# What are the radio callsigns of the US Navy's carriers?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 28, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082 "2010-03-28T03:41:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082/1 "2010-03-28T03:41:10Z")

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As far as I know, this isn’t classified, just obscure. I know that USS _Theodore Roosevelt_’s is “Rough Rider,” and the _Enterprise_ is, for some odd reason, “Starbase.”

I haven’t heard any of the others, though. Can anyone help me out?

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**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082/2 "2010-03-28T05:17:39Z")

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Don’t know how accurate [this](http://a4skyhawk.org/2e/navy-tail-codes.htm) is, and it disagrees with you on both of the carriers you listed, but it does at least list several call signs.

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082/3 "2010-03-28T08:44:48Z")

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When I’ve spoken to a carrier it was just going by its side number. “Warship 75” or something. That was on civil marine radio Ch16 though.

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**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082/4 "2010-03-28T08:47:12Z")

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Are you going to wish them Happy Easter or something?

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [March 28, 2010, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-radio-callsigns-of-the-us-navys-carriers/534082/5 "2010-03-28T15:25:07Z")

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> [@AmunRa](#):
>
> Don’t know how accurate [this](http://a4skyhawk.org/2e/navy-tail-codes.htm) is, and it disagrees with you on both of the carriers you listed, but it does at least list several call signs.

Nickname for the Coral Sea is Captain Crunch. Ticonderoga, Fighting Tigers was a squadron nickname, not the overall boat nickname.