Topic: LHA6 Ship Names

[IndyShark]

Ok, I have to admit that I am fascinated by the new class of navy carriers. The first ship is the LHA6 and it won't be delivered until 2011. I'd LOVE to know what they are going to name her. Do we have any suggestions? I like the USS Coral Sea or the USS Midway!

[Electric Eye]

I think the Navy has done a wonderful job of slipping away from the traditional names and giving them names that are inappropriate. It's not just them though, in Houston we have an airport that is named after a living ex-President.  There used to be a time when ships by class were allowed only certain names.

I too would like to see more traditional names, but an LHA is not one of the supercarriers, and IMHO the battles of Midway and Coral Sea deserve to be bestowed upon the greatest ships of our fleet.

[IndyShark]

I agree with you but that does not seem to be very popular. I'd love to see one of the new CVN's called the America or the United States.

The LHA6 is going to be 50,000 tons. It will be bigger than the French Nuclear carrier and about the same size as the new British carriers that are being built.

50,000 tons is no small ship!

[IndyShark]

How about;

Lexington
Ranger
Hornet
Yorktown
Intrepid

[Electric Eye]

50k tons is chump change, especially when you compare them to my beloved FRO VLCC ships! 

Got 150 - 300k tons?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanker_(ship)

 

[J. Carney]

How about;

Lexington
Ranger
Hornet
Yorktown
Intrepid

I vote to make those the names of the next CVN class that the US lays down.

Lead ship would be Enterprise, followed by Lexington, Saratoga, Yorktown, Hornet, Ranger and Intrepid. That way, you'd have the two proudest names on either end of the run.

[IndyShark]

The only problem with that idea is that the Enterprise is still active. The other names are available.

[J. Carney]

The only problem with that idea is that the Enterprise is still active. The other names are available.

Big E is the first one of the nuke carriers due for replacement.
The first of the post-Nimitz class will put her in the boneyard.
By simply retiring her a few weeks before the launching of the new carrier, you keep free up the name with little loss of duty time.



For the new Marine chopper carriers... well, if we're gonna make them for the Marines, we should use Marine names!
I like naming them after the CMH winners of the USMC.

Smedley Butler (double CMH recipiant)
Dan Daley (double CMH recipiant)
John Basilone
Gregory Boyington
Lewis Puller

[Electric Eye]

The only problem with that idea is that the Enterprise is still active. The other names are available.

Big E is the first one of the nuke carriers due for replacement.
The first of the post-Nimitz class will put her in the boneyard.
By simply retiring her a few weeks before the launching of the new carrier, you keep free up the name with little loss of duty time.



For the new Marine chopper carriers... well, if we're gonna make them for the Marines, we should use Marine names!
I like naming them after the CMH winners of the USMC.

Smedley Butler (double CMH recipiant)
Dan Daley (double CMH recipiant)
John Basilone
Gregory Boyington
Lewis Puller

but J.C., that is way too common sense! Our country does not have much common sense left! We cannot spare what little common sense we have left!

[kmelew]

John Basilone

[Capt_Bearslayer_XC]

The only problem with that idea is that the Enterprise is still active. The other names are available.

Big E is the first one of the nuke carriers due for replacement.
The first of the post-Nimitz class will put her in the boneyard.
By simply retiring her a few weeks before the launching of the new carrier, you keep free up the name with little loss of duty time.



For the new Marine chopper carriers... well, if we're gonna make them for the Marines, we should use Marine names!
I like naming them after the CMH winners of the USMC.

Smedley Butler (double CMH recipiant)
Dan Daley (double CMH recipiant)
John Basilone
Gregory Boyington
Lewis Puller

but J.C., that is way too common sense! Our country does not have much common sense left! We cannot spare what little common sense we have left!

No Doubt, I am sure the civil service of Senator 'Sheets' Byrd warrant his name on one of these ships....

as if he doesn't have enough things in WV named after him already....

[Electric Eye]

How many double CMOH earners are there? OT I know, but IMHO, CMOH earners (Notice I do not say winners as that is not technically correct) should be tax-free for life. They do get 600 a month tax free anyways, but why not let them just skip out for their whole lifetime on earnings? That is our country's highest military award afterall.

You get an Order of Lenin medal in Russia and you can virtually write your own ticket, not to mention the ladies throwing themselves at you. 

[Ferretlxix_XC]

The LHAs have been named after Battles That Marines have been involved with or something dealing with Naval/Marine History.  The exceptions to the battle name games were the Wasp Class LHDs.  They were named after other famous ships, some battles and one after a very famous person (Bon Homme Richard)
  It seems that the famous battles went to the CGs but, I think the New LHAs should continue to honor the past amphibious battles that made part of our military history.

[Sten]

They should pay homage to beavis and butthead. The USS Cornholio

[Electric Eye]

Plus one, and what is a Cornholio? 

Good to see you around SFC Sten. 

[J. Carney]

Plus one, and what is a Cornholio?  )

LOL... that's where the military likes to stick it to you without any lube. 

[TheJudge]

Bah!

The LHAs have been named after Battles That Marines have been involved with or something dealing with Naval/Marine History. The exceptions to the battle name games were the Wasp Class LHDs. They were named after other famous ships, some battles and one after a very famous person (Bon Homme Richard)
 It seems that the famous battles went to the CGs but, I think the New LHAs should continue to honor the past amphibious battles that made part of our military history.

Ferret, Turn in your crows over this one!

The Bon Homme Richard was the flagship of JOHN PAUL JONES!.  The Richard was a reconditioned merchant ship, reportedly to be barely sea-worthy and armed with outdated guns (42 of them) that were lucky they did not blow up every time they fired.  While raiding a merchant convoy with three escorts, the Richard was engaged by the HMS Serapis, an extremely modern and well-armed 44-gun frigate (the cruisers of their day).  The Serapis gutted the Richard with two massive broadsides, mortally wounding the American warship.  In fact, the Richard's ensign was blown away by the cannon fire and the Captain of the Serapis inquired if the Richard was surrendering, to which John Paul Jones uttered the famous Navy battle cry:  I have not yet begun to fight!

Indeed, marines from the Bon Homme Richard boarded the Serapis and managed to take her masts, and from there proceeded to clear her decks of living sailors.  John Paul Jones transferred his flag to the captured pride of the British Navy. 

What is this world coming to when any red-blooded American doesn't know this story by heart?

As for the names of gator freighters, they should always be named after the battles where our marines fought and died to win the battles of our past.  The LHA is a gator freighter, and there are plenty of names honoring our Marines for their bravery and heroism.  Let us remember them:

Tripoli
Guadalcanal
Saipan
Tarawa
Iwo Jima
Nassau
Wake Island

Okay, those are all the ones that come to my mind, right off the top of my head.  It is time to get our politics out of our proud heritage of ship naming.  No more ships named after still-living U.S. Presidents (frankly I have a problem with naming any ship after a US politician unless it was one who was assassinated.  That's about the only time I can see that honor being bestowed, which limits it quite a lot).  Give us back our carriers named after principles of our country, or after ships of extremely tremendous naval heritage. 

Enterprise (Decomm the old lady and name the new class after her!)
Hornet
Yorktown
Coral Sea
Midway
Benjamin Franklin (For the WW II Carrier more than the man)
Saratoga
Constellaton
Constitution (whcih really can't be used because Old Ironsides is still a commissioned ship)
Ranger
Intrepid

and so on and so forth.  Give us back our pride, and show that patriotism isn't about the depth of your pocketbook or waiving a silly on holidays, it's about honoring the true heroes of our nation, and honoring them in a real way instead of paying lip service to them.

[Ferretlxix_XC]

Bah!

The LHAs have been named after Battles That Marines have been involved with or something dealing with Naval/Marine History. The exceptions to the battle name games were the Wasp Class LHDs. They were named after other famous ships, some battles and one after a very famous person (Bon Homme Richard)
 It seems that the famous battles went to the CGs but, I think the New LHAs should continue to honor the past amphibious battles that made part of our military history.

Ferret, Turn in your crows over this one!

The Bon Homme Richard was the flagship of JOHN PAUL JONES!.  The Richard was a reconditioned merchant ship, reportedly to be barely sea-worthy and armed with outdated guns (42 of them) that were lucky they did not blow up every time they fired.  While raiding a merchant convoy with three escorts, the Richard was engaged by the HMS Serapis, an extremely modern and well-armed 44-gun frigate (the cruisers of their day).  The Serapis gutted the Richard with two massive broadsides, mortally wounding the American warship.  In fact, the Richard's ensign was blown away by the cannon fire and the Captain of the Serapis inquired if the Richard was surrendering, to which John Paul Jones uttered the famous Navy battle cry:  I have not yet begun to fight!

Indeed, marines from the Bon Homme Richard boarded the Serapis and managed to take her masts, and from there proceeded to clear her decks of living sailors.  John Paul Jones transferred his flag to the captured pride of the British Navy. 

What is this world coming to when any red-blooded American doesn't know this story by heart?

As for the names of gator freighters, they should always be named after the battles where our marines fought and died to win the battles of our past.  The LHA is a gator freighter, and there are plenty of names honoring our Marines for their bravery and heroism.  Let us remember them:

Tripoli
Guadalcanal
Saipan
Tarawa
Iwo Jima
Nassau
Wake Island

Okay, those are all the ones that come to my mind, right off the top of my head.  It is time to get our politics out of our proud heritage of ship naming.  No more ships named after still-living U.S. Presidents (frankly I have a problem with naming any ship after a US politician unless it was one who was assassinated.  That's about the only time I can see that honor being bestowed, which limits it quite a lot).  Give us back our carriers named after principles of our country, or after ships of extremely tremendous naval heritage. 

Enterprise (Decomm the old lady and name the new class after her!)
Hornet
Yorktown
Coral Sea
Midway
Benjamin Franklin (For the WW II Carrier more than the man)
Saratoga
Constellaton
Constitution (whcih really can't be used because Old Ironsides is still a commissioned ship)
Ranger
Intrepid

and so on and so forth.  Give us back our pride, and show that patriotism isn't about the depth of your pocketbook or waiving a silly on holidays, it's about honoring the true heroes of our nation, and honoring them in a real way instead of paying lip service to them.

Dammit on that note with the BHR.  My F* up.
Nope on the Crows, they are here to stay on my arms (in other words, they're going to have to be pried off me) unless that is, I'm getting pinned with Anchors or butter bars.
I agree with you taotally on the Amphibs.  The LHA is not called a carrier as thought by most. It's classified as a General Purpose Amphibious Assault Ship.  Like most Amphibs in the past, they reflected the Marine history through thier namesake.  It should continue that way IMHO.

[J. Carney]

I don't think that a 'Phib is a good match for Enterprise, Judge.
It's a name that should be attributed to the most powerful ship in our Navy.
I say, name the CVN-21 class the Enterprise class (thus dropping the whole (carriers after people) naming convention we've used with the Nimitz class. That'd make things a lot less political. Destroyers are named after people... and are a lot cheaper to blow up if those people tick us off.

Name the new 'Phibs after something special and uniquely Marine, which is why I said Marine CMH winners.

[Electric Eye]

and are a lot cheaper to blow up if those people tick us off.

I think you meant "A lot less expensive of a loss if we ticked someone off and they blew it up?" 

I was at the Commissioning of the "Compte de Grasse" back in the 70s, and yes, I agree, people names need to stay with the destroyers. If a living Prez doesn't like it then tough doo-doo, I would ask that person "Did you save our arse at Yorktown?"

http://www.americanrevolution.org/degrasse.html

Hard to believe the Spruance class DDs are 30 years old and counting.

Lookie what I found in researching!

http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1994/vp940716/07160281.htm

I would have given him the MAX! 

[TheJudge]

I don't think that a 'Phib is a good match for Enterprise, Judge.
It's a name that should be attributed to the most powerful ship in our Navy.
I say, name the CVN-21 class the Enterprise class (thus dropping the whole (carriers after people) naming convention we've used with the Nimitz class. That'd make things a lot less political. Destroyers are named after people... and are a lot cheaper to blow up if those people tick us off.

Name the new 'Phibs after something special and uniquely Marine, which is why I said Marine CMH winners.

Um, I was saying the new CVN class carriers should be named things like Enterprise, etc (and here I'm referring to the heritage of the WWII ship, not the fictionaly one). The first list of names are for the amphibious assault ships (which are NOT carriers).

Historically the tradition is to name certain types of gator freighters after individual Marines who have earned great honor. Naming a new line of LST or other actual landing ships after Marine Medal of Honor awardees would be absolutely perfect.  Let all the Marines aboard her remember the valor of the Marine for which the ship was named as they ride her to the enemy's shores.  Maybe one day centuries from now more young marines will ride a troop ship named after one of them as they assault an enemy world. 

Destroyers (and frigates) have traditionally been named after Admirals, or sailors of note in the Navy (Spruance Class, Arleigh Burke, Knox, Waddell, Adams, Kirk -yes a real FF now decommissioned, The Sullivans - after five brothers who died all on the same ship during WWII)

Sigh.  What a fount of useless Naval history exists in my head.  I shouldn't have read so many books on the Navy as a child...

[Panzergranate]

Here's a tough question for you on US Naval Carriers.... What was so special about the 1930's carriers USS AKRON and USS MAKAN??

Also what was the new technology tried out on the USS MAKAN's aircraft now standard on all carrier aircraft these days??

What was  the unique feature of both carrier's Curtis Gosshawks fighters??

[Just plain old Punisher]

I'm guessing a steam launched catapult.

[The Postman]

Here's a tough question for you on US Naval Carriers.... What was so special about the 1930's carriers USS AKRON and USS MAKAN??

Also what was the new technology tried out on the USS MAKAN's aircraft now standard on all carrier aircraft these days??

What was  the unique feature of both carrier's Curtis Gosshawks fighters??

1st, it was USS Macon not Makan
2. They were dirigibles
3. That they could launch and recover aircraft in flight
4. the Sparrowhawk aircraft had no landing gear which enhanced their flight performance

[kmelew]

Here's a tough question for you on US Naval Carriers.... What was so special about the 1930's carriers USS AKRON and USS MAKAN??

Also what was the new technology tried out on the USS MAKAN's aircraft now standard on all carrier aircraft these days??

What was  the unique feature of both carrier's Curtis Gosshawks fighters??

Sorry to go off topic...



Remains of USS Macon's Sparrowhawks




USS Macon's nosecone

USS Akron and USS Macon had some unique construction features among rigid airships.  They were the only rigid airships with three keels instead of one.  They were also the only rigid airships with their engines mounted inside the hull.  Because the ship used helium as its lifting gas engine heat and sparks were not a problem.

A bit of trivia--the senior survivor of the crash of USS Akron, the navigator LCDR Wiley, was the commanding officer of the USS Macon when it crashed off California two years later.

[Nemesis]

Why not just reuse the names of prestigious carriers of the past such as the U.S.S. Cowpens?  It had quite the career as I understand it.

[Electric Eye]

Bring back the Cowpens! 

[Panzergranate]

The Makan was also the biggest airship ever built.

Also the first Radio Direction Finder beacon system, now common place, was used on their aircraft.

The Makan's crew was over 200!! It had it's own post office.

As an engineer I can appreciate the marvel of engineering that it was.

Onto CV names, what about some from outside the US like the Shiano?? Ark Royal?? Argus (the first aircraft carrier)?? , etc.

[Electric Eye]

Nah, I don't think that would fly too well. Of course, if someone had his way I'm sure one of the big carriers would be named Tony Blair. 

[Panzergranate]

Over here its pronaoucned "Phoney Blair"!!

How about the name USS Leyte Gulf??

Do you think there'll ever be a USS George W Bush??

Is he human or a Pakled Agent??

I heard about the latest "Bushism" at the Stevie Wonder comcert.... priceless!!

I found the ladder truck fiasco with the Royal Jet a few weeks ago priceless too. I guess that there have been a lot of postings to the weather stations in Alaska in the airforce since then.

[Electric Eye]

In Houston we already have Bush International airport. Priceless...

[Lieutenant_Q]

Wrong Bush, but...

There were some Houstonians that weren't happy with the Name Changing.  They were content with it being Houston Intercontinental.  But someone wanted to name it after '41.

I am thinking the LHA6 (getting back on topic) may very well be the last generation of Carriers we see.  The giant super carriers like the Enterprise and Nimitz Class ships are really done for.  The only nation that we really need the super carriers for is for use against a possible war with China.  Very unlikely to happen, but you have to keep a WCS around when you do Military planning.

The LHA6 looks like its going to be able to handle everything we use the super carriers for, just smaller and cheaper.  Why devote the resource of a super carrier when the LHA6 can do the same job for less money?  Might even see a few super carriers retired as the LHA6 comes into service.  Given their age, Enterprise, and Nimitz are the first two candidates.  Both could have a permanent berth in Los Angeles and New York City, and power their respective coasts for decades to come.

[Electric Eye]

I agree, for all the sabre rattling that goes on, our countries are bedfellows economically, like it or not. They might make a move for Taiwain, IMHO, but I really think that one of my heroes, a Japanese Admiral that was assassinated in the 1940s, would dare say we would be stupid to intervene. Otherwise I see their nukes aimed at Russia.

[TheJudge]

USS Cowpens and USS Leyte Gulf are both VLS-equipped ships of the Ticonderoga class Aegis cruisers (most of the Tico's are named after major battles- the exception being the USS Thomas S Gates which is now decommed -)


 

[IndyShark]

Wrong Bush, but...

There were some Houstonians that weren't happy with the Name Changing.  They were content with it being Houston Intercontinental.  But someone wanted to name it after '41.

I am thinking the LHA6 (getting back on topic) may very well be the last generation of Carriers we see.  The giant super carriers like the Enterprise and Nimitz Class ships are really done for.  The only nation that we really need the super carriers for is for use against a possible war with China.  Very unlikely to happen, but you have to keep a WCS around when you do Military planning.

The LHA6 looks like its going to be able to handle everything we use the super carriers for, just smaller and cheaper.  Why devote the resource of a super carrier when the LHA6 can do the same job for less money?  Might even see a few super carriers retired as the LHA6 comes into service.  Given their age, Enterprise, and Nimitz are the first two candidates.  Both could have a permanent berth in Los Angeles and New York City, and power their respective coasts for decades to come.

The LHA6 is a nice ship but it's not half the ship a Nimitz class carrier is. The Nimitz has a much larger air group, more fuel , bombs, AEW aircraft and catapults for larger payloads.  This Nimitz never needs to refuel and are much more effective than the conventionally powered carriers like the JFK.

[Lieutenant_Q]

My point being, is that we don't need the entire Air Group of the Nimitz anymore.  We can use one in Norfolk, one in San Diego, one in Pearl, and probably one in Tokyo.  The missions that the Nimitz Class is performing today, can be performed by the LHA6.  Have a couple in a Mothball/Reserve status in case China decides that they want to start something.  The rest should be decommissioned.

[Just plain old Punisher]

My point being, is that we don't need the entire Air Group of the Nimitz anymore.  We can use one in Norfolk, one in San Diego, one in Pearl, and probably one in Tokyo.  The missions that the Nimitz Class is performing today, can be performed by the LHA6.  Have a couple in a Mothball/Reserve status in case China decides that they want to start something.  The rest should be decommissioned.

No, it can't preform the same mission as a nimitz.

It doesn't have the aircraft capacity, fuel, bombload, or the loiter time of a nuclear powered nimitz.

We're still building new nimitz class carriers.

[IndyShark]

My point being, is that we don't need the entire Air Group of the Nimitz anymore.  We can use one in Norfolk, one in San Diego, one in Pearl, and probably one in Tokyo.  The missions that the Nimitz Class is performing today, can be performed by the LHA6.  Have a couple in a Mothball/Reserve status in case China decides that they want to start something.  The rest should be decommissioned.

Just remember about a third of your fleet is in repair or transit at any one time. Plus shups in mothball status take years to restore to operationn and get the crew up to speed.  We had 4 in OIF, and we could not do that with just 4 carriers. The 4 LHA6's would have about as much firepower as 1 or 1.5 Nimitz class carriers.