Navy ships are named by the Secretary of the Navy, who personally approves every name for new construction, conversions, and long-term charter vessels. The authority traces back to an 1819 act of Congress, and while class-based traditions guide most choices, the Secretary is not legally required to follow them. Understanding how Navy ships are named means separating the one statutory rule from the many customs that have grown up around it.
Who Picks the Name
Congress first assigned the naming responsibility in a joint resolution on March 3, 1819, directing 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.”1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 8662 – Naming Every Secretary of the Navy since has continued to exercise that authority.
A 2019 formal instruction, SECNAV Instruction 5031.1D, confirms the Secretary as “the sole entity with authority to approve the name of new construction, conversion, and long-term charter ships” and as the approving authority for the naming convention of any entirely new ship class.2Every CRS Report. Navy Ship Names – Background for Congress The current U.S. Code section on naming, 10 U.S.C. § 8662, is narrower than the 1819 language: it prohibits two Navy vessels from carrying the same name at the same time and authorizes the Secretary to change the name of any vessel purchased by the Navy.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 8662 – Naming
How a Name Reaches the Secretary
Each year the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) puts together a list of primary and alternate name recommendations for the ships in that year’s shipbuilding program. The list draws on the command’s own historical research and on suggestions submitted by service members, veterans, and members of the public. Recommendations move up the chain of command, and the Chief of Naval Operations signs a memorandum forwarding them to the Secretary.3Naval History and Heritage Command. Ship Naming in the United States Navy
The Secretary weighs those recommendations alongside separate suggestions from members of Congress, other government officials, and private citizens. The Navy has encouraged congressional offices to contact the Secretary directly to express support for particular proposals.4Congress.gov. Navy Ship Names – Background for Congress There is no fixed timeline, but a name is typically announced well before the ship’s christening.
Naming Patterns by Ship Class
Most conventions are traditions, not rules. They shift with each Secretary and with the needs of the fleet.
Aircraft Carriers
Modern aircraft carriers usually honor former presidents. Seven of the ten Nimitz-class carriers were named for presidents; the class itself carried the name of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, and CVN-70 was named for Congressman Carl Vinson, widely regarded as the father of the two-ocean Navy. The Gerald R. Ford class continues the presidential pattern, with one break: CVN-81 will be USS Doris Miller, the first carrier named for an African American and the first named for an enlisted sailor honored for his actions as a crew member.5U.S. Navy. Navy Names Future Aircraft Carrier Doris Miller During MLK Jr Day Ceremony
Submarines
Submarine naming has changed more than any other category. Early boats carried fish names. Ballistic missile submarines shifted to state names, a pattern the Columbia class continues. Fast-attack submarines have moved among cities, states, and prominent individuals. USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), a Seawolf-class boat, is one reason no carrier bears that president’s name; the Navy avoids giving the same person two active namesakes.
Destroyers
Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers are generally named for deceased members of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, along with former Secretaries of the Navy. This is one of the fleet’s most consistently observed conventions.
Frigates
The new Constellation-class frigates (FFG-62) take their names from the original six frigates Congress authorized in 1794: United States, Constellation, Constitution, Chesapeake, Congress, and President.6U.S. Navy. SECNAV Names Navy’s Newest Class of FFG(X) Ships
Cruisers and Amphibious Ships
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruisers are named for battles. Amphibious assault ships take names from important battles in which Marines played a prominent role, from famous earlier sailing ships, and from notable World War II-era carriers. San Antonio-class amphibious transport docks are named for major U.S. cities and communities, including cities attacked on September 11, 2001.
Littoral Combat Ships
Littoral Combat Ships are named for regionally significant U.S. cities and communities, though some recent selections have honored individuals.
Support and Auxiliary Vessels
Non-combatants follow their own patterns. Dry cargo and ammunition ships (T-AKEs) honor “legendary American explorers, trailblazers, and pioneers.” Fleet oilers draw on rivers and on individuals significant in maritime and aviation design. Ocean surveillance ships (T-AGOS) receive abstract names meant to convey capability, which is why the fleet includes vessels called Victorious, Impeccable, and Loyal.7Naval History and Heritage Command. Ship Naming Report 2013
The Rules That Are Actually Law
Almost every convention above is tradition. Only two things are legal requirements. First, no two Navy vessels may bear the same name at the same time; once a ship is decommissioned and struck from the Naval Vessel Register, its name becomes available again.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 8662 – Naming The current USS Constitution, still in commission as the Navy’s oldest warship, is the reason no other active vessel can carry that name.
Second, battleships are the one class Congress has locked in by statute: they “shall be named for a State,” with city, place, or personal names allowed only if every state name is already in use.8Congressional Research Service. Navy Ship Names – Background for Congress Because the Navy has not built a new battleship in decades, the provision is largely academic, but it remains the only ship category whose naming rule Congress wrote into law.
Congressional Oversight and Political Pressure
Congress has built one procedural check into the process. Section 1018 of the FY2013 National Defense Authorization Act prohibits the Secretary from announcing or implementing a naming proposal until 30 days after submitting a report on it to the Armed Services Committees of both chambers.8Congressional Research Service. Navy Ship Names – Background for Congress A 2015 attempt to repeal that provision failed.
Congress has also tried, and generally declined, to command specific names. A 2011 House bill would have ordered the Secretary to name a ship after Marine Sergeant Rafael Peralta; the enacted version softened the language to a “sense of Congress” that the Secretary was “encouraged” to do so, preserving his discretion.8Congressional Research Service. Navy Ship Names – Background for Congress
Pressure runs from the White House as well. President Nixon personally decided that CVN-70 would honor Carl Vinson and that CVN-74 would carry Senator John C. Stennis’s name. Between 1970 and 2016, the Navy named 18 ships for people still living at the time of the announcement, with seven of those coming after 2012.
Sponsors and the Christening
The Secretary also selects the ship’s sponsor, the person who christens the vessel by breaking a bottle of champagne against the bow. For ships named after individuals, the Navy tries to identify the eldest living direct female descendant of the namesake. When a ship carries the name of a place, battle, or concept, the customary sponsor is the wife of a senior naval officer or public official.2Every CRS Report. Navy Ship Names – Background for Congress Sponsors keep a lifelong relationship with the ship, often visiting the crew and attending major milestones. The shipbuilder hosts the christening, and the Navy’s Program Executive Office ensures the ceremony follows Navy customs.