WikiLeaks Document Release http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 February 2, 2009 Congressional Research Service Report RS22478 Navy Ship Names: Background For Congress Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs January 9, 2009 Abstract. Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy. Congress in recent years has proposed, and sometimes passed, legislation regarding the naming of specific ships. ¢ ¢ http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress ¢ ¢ Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy. Congress in recent years has proposed, and sometimes passed, legislation regarding the naming of specific ships. This report will be updated when events warrant. http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 ¢ 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 Table 1. Ships Named for Persons Who Were Living at the Time .................................................. 3 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 Table 2. Recent Enacted Provisions ................................................................................................ 5 Table 3. Examples of Proposed Bills and Amendments .................................................................. 6 Author Contact Information ............................................................................................................ 7 ¢ ¢ 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. ¢ In discussing its name-selection process, the Navy cites the above-mentioned laws and states: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 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 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 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). ¢ 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 ¢ 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 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 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 the Secretary of the Navy announced that SSN-785, the 12th ship in the class, would be named for former Virginia Senator John Warner. 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 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. ¢ 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. · 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. · 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 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 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. 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. emiT eht ta gniviL ereW ohW snosreP rof demaN spihS .1 elbaT epyt pihS rebmun lluH eman pihS derucorP ecivres nI reirrac tfarcriA 07-NVC nosniV lraC 4791YF 2891 enirambus kcattA 907-NSS revokciR .G namyH 4791YF 4891 reyortseD 15-GDD ekruB hgielrA 5891YF 1991 reirrac tfarcriA 47-NVC sinnetS .C nhoJ 8891YF 5991 pihs tfilaeS 003-RKAT epoH boB 3991YF 8991 reirrac tfarcriA 67-NVC nagaeR dlanoR 5991YF 3002 reyortseD 49-GDD eztiN 9991YF 5002 enirambus kcattA 32-NSS retraC ymmiJ 6991YF 5002 reirrac tfarcriA 77-NVC hsuB .W.H egroeG 1002YF 8002 reyortseD 801-GDD reyeM .E enyaW 4002YF 9002 enirambus kcattA 587-NSS renraW nhoJ 0102YF 5102~ dna ,dednepsus saw tnemerucorp stI .2991YF ni derucorp yllanigiro saw 32-NSS .SRC yb delipmoC :ecruoS .6991YF ni detatsnier neht ¢ 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.8 Congress has long maintained an interest in how Navy ships are named,9 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 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 congressional pressure to name one of those ships for Admiral H.G. Rickover ([instead,] the [attack submarine] SSN 709 was named for the admiral)."10 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 (CVN-75) for Truman and another (CVN-76) for Reagan.11 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.12 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. 8 Dean Lohmeyer, "Students Who Helped Name the Navy's Newest Sub Tour State's Namesake," Navy News Service, October 25, 2008. 9 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. 10 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. 11 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. 12 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.) decisions on these matters. congressional interest in how certain ships should be named, and thus may have influenced Navy Although few of these measures were acted on after being referred to committee, they all signaled about how a Navy ship should be named, while others would mandate a certain name for a ship. going back to the 93rd Congress. Some of these measures expressed the sense of the Congress Table 3 shows examples of proposed bills and amendments regarding the names of Navy ships .deman eb dluohs pihs yvaN a woh tuoba ssergnoC eht fo esnes eht desserpxe snoisivorp eseht fo llA .SRC yb deraperP :ecruoS 593 202 sinnetS .C nhoJ 57-NVC ro 47-NVC 8318 .seR.J.H -001 .L.P 9891 654 epoH boB pihs etairporppa na 2221 1844 .R.H -001 .L.P 9891 654 ecirP nivleM NBSS txen eht 1221 1844 .R.H -001 .L.P 9891 015 nottartS .S leumaS 15-GDD txen eht 6241 9374 .R.H -101 .L.P 1991 601 irottiV hpesoJ pihs etairporppa na 9101 4211 .S -401 .L.P 6991 sproC eniraM spihs suoibihpma 601 fo srebmem ro selttab sproC eniraM ssalc 71-DPL 8101 4211 .S -401 .L.P 6991 601 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 amiJ owI 7-DHL 8101 4211 .S -401 .L.P 6991 162 setaC .B notfilC pihs ssalc 71-DPL na 4101 6163 .R.H -501 .L.P 9991 893 notgnixeL 77-NVC 2101 5024 .R.H -601 .L.P 1002 463 droF .R dlareG 87-NVC 2101 2215 .R.H -901 .L.P 7002 )s(emaN pihS noitceS lliB waL raeY cilbuP lacsiF snoisivorP detcanE tneceR .2 elbaT measures expressed the sense of the Congress about how a Navy ship should be named. Table 2 shows recent enacted provisions regarding the names of Navy ships. All of these ¢ .itsirhC suproC deman eb lessev lavan lahtelnon a taht dna ,demaner eb )507-NSS( itsirhC suproC enirambus kcatta eht taht ssergnoC fo esnes eht desserpxe noituloser ehT .a .SRC yb deraperP :ecruoS nosniV lraC 07-NVC 138 .seR.J.H ]dr39[ nosniV lraC 07-NVC 783 .seR.noC.H ]dr39[ nosniV lraC 07-NVC 683 .seR.noC.H ]dr39[ revokciR .G namyH 27-NVC 7794 .R.H ]ht79[ psaW reirrac tfarcria na 471 .seR.H ]ht79[ a itsirhC suproC a lessev lavan lahtelnon a 213 .seR.noC.H ]ht79[ psaW reirrac tfarcria na 99 .seR.H ]ht89[ 593 .seR.J.H sinnetS .C nhoJ 57-NVC ro 47-NVC ot 4531 .tdmA.S ]ht001[ tnemtcane 4624 ecirP nivleM retfa deyolped enirambus ssalc 627-NBSS txen .R.H ot 416 .tdmA.H ]ht001[ namurT S yrraH 67-NVC 5116 .R.H ]dn201[ robraH lraeP resiurc elissim dediug a 453 .seR.noC.H ] 201[ dn irottiV hpesoJ pihs etairporppa na 3825 .R.H ] 301[ dr 5471 atokaD htuoS enirambus ssalc 477-NSS a .S ot 0534 .tdmA.S ]ht401[ seoreh 6201 ro selttab sproC eniraM suomaf spihs ssalc 71-DPL .S ot 7722 .tdmA.S ]ht401[ http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478 6201 amiJ owI 7-DHL .S ot 7722 .tdmA.S ]ht401[ nagaeR dlanoR 67-NVC 71 .seR.J.S ] 401[ ht atokaD htuoS 477-NSS 26 .seR.noC.S ] 401[ ht namurT yrraH 67-NVC 544 .R.H ] 401[ ht nagaeR dlanoR 67-NVC 16 .seR.J.H ]ht401[ 7502 setaC .B notfilC pihs ssalc 71-DPL .S ot 2182 .tdmA.S ]ht501[ notgnixeL 77-NVC 48 .seR.noC.S ] 601[ ht tekcajeulB lessev lavan wen a 492 .seR.noC.H ] 701[ ht droF .R dlareG 87-NVC 6672 .S ] 901[ ht )s(eman desoporP pihS lliB dna ]ssergnoC[ stnemdnemA dna slliB desoporP fo selpmaxE . 3 elbaT ¢ ¢ Ronald O'Rourke Specialist in Naval Affairs rorourke@crs.loc.gov, 7-7610 http://wikileaks.org/wiki/CRS-RS22478