# Who DESERVES to Have an Aircraft Carrier Named in His Honor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2016, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623 "2016-04-19T04:04:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/41 "2016-04-21T16:14:20Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > No one living. Absolutely. I wish they’d go back to the old “nothing named after you until you’ve been dead at least ten years,” to avoid any embarrassment if something unsavory comes out soon after you snuff it. There are only a relative handful of aircraft carriers, and these days their names are largely limited to former Presidents and top pro-defense members of Congress. I have three Civil War-related names to suggest for non-carriers. There hasn’t been a USS _Monitor_ since the early 1960s - long overdue IMHO, to perpetuate the name of one of the most famous ships in U.S. Navy history: > **[USS Monitor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Monitor)** > > USS Monitor was an ironclad warship built for the United States Navy during the American Civil War and completed in early 1862, the first such ship commissioned by the Navy.\[a\] Monitor played a central role in the Battle of Hampton Roads on 9 March under the command of Lieutenant John L. Worden, where she fought the casemate ironclad CSS Virginia (built on the hull of the scuttled steam frigate USS Merrimack) to a stalemate. The design of the ship was distinguished by its revolving turret, whi... > **[USS Monitor (LSV-5)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Monitor_(LSV-5))** > > USS Monitor (LSV-5/AN-1/AP-160/MCS-5) was an Osage-class vehicle landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named after the original USS Monitor (the first ironclad warship commissioned by the USN and the first U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name), and was the second U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. > Laid down on 21 October 1941 as netlayer AN-1 by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation of Pascagoula, Mississippi and launched on 29 January 1943; sponsored by Mrs... We’ve been eleven years without a USS _Cushing_, honoring one of the great naval heroes of the war: > **[William B. Cushing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_B._Cushing)** > > William Barker Cushing (4 November 1842 – 17 December 1874) was an officer in the United States Navy, best known for sinking the CSS Albemarle during a daring nighttime raid on 27 October 1864, for which he received the Thanks of Congress. Cushing was the younger brother of Medal of Honor recipient Alonzo Cushing. As a result, the Cushing family is the only family in American history to have a member buried at more than one of the United States Service Academies. > Cushing was born in Delafield,... > **[USS Cushing (DD-985)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cushing_(DD-985))** > > .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct,.mw-parser-output .geo-inline-hidden{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}23°44′42″N 160°20′04″W / 23.745126°N 160.334473°W / 23.745126; -160.334473 > USS Cushing (DD-985), named after Commander William Barker Cushing, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy to bear the n... And it’s been far too long since the indefatigable SECNAV Gideon Welles was thus honored: > **[Gideon Welles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gideon_Welles)** > > Gideon Welles (July 1, 1802 – February 11, 1878), nicknamed "Father Neptune", was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869, a cabinet post he was awarded after supporting Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 election. Although opposed to the Union blockade of Southern ports, he duly carried out his part of the Anaconda Plan, largely sealing off the Confederate coastline and preventing the exchange of cotton for war supplies. This is viewed as a major cause of Union victory in the Civil ... > **[USS Welles (DD-628)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Welles_(DD-628))** > > USS Welles (DD-628), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Gideon Welles. > Welles was laid down on 27 September 1941 at Seattle, Washington, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp. and launched on 7 September 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Suzanne Dudley Welles Brainard. The ship was commissioned on 16 August 1943. > Following shakedown training along the west coast of the United States, Welles returned to Puget Sound on 26 October. After post-shakedown... ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/42 "2016-04-21T16:28:03Z")
It would be pretty awesome if they started adopting names from the Culture novels. Who would fuck with the _USS Attitude Adjuster_? ---
**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:** [April 21, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/43 "2016-04-21T16:58:13Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It would be pretty awesome if they started adopting names from the Culture novels. Who would fuck with the _USS Attitude Adjuster_? USS Hot Needle of Inquiry presents the proper attitude as well. I’ve been partial to the USS Eleanor Rigby and the USS Maxwell Edison. They sound like good ship names. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/44 "2016-04-22T23:21:27Z")
No one. The Navy (and the meddling Congress) should be ashamed of naming the FDR and they ought now go back to naming carriers after battles. Destroyers and frigates are fine to carry on the names of people. [/curmudgeon mode] ---
**Author:** ![dzeiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@dzeiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzeiger)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/45 "2016-04-23T01:59:39Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Who would fuck with the _USS Attitude Adjuster_? Eh, the Chinese or Russians would just name an attack sub the _RKO Outta Nowhere_ and it would result in the longest, most boring series of naval engagements of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/46 "2016-04-23T02:08:35Z")
Quinton McHale ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/47 "2016-04-23T04:22:18Z")
Who Yesterday I Don’t Know What? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/48 "2016-04-23T08:29:36Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > It would be pretty awesome if they started adopting names from the Culture novels. Who would fuck with the _USS Attitude Adjuster_? How about the _USS Gunboat Diplomat_. We’ll station it in the Caribbean where it’ll periodically visit various foreign ports… ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/49 "2016-04-23T08:48:10Z")
How about George Washington? ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/50 "2016-04-23T13:18:28Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Obviously the only appropriate capitalist solution is to sell naming rights to corporations a la sports arenas. Fear the mighty USS ConAgra Foods! Then when this ship gets a new Captain he can fire 75% of the sailors and move the ship to another port… ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2016, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/51 "2016-04-23T13:44:04Z")
Thomas Paine. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/52 "2016-04-24T02:20:17Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > Thomas Paine. That would enable the President to say things like: “Send the task force in. Have them bring the _Paine_.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/53 "2016-04-24T02:50:28Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > How about George Washington? But of course - commissioned on a July 4th, no less: [USS George Washington (CVN-73) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_George_Washington_(CVN-73)) ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/54 "2016-04-24T03:04:44Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > In the _Harry (“don’t fuck with me”) Callahan_ carrier class, the next two would be the USS _Rocky Balboa_ and the USS _John J. Rambo_. How about the USS _John McClane_? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/55 "2016-04-24T03:32:14Z")
Add [Joseph Rochefort](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Rochefort) to the short list of people who deserve to have a carrier named for them (Rochefort and his codebreaking team were instrumental in the victory at Midway and helped change the course of WWII). ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/56 "2016-04-24T04:14:08Z")
USS The Dude Its complicated ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/57 "2016-04-24T05:08:13Z")
USS _Arthur Fonzarelli_. _ **Aaaaaaaaaay** _ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/58 "2016-04-24T18:51:54Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > USS _Arthur Fonzarelli_. > _ **Aaaaaaaaaay** _ It could sail over sharks, but not jump them. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/59 "2016-04-24T21:46:29Z")
I thought _Wasp and Hornet_ were rather appropriate names for ships whose primary means of attack was to launch swarms of small fliers at their enemies. To continue that theme, I propose _Yellowjacket_ and _Honeybee_. _Mud Dauber_ could be an amphibious assault ship. On a more serious note, I would love for them to start bringing back some of the legacy carrier names, to include _Langley, Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown, Wolverine, Sable, Ranger,_ etc. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2016, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623/60 "2016-04-24T22:03:55Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > There’s been a mini uproar here and there about plans to name an aircraft carrier after Senator Carl Levin. As someone from Carl Levin’s jurisdiction, just allow me to say… hmm… yet another time when we could really use a vomit smiley… I don’t know who I’d actually name one after, but it should be either a president or war hero or big important general or something like that, not some bloated career senator. EDIT: I was just thinking of people, but suggestions of battles or states also sound good, just not random lame politicians [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-deserves-to-have-an-aircraft-carrier-named-in-his-honor/752623.md?page=4)