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Ship Naming Conventions 1 word or 2
nrobbiec
Member Posts: 959 Arc User
Sometimes theres an inconsistency in whether ships named after historical figures use both surname and first name or just surname. Im thinking of a ship named after Gabriel Bell but I dont know whether it should be U.S.S. Bell or U.S.S. Gabriel Bell.
Any words of wisdom o wise ones?
Any words of wisdom o wise ones?
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on
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My rule is what sounds best and also conveys the meaning....
Prior to WW2 they used mainly surnames. During WW2 as they started naming ships, especially the smaller mass produced Escort Destroyers after fallen sailors they began using full proper names. Especially where the surname was common. Probably the most famous example is the USS Samuel B. Roberts. The Escort Destroyer that famously fought like a Battleship at the Battle of Samar.
From that same battle you can also see the US Navy's widespread use of 2 word names where they named the Escort Carriers after the locations of historical battles. USS White Plains, USS Gambier Bay, USS Fanshaw Bay, USS St Lo, etc.
The only oddball I can think of in modern navy conventions is the USS The Sullivans, named after five brothers. The reason its an oddball is because it is the only ship with "The" as a legit part of the name.
IRL it depends. The USS Nimitz is named for Chester Nimitz, USS Ronald Reagan , USS John Paul Jones, USS Hancock, and also USS John Hancock.. USS Thach, USS Samuel B Roberts.. choose what works for you.
Either way is fine historically so it's entirely up to you, whatever you like better. I personally stick to surnames when I'm naming after people, but that's just my preference. The only multi-word ship names I have are for ships named after locations (Tun Tavern), battles (Belleau Wood), or TV stuff (U.S.S. Faith of the Heart and I.S.S. Slice of Life), but at the same time with your example I can also see the argument that the full name would better convey who exactly you are referring to. At the end of the day it's your ship, so the only opinion that matters is your own.
Now that I think about it; did we actually had Terran ships named after whats our prime scum like USS Stalin, Hitler, Mao, Kotick but they probably glorify as great progressive leaders?
I'm not sure that the Terran's would name something after The American President that had the fewest uses of the American Military, and the least loss of life through military misadventure, both servicemen and civilians in the 20th Century? (excepting perhaps Harding, who died kind of fast) I mean the only thing Reagan invaded was Grenada for a weekend. His was not the Terran way. Now the Bush's? Terran to the core.
As for multi word names, yes we base a lot of Star Trek off of the US Navy's WW2 era naming conventions, because that was the foremost example in the shows creators minds. But even the US Navy has some long standing unusual names USS bon Homme Richard Has been used 5 times going back to the US Revolution. And the French Tradition for naval names goes in for long flowing multiword names. The Russian Tradition often went for names so long the nameplate had to wrap around the ship.
excuse me, your ignorance and bias are showing. so much for being someone who is enlightened
Or in a Star Trek context Liberty Bell 7. Gus Grissom's Ride.
Used the tier 6 coupon and got myself a Jupiter carrier to bear the name.