"Tester Calls On Navy To Honor State"
By Noelle Straub
Lee Washington Bureau
August 21, 2007
http://www.billingsgazett...tester.txt


USS Montana
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Montana


USS Montana / USS Missoula ca. 1914



"American Flag From USS Missoula Was First To Be Flown At Iwo Jima"
By Vince Devlin
February 20, 2005
MISSOULIAN
http://www.missoulian.com...news01.txt


BB-67 USS MONTANA
http://www.navsource.org/.../01/67.htm

Subs are named after fish and other denizens of the deep. Looks like Sen. Tester missed on this one. Maybe SS Sucker would be fitting.

Tester noted that the current Los Angeles-class submarine USS Helena (SSN 725) bears the name of the state's capital city.

If that is so, the USS Helena (a submarine) isnt named after a fish...Here is a link about the sub....


http://www.navybuddies.co...ssn725.htm

[This message has been edited by Linda Morgan (edited 8/21/2007).]

>>Subs are named after fish and other denizens of the deep. Looks like Sen. Tester missed on this one. Maybe SS Sucker would be fitting.

Interesting set of facts you have there Jay.

http://www.navsource.org/.../06idx.htm

[This message has been edited by Hal Neumann (edited 8/21/2007).]

Go to google (how ships are named) The Helena is a SSN (Neclear) sub. Only Battleships are named after states. Only think Sen. Tester should have done his homework better.

While Sen. Tester is incorrect that the Navy has never had a ship named after the state of Montana (USS Montana ACR-13) there are ships other than battleships that have state names as well as submarines with names other than states. A good history of how ships are names as well as some info on the USS Montana ACR-13

http://www.history.navy.m...aq63-1.htm

http://www.navsource.org/.../acr13.htm

[This message has been edited by RT&JenBo9 (edited 8/21/2007).]

>> Only Battleships are named after states.

Jay, I'm not a naval expert of your caliber . . . I assume that you've informed the Navy the terrible mistake it made with the Ohio Class fleet ballistic missile submarines.

SSGN-726 Ohio
SSBN-727 Michigan
SSGN-728 Florida
SSBN-729 Georgia
SSBN-731 Alabama
SSBN-732 Alaska
SSBN-733 Nevada
SSBN-734 Tennessee
SSBN-735 Pennsylvania
SSBN-736 West Virginia
SSBN-737 Kentucky
SSBN-738 Maryland
SSBN-739 Nebraska
SSBN-740 Rhode Island
SSBN-741 Maine
SSBN-742 Wyoming

Sorry I brought this one up folks. I didn't imagine it would turn political.

I (naively it seems) thought that it was time that Montana had a warship named after it. Gosh knows Montanans have paid their dues over the years, and continue to do so now. I thought what the heck, there's a USS Wyoming, a USS Nebraska . . . why not a USS Montana?

My mistake.

[This message has been edited by Hal Neumann (edited 8/21/2007).]

I stand totally corrected. Only took my info from Google and what I was taught in the Navy. I guess things change in 49 years. OOPS, now everyone knows how old I may be.

I'm sorry I didn't see this thread earlier.

The Navy has used various methods for naming ships (and boats) throughout the years.

I completed my nuclear training on the ex-USS Daniel Webster SSBN 626. This was a Lafayette Class ballistic missile sub that was converted to a moored training ship MTS-626. After graduation, due to a delay in the order cycle, I was temporarily assigned to the ex-USS Samuel Rayburn SSBN 635, also a ballistic missile sub converted to MTS, but was an improved design called the James Madison Class. These two groups were almost entirely named after significant Statesmen in our history.

Most of the Trident (Ohio) Class ballistic missile subs were actually named after States themselves (there was one exception - The Henry M. Jackson) I was never stationed on a "boomer"

I was stationed on the USS Birmingham (SSN-695) - named after and sponsored by the city of Birmingham AL. I was on her almost two years until the decommissioning. This was a First Flight 688 Los Angeles Class boat. Most of these were named after U.S. Cities.

I was then transfered to the USS Columbus (SSN-762) [Columbus Ohio]. She was a 688i (i for improved). The 688i had 12 vertical launch tubes increasing weapons payload without compromising more "people space". We also had a really neat S6G reactor design and several other improvements. I was on Columbus until December 2001.

The Seawolf class was named after three different namesakes. The Seawolf, The Connecticut, and the Jimmy Carter. There were only three of this revolutionary design and research and experience from this class evolved into the Virginia Class.

The Virginia Class, so far, is entirely named after States.

I hope this clarifies a few things. In recent years, subs have been named mostly after Statesmen, Cities or States. Only the Seawolf was a fish, which was the more popular way of naming subs before this era. At the end of the day, a USS Montana would be nifty, and certainly seems plausible given the current pattern.