay Aircraft Targeted By Pentagon DEI Purge](https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/07/enola-gay-aircraft-and-other-historic-items-inaccurately-targeted-under-pentagons-anti-dei-purge/)** > > References to the aircraft—which dropped the first war-time atomic bomb—were flagged for removal from Pentagon photos and online posts as part of a DEI purge, presumably because of the word “gay.” That was last year’s news, though. This year their anti-DEI efforts include attempting to rescind naming honors for a Black WWII hero (Dorie Miller). In favor of Trump, of course, which makes it all the more nauseating. I’d rather serve on the HMS _Pansy_ any day rather than the USS _Donald J. Trump_. 🤮 ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/469 "2026-08-23T16:06:01Z")
> [@robby](#): > > To be fair, most of the names are funny only in retrospect. Not only do connotations change over the decades and centuries, but they are also being filtered across an ocean. There’s a set of Gay dealerships down here (Kia, Buick, etc). I’m sure they’ve heard all the jokes a thousand times by now ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/470 "2026-08-23T16:16:19Z")
> [@robby](#): > > That was last year’s news, though. This year their anti-DEI efforts include attempting to rescind naming honors for a Black WWII hero (Dorie Miller). In favor of Trump, of course, which makes it all the more nauseating. Have they restored the records of black Medal of Honor winners yet? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/471 "2026-08-23T16:21:32Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Have they restored the records of black Medal of Honor winners yet? Actually, I believe they did. The outcry was strong enough that they backed off. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/472 "2026-08-23T16:24:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > How about [Richard Best](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Halsey_Best)? Thanks for posting that link. It triggered another thought. He looked **so** young in his picture. I forget just how young most of the men serving in WWII (well, and all wars) were, because in the movies they’re all played by much older actors. And I’ve seen a lot of WWII movies. We just re-watched _Mister Roberts_ the other day, and while a lot of the crew were the appropriate ages, the main stars other than Jack Lemmon (and he was 30) were way too old for their roles. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/473 "2026-08-23T16:31:03Z")
As it was a supply ship, not as much as you think. The Captain & Doc weren’t that age inappropriate for a non-combat vessel. Doctors were not easy to come by and older volunteers in critical short areas like Doctors were excepted from normal age brackets. Mister Roberts and Ensign Pulver were the only really egregious ones. ETA: I just verified, Doctors were commissioned as old as 64 for Navy Medical Corps and I think the movie takes place in 1944? so Doc could have been 66. I’m guessing experienced ship Captains were not being retired for age, but not as sure. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/474 "2026-08-23T16:33:26Z")
Regarding naming a ship after the Orange Asshole, I’d suggest renaming the USS Neversail (the nickname for the USS Recruit) in San Diego. It’s the non-floating boat model that boot camp sailors train on. It never goes anywhere and is of no use to anyone other than the latest boot camp company to pass through. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/475 "2026-08-23T16:45:23Z")
Thanks. Makes sense. And William Powell was only 62 when they made the movie, so he was well within guidelines. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/476 "2026-08-23T16:52:22Z")
I actually thought William Powell was older, was he really a drinker, like his most famous character? Nick Charles Probably just old people looked older in the 50s. He had a long life. Cagney was 56 so not really a stretch it seems. But Fonda being a 50 year old Lt Jg. is a stretch I feel. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/477 "2026-08-23T16:58:00Z")
I don’t think Powell was more of a drinker than most “drinkers” of that period. He was devastated by the death of Jean Harlow whom he was planning to marry. Apparently, she was the love of his life, and he suffered a mental/physical breakdown afterward. That can age a person. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/478 "2026-08-23T17:46:35Z")
According to Tibbets, she thought it was very nice. It wasn’t “his” plane though, while of course he was the commander of the 509th group, he didn’t really have an assigned airplane and his co-pilot was less than pleased to see the name painted on the aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/479 "2026-08-23T21:06:52Z")
> [@robby](#): > > Anyway, after a drink or two, one of the officers from our crew kept referring to their sub as the _Tiresome_. He took a lot of shit for that. In the novel, _The Sand Pebbles_, the eponymous Yangtze gunboat USS _San Pablo_ patrols the same stretch of river as gunboat HMS _Woodcock_ and the crews meet up often. They had come up with the derisive nickname, _Timberdick_ and the _Woodcock_’s crew complained they had given it a lot of thought and the worst they had come up with was _Simple Apple_. In solidarity the Sand Pebbles vowed to treat it as a consummate insult worthy of a fight if uttered in their presence. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2026, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/480 "2026-08-23T23:46:52Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I’ve always liked the naming conventions the Japanese used, especially for their destroyers. Pre-war and WWII editions of Jane’s Fighting Ships had translations of IJN ship names and naming conventions. It absolutely fascinated me as a teenager (yes, I was always like this) that warships would be named after poetic terms for weather and led me to want to understand the culture of its military better. I even took an intro to Japanese class at college - as an audit, I’m horrible at languages. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359/481 "2026-08-24T12:10:46Z")
The British had several generations of _Tribal_-class destroyers which would probably be unacceptable now. Plus several generations of _Hunt_-class vessels named after packs of foxhounds, which wouldn’t fly either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uss-abraham-lincoln/1032359.md?page=25)