United States ship naming conventions for theU.S. Navy were established by congressional action at least as early as 1862. Title 13, section 1531, of theU.S. Code, enacted in that year, reads, in part,
The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule:Sailing-vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union, those of the second class after the rivers, those of the third class after the principal cities and towns and those of the fourth class as the President may direct.
Further clarification was made byexecutive order ofPresidentTheodore Roosevelt in 1907.[1] However, elements had existed since before his time. If a ship is reclassified, for example a destroyer is converted to a mine layer, it retains its original name.
Battlecruisers (CC) under the 1916 program were to receive names of battles or famous U.S. Navy ships with significant overlap since several famous U.S. Navy ships were named after Revolutionary War battles.
Combat stores ships (AK, AF, and AFS) were named after stars and other heavenly bodies.
Cruisers, both light and heavy (CL and CA), were named for cities in the United States and its territories, with the exception ofUSS Canberra (CA-70), which is named afterHMAS Canberra (D33) andCanberra, the capital ofAustralia, making USSCanberra the only U.S. warship named for a foreign warship and foreign capital city.
Large cruisers (CB) under the 1940 program were named for United States territories.
Destroyer leaders (DL) were likewise named after naval heroes; these were reclassified as cruisers or destroyers in 1975.
Escort Carriers (CVE) were initially named after bays and sounds though many received battle names while under construction. Escort carriers that appear to be named for cities or islands, such asUSS Casablanca (CVE-55) orUSS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) were actually named for battles fought at those locations.
Landing ship, tank (LST) built for the United States Navy during and immediately after World War II were only given an LST-number hull designation, but on 1 July 1955, county or Louisiana-parish names were assigned to those ships which remained in service. More recent LSTs were named on launching.
Nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), (the first forty-one boats), also called "boomers", were named after historical statesmen considered "Great Americans" of theAmericas such as SSBN-641 Simon Bolivar.
Oilers (AO and AOR) were named for rivers with Native American names, andcolliers named for mythical figures.
ships namedEnterprise; there is a continuing exception for this name, first used in1775, eight ships have carried the name, including three aircraft carriers (CV-6,CVN-65 andCVN-80).
As of March 2023, in a report to congress, the Navy has announced that while the class would continue to be known as theColumbia-class, there was as of yet no particular naming scheme set for the class.[3] But with only two state names available, a change to a different scheme is likely, see theVirginia-class submarine entry for more information.
Dock landing ships (LSD) are named after cities or important places in U.S. and U.S. naval history.
Dry cargo ships (T-AKE) are named for U.S. explorers, pioneers, activists and U.S. naval officers.
3rd boat;USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), named for a former U.S. president, and Naval officer, who served aboard submarines.
Virginia class, a class of a planned 66 boats, were initially named for U.S. states, with two early exceptions;
USS John Warner (SSN-785), named for a former Secretary of the Navy, U.S. Senator from Virginia, and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services,
After the 30th boat and with only two available state names remaining, the Navy began using legacy names of previous attack submarines.[4] Navy SecretaryKenneth Braithwaite stated that he; "...supports naming future submarines after past vessels with historic naval legacies."[5] The next four boats of the class (SSN-804 to SSN-807) have so far followed this naming scheme, (with all four also being names of fish, another previous naming convention of submarines). A report to Congress on 4 February 2021, advised the Navy had not indicated these exceptions as being a change to the policy for naming ships.[4]
On 8 March 2023, in a report to congress, the Navy stated that while they do not have a set naming scheme for the remainder of theVirginia-class boats (after SSN-808), they were examining the possibility of continuing with state names. Since state namedOhio-class boats are scheduled to be decommissioned on a regular basis beginning in 2026, and the next planned, unnamedVirginia-class boats will not be entering service until 2028, the Navy will see if that gap can be exploited to take state names as they become available from decommissionedOhio boats and almost immediately attach them to newVirginia boats as they're commissioned into service.[3]
FollowingJohn H. Dalton, the class has seen a mix of names, such as;
USS Long Island (SSN-809) - named forthe island off the coast of New York City. It is part of the New York metropolitan area, sharing two of its boroughs.
The remaining four Block V boats have been named after U.S. cities. Of the first three Block VI boats, one has also been named for a city, while the other two are again outliers;
As of August 2025, whileArizona has so far been the last state name assigned, there has been no official change to the naming policy announced. Rather, it appears that the Navy is selecting names that are appropriate based on their history and availability, but vary due to changes in administrations and secretaries, and their preferences.
USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), in early 2022, the Navy announced that based on a recommendation fromThe Naming Commission, theTiconderoga-class cruiserChancellorsville, would have her name changed to honorRobert Smalls. Smalls was aCivil War-era slave and civilian river pilot for theConfederate States Navy (CSN). In a daringRuse de guerre involving mutiny and piracy, Smalls and a small group of slaves with their families, tookCSSPlanter, a CSNgunboat, while the guards were asleep on shore, and fled to aUnion Navy blockade where he surrendered the ship, gaining his freedom.
Arleigh Burke, a class of a planned 89 ships (which may be extended to as many as 118[6]), was originally to retain the traditional naming convention for destroyers: that of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps leaders and heroes.[7] Some of these leaders are men who fought in the Revolutionary War as a part of the originalContinental Navy, while others took part in the early days of the U.S. Navy fighting in theQuasi andBarbary Wars, theWar of 1812, theCivil War and theSpanish–American War. In these early conflicts through to World War II, and up to thewar on terror, many Sailors and Marines, from cooks toSEALs toMarine Commandants andFleet Admirals, distinguished themselves in battle, earning theMedal of Honor orNavy Cross, as well as other medals (posthumously in some cases). In the 21st century, the Navy has broadened the term "leaders and heroes" to include politicians (such as U.S. Senators and Navy Secretaries) who have made significant contributions to the Navy away from the battlefield, and men and women of the Navy Department who have become pioneers in the fields of technology and strategy, as well as for civil rights, breaking through barriers for women and minorities. Along with all those named for the above listed criteria are the following exceptions;
Guided missile frigates (FFG) are named for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps heroes and leaders, up to and including the last class in active service, the 71-shipOliver Hazard Perry-class (1977–2015). The Navy announced the newConstellation-class, with a planned 20 frigates in 2020, with the first three ships of the class so far named in honor of three of theoriginal six frigates of the U.S. Navy. The first ship is expected to be delivered by 2026. A report to Congress in 2021 advised the Navy had not stated this naming scheme was a change in the rules for naming ships.[4]
Littoral combat ships (LCS) are named for regionally-important U.S. cities and communities.[8] Exceptions are the lead ships of the first two classes for this type;
Patrol boats (PC) have names based on weather phenomena.
Replenishment oilers (T-AO) were conventionally named for rivers. An exception is the current, 18-shipHenry J. Kaiser-class, the first half of which were named for shipbuilders, industrialists, marine and aeronautical engineers. The remaining half of the class, returned to the previous convention of river names. While river names is thede jure convention, for the next class of oilers, theJohn Lewis-class, the Navy announced[citation needed] that they will be named after prominent civil rights activists and leaders. There are 20 ships planned for this class, with the first eight ordered and named by early 2022.
^Technically theEssex-class carriersFranklin,Randolph andHancock were named for the Continental Navy ships which bore the names of those men, not the men themselves.
^Long Beach was the last U.S. warship built on a true cruiser hull.
