During WWII the Navy maintained a rather ridged scheme for naming their ships. Battleships = States,(Iowa, West Virginia). Heavy cruiser = Large U.S. cities (Los Angele,
Indianapolis). Light cruisers = small U.S. cities (Boise, Duluth) Destroyers & DEs, = former personnel of the Navy or Marine Corp usually, but not always those that had been decorated for heroism. Carriers = Ships or Battles of the American Revolution (Ranger, Bonhomme Richard, Yorktown or Saratoga). Carriers were the first class of ships to break the name rules, Shangra-La, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Midway.
Escort carriers were named for geographical features such as Sitkoh Bay, Gambier Bay, Savo Island, Makin Island.
Hospital ships were named for their purpose, Solice, Mercy,
Comfort. Ammunition ships were named for thing that blow up, Nitro, Pyro, Mt. Baker, Kilauea. Fleet oiler were named for medium and small size rivers in the U.S., Platte, Ponchatoula, Ashtabula. Fleet tugs were named for American Indian tribes such as Abnaki, Molala. This naming scheme was followed closely during the Second World War but after the war in the 50s things changed and the names of Naval vessels became sort of a political football in some cases.
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