Navy Ship Names: Background for Congress

Abstract

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. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time. There have been exceptions to the Navys 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. Some observers have perceived a breakdown in, or corruption of, the rules for naming Navy ships. Section 370 of the FY2021 NDAA (H.R. 6395/P.L. 116-283 of January 1, 2021) establishes a commission regarding the removal and renaming of certain assets of the Department of Defense (including ships) that commemorate the Confederate States of America or any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 14, 2021
Accession Number
AD1172099

Entities

People

  • Ronald O'Rourke

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircraft Carriers
  • Attack Submarines
  • Ballistic Missile Submarines
  • Boats
  • Carrier Based Aircraft
  • Congress
  • Guided Missile Ships
  • Law
  • Naval Operations
  • Navy
  • Nuclear Powered Submarines
  • Nuclear Propulsion
  • Prejudice
  • Second World War
  • Uss Carl Vinson
  • Uss Chancellorsville
  • Uss Columbia

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Military History of the United States in the 20th Century.