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A Note on Navy Ship Name Prefixes

The prefix "USS" meaning "United States Ship," is used in official documents to identify a commissioned ship of the Navy. It applies to a ship while she is in commission. Before commissioning, or after decommissioning, she is referred to by name, with no prefix. Civilian-manned ships of the Military Sealift Command (MSC) are not commissioned ships; their status is "in service," rather than "in commission." They are, nonetheless, Navy ships in active national service, and the prefix "USNS" (United States Naval Ship) was adopted to identify them. Other Navy vessels classified as "in service" are simply identified by their name (if any) and hull number, with no prefix.

Into the early years of the 20th century there was no fixed form for Navy ship prefixes. Ships were rather haphazardly identified, in correspondence or documents, by their naval type (U.S. Frigate ____), their rig (United States Barque ____), or their function (United States Flag-Ship ______). They might also identify themselves as "the Frigate _____," or, simply, "Ship ______." The term "United States Ship," abbreviated "USS," is seen as early as the late 1790s; it was in frequent, but far from exclusive, use by the last half of the 19th century.

In 1907 President Theodore Roosevelt issued an Executive order that established the present usage:

In order that there shall be uniformity in the matter of designating naval vessels, it is hereby directed that the official designation of vessels of war, and other vessels of the Navy of the United States, shall be the name of such vessel, preceded by the words, United States Ship, or the letters U.S.S., and by no other words or letters. --Executive Order 549, 8 January 1907.

Today's Navy Regulations define the classification and status of naval ships and craft:

1. The Chief of Naval Operations shall be responsible for ... the assignment of classification for administrative pur- poses to water-borne craft and the designation of status for each ship and service craft. ....
2. Commissioned vessels and craft shall be called "United States Ship" or "U.S.S."
3. Civilian manned ships, of the Military Sealift Command or other commands, designated "active status, in service" shall be called "United States Naval Ship" or "U.S.N.S."
4. Ships and service craft designated "active status, in service," except those described by paragraph 3 of this article, shall be referred to by name, when assigned, classification, and hull number (e.g., "HIGH POINT PCH-1" or "YOGN-8").
-- United States Navy Regulations, 1990, Article 0406.

Some, but apparently not all, other navies also use prefixes with their ships' names. Perhaps the best known of these is "HMS" (His or Her Majesty's Ship), long used by the Royal Navy. In earlier times this was also seen as "HBMS," for "His Britannic Majesty's Ship." British Empire/Commonwealth navies used their own versions of this, inserting their own nationalities, such as HMCS for Canada, HMNZS for New Zealand, or HMAS for Australia. The Royal Saudi Naval Forces also use "HMS." Argentina uses "ARA" (Armada de la Republic Argentina); the Philippine Navy identifies its ships as "BRP" (Barka ng Republika ng Pilipinas). The Imperial German Navy used "SMS" (Seine Majestäts Schiff); the World War II Kriegsmarine does not appear to have used a prefix, but the modern Bundesmarine uses "FGS" (Federal German Ship). India and Israel both use "INS" to mean Indian Naval Ship or Israeli Navy Ship. Lebanon and Tunisia, on the other hand, do not use any nationality prefix.

29 September 1997

Commissioning Pennant

The act of placing a ship in commission marks her entry into active Navy service. At the moment when the commissioning pennant is broken at the masthead, a ship becomes a Navy command in her own right, and takes her place alongside the other active ships of the Fleet.

This ceremony continues a tradition some three centuries old, observed by navies around the world, and by our own Navy since December 1775, when Alfred, the first ship of the Continental Navy, was commissioned at Philadelphia. Once in commission, the commanding officer and crew are entrusted with the privilege, and the responsibility, of maintaining their ship’s readiness in peace, and of conducting successful operations at sea in time of war.

No written procedure for commissioning was laid down in our Navy’s early days, but the act of commissioning was familiar, derived from established British naval custom. Commissionings were simple military ceremonies. The prospective commanding officer came on board, called the crew to quarters, and formally read the orders appointing him to command. He then ordered the ensign and the commissioning pennant hoisted; at that moment the ship went into commission, and the first entry in the ship’s deck log recorded this. First logs from a sizable number of early Navy ships did not survive and, since commissionings were not surrounded by any public fanfare, they were not written up in the press. We thus cannot know exactly when many of the Navy’s first ships were first commissioned; all that can sometimes be known is when a particular ship first put to sea.

The commissioning pennant is the distinguishing mark of a commissioned Navy ship. A commissioning pennant is a long streamer in some version of the national colors of the Navy that flies it. The American pennant is blue at the hoist, bearing seven white stars; the rest of the pennant consists of single longitudinal stripes of red and white. The pennant is flown at all times as long as a ship is in commissioned status, except when a flag officer or civilian official is embarked and flies his personal flag in its place.

Ships' commissioning programs often include a story about the origin of the commissioning pennant. As it goes, during the first of three 17th-century Anglo-Dutch naval wars (1652-54) the Dutch Admiral Maarten Tromp put to sea with a broom at his masthead, symbolizing his intention to sweep the English from the sea. His British opponent, Admiral Robert Blake, two-blocked a coachwhip to show his determination to whip the Dutch fleet. Blake won; in commemoration of his victory a streamerlike pennant, called a "coachwhip pennant" from its long, narrow form, became the distinguishing mark of naval ships.

This is an interesting anecdote. As with so many other stories, though, nothing has ever been found to prove it. Researchers in England have tried to verify the tale, but without success. The actual origin of the commissioning pennant appears to be a bit more prosaic.

Narrow pennants of this kind go back several thousand years. They appear in ancient Egyptian art, and were flown from ships' mastheads and yardarms from, at least, the Middle Ages; they appear in medieval manuscript illustrations and Renaissance paintings. Professional national navies began to take form late in the 17th Century. All ships at that time were sailing ships, and it was often difficult to tell a naval ship from a merchantman at any distance. Navies began to adopt long, narrow pennants, to be flown by their ships at the mainmast head to distinguish themselves from merchant ships. This became standard naval practice.

Earlier American commissioning pennants bore 13 white stars in their blue hoist. A smaller 7-star pennant was later introduced for use in the bows of captains' gigs, and was flown by the first small submarines and destroyers. This principle even carried over into the national ensign; bigger ships flew the conventional flag of their time, while small boats used a 13-star "boat flag" which was also flown by early submarines and destroyers since the standard Navy ensigns of that day were too big for them. The 13 stars in boat flags and in earlier pennants doubtless commemorated the original 13 states of the Union. The reason behind the use of 7 stars is less obvious, and was not recorded, though the number 7 has positive connotations in Jewish and Christian symbology. On the other hand, it may simply have been an aesthetic choice on the part of those who specified the smaller number.

Until the early years of this century flags and pennants were quite large, as is seen in period pictures of naval ships. By 1870, for example, the largest Navy pennant had an 0.52-foot hoist (the maximum width) and a 70-foot length, called the fly; the biggest ensign at that time measured 19 by 36 feet.

As warships took on distinctive forms and could no longer be easily mistaken for merchantmen, flags and pennants continued to be flown, but began to shrink to a fraction of their earlier size. This process was accelerated by the proliferation of electronic antennas through the 20th Century. The biggest commissioning pennant now has a 2.5-inch hoist and a 6-foot fly, while the largest shipboard ensign for daily service use is 5 feet by 9 feet 6 inches (larger "holiday ensigns" are flown on special occasions).

10 April 2001

Today's Educational Sources:

Information courtesy of the US Navy
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq63-1.htm
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

http://www.mariner.org/

Clic here for a summary and Ship Naming Chart.

Good Morninng, Snippy.

I used to know the "rules" of Navy ship naming conventions during WWII. Now a days it sure seems more a "what do I feel like doing today" type system.

Our Military Today
Visiting the Troops

A soldier with the 101st Airborne Division escorts chlidren from the Alquosh Orphanage across the field sight in Mosul, Iraq, June 17. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Luis Lazzara

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage spend a day with 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq, June 17. During their visit they were given a tour of the field site, and time to meet and play with the soldiers. The soldiers took time to show the children their regular physical training program, and allow them to participate. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Luis Lazzara

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage spend a day with 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq, June 17. During their visit they were given a tour of the field site, and time to meet and play with the soldiers. Here a soldier plays keep away with the children. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Luis Lazzara

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage spend a day with 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq, June 17. During their visit they were given a tour of the field site, and time to meet and play with the soldiers. Here a soldier assist one of the children in performing some dips. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Luis Lazzara

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage spend a day with 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq, June 17. During their visit they were given a tour of the field site, and time to meet and play with the soldiers. Here a soldier plays keep away with the children. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Luis Lazzara

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage spend a day with 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq, June 17. During their visit they were given a tour of the field site, and time to meet and play with the soldiers. This little boy runs around to all the soldiers, salutes them and thanks them for their time. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Luis Lazzara

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage tour and exercise with troops from the 3rd Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) June 17 in Mosul, Iraq. This is one of the many ongoing missions of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kieran Moore

Children of the Alquosh Orphanage tour a mobile kitchen trailer with troops from the 3rd Battalion 502nd Infantry Regiment 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) June 17 in Mosul, Iraq. This is one of the many ongoing missions of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) during Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kieran Moore

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on June 27:
1462 Louis XII (the Just) king of France (1498-1515)
1550 Charles IX king of France (1560-74)
1682 Charles XII king of Sweden (1697-1718)
1838 Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Bengali novelist (Anandamath)
1846 Charles Stewart Parnell Ireland, nationalist
1850 Ivan Vazov Bulgaria, poet/novelist/playwright (Under the Yoke)
1850 Lafcadio Hearn US, journalist/author (Chita)
1862 May Irwin US comedienne/singer (A Hot Time in the Old Town)
1869 Emma Goldman anarchist/publisher (Mother Earth)
1872 Paul Laurence Dunbar Dayton Oh, short story writer (Majors & Minors)
1880 Helen Keller blind-deaf author/lecturer had more sense than many
1900 Otto E Passman (Rep-D-La, 1947-77)
1907 John McIntire Spokane Ws, actor (Naked City, Wagon Train, Virginian)
1907 Valerie Cossart London, actress (The Hartmans)
1912 Audrey Christie Chic Ill, actress (Dorothy-Fair Exchange)
1913 Willie Mosconi world champion pool player (1941-57)
1914 Giorgio Almirante Italy, fascist (member of parliament (1948-87))
1918 Adolph Kiefer US, 100m backstroke swimmer (Olympic-gold-1936)
1920 I.A.L. Diamond screenwriter (1960 Acad Award-The Apartment)
1922 George Walker Washington DC, composer (In Praise of Lillies)
1923 Paul F Conrad Cedar Rapids Iowa, cartoonist (Pulitzer 1964, 71, 84)
1927 Bob Keeshan aka Capt Kangaroo/Clarabelle (Good Morning Captain)
1927 Robert Casey Rochester NY, actor (Henry-Aldrich Family Show)
1930 H Ross Periot Texas billionaire (tries to take over corps)
1930 Tamio Kono US, weightlifter (Olympic-gold-1952)
1933 Gary Crosby son of Bing, actor (Which Way to the Front)
1934 Anna Moffo Wayne Penn, soprano (or 1932)
1937 Joseph P Allen IV Crawfordsville Ind, PhD/astronaut (STS-5, STS 51A)
1938 Bruce E Babbitt (Gov-D-AL)
1942 Bruce Johnston rocker (Beachboys-In My Room)
1944 Patrick Sercu Belgium, 1K time trial (Olympic-gold-1964)
1945 Norma Kamali NYC, dress designer (Costumes for the Wiz)
1950 Benjamin Peterson US, heavyweight boxer (Olympic-gold-1972)
1950 Julia Duffy Minneapolis Mn, actress (Stephanie-Newhart, Baby Talk)
1951 Sidney M Gutierrez Albuquerque NM, Major USAF/astronaut (STS 40)
1951 Ulf Andersson Sweden, International Chess Grandmaster (1972)
1955 Isabelle Adjani Paris, actress (Story of Adele H, Driver, Ishtar)
197- Robby Rosa singer (Menudo)/actor (Salsa)

Deaths which occurred on June 27:
444 Cyrillus van Alexandria, patriarch of Alexandria, dies
1458 Alfonso V, King of Aragon/Sicily/Naples (Alfonso I), dies
1776 - Thomas Hickey, American sergeant convicted of treason, hanged
1829 James Smithson dies, his will established Smithsonian Institute
1836 - James Madison, 4th US pres (1809-17), dies in Montpelier Va at 85
1844 Joseph & Hyrum Smith Mormon leaders killed by a mob in Carthage Ill
1973 Ernest Truex actor (Pop-Pete & Gladys, Mr Peepers), dies at 73
1975 - Rod Serling, writer/host (Twilight Zone, Night Gallery), dies at 50
1980 Steve Peregrin Took percussionist (T-Rex), dies at 31
1982 Jack Mullaney actor (My Living Doll, It's About Time), dies at 49
1983 Maxie Anderson & Don Ida balloonists, die during a race
1986 Don Rogers of the Cleveland Browns, dies of cocaine poisoning
1991 Klas Bruinsma, leader criminal organization, murdered

Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 JACKSON CARL E. NATCHITOCHES LA.
[EXPLODE MID AIR NE SAIGON]
1965 ROTH BILLIE L. LACON IL.
[EXPLODE MID AIR NE SIAGON]
1966 SMITH GENE A. SALT LAKE CITY UT.
[REMAINS RETURNED 03/23/89]
1968 GIAMMERINO VINCENT F. NEW YORK NY.
1969 JABLONSKI MICHAEL J. CHICAGO IL.
[DROWNED IN RIVER]
1972 BAKER DAVID E. HUNTINGTON NY.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY PRG, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 CERAK JOHN P. CLAYTON NJ.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 DINGEE DAVID B. OLD GREENWICH CT.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE IN 98]
1972 FRANCIS RICHARD L. BARTLESVILLE OK.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE 98]
1972 HANTON THOMAS J. SANTA MONICA CA.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 MC DOW RICHARD H. COLUMBIANA AL.
[03/28/73 RELEASED BY DRV, ALIVE AND WELL 98]
1972 SULLIVAN FARRELL J. CADDO MILLS TX.
["POSS DEAD, HANOI PRESS REMAINS RETURNED 06/03/83"]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
678 St Agatho begins his reign as Catholic Pope
1461 - Edward IV crowned king of England
1519 - King Carlos I elected Roman Catholic German emperor Charles V
1542 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claims California for Spain
1693 1st woman's magazine "The Ladies' Mercury" published (London)
1743 English defeat French at Dettingen
1778 - Liberty Bell came home to Phila after the British had left
1806 Buenos Aires captured by British
1833 Prudence Crandall, a white woman, arrested for conducting an academy for black females at Canterbury Conn
1847 NY & Boston linked by telegraph wires
1857 H Goldschmidt discovers asteroid #45 Eugenia
1862 Day 3 of the 7 Days-Battle of Gaines' Mill
1864 Atlanta Campaign-Battle of Kennesaw Mountain
1867 Bank of Calif opens doors
1876 1st NLer to get 6 hits in 9 inn game (Dave Force, Phila Athletics)
1884 J Palisa discovers asteroid #237 Coelestina
1914 US signs treaty of commerce with Ethiopia
1915 100ø F (38ø C), Fort Yukon, Alaska (state record)
1917 1st baseball player (Hank Gowdy) to enter WW I military service
1922 Newberry Medal 1st presented for kids literature (Hendrik Van Loon)
1929 1st color TV demo (NYC)
1930 P Parchomenko discovers asteroid #1166 Sakuntala
1934 Federal Savings & Loan Association created
1939 1st night game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium (Indians 5, Tigers 0)
1939 Brooklyn Dodgers tie Boston Braves, 2-2, in 23 innings
1940 USSR returns to the Gregorian calendar
1942 FBI captures 8 Nazi saboteurs from a sub off NY's Long Island
1944 Cherbourg, France captured by Allies
1949 W Baade discovers asteroid #1566 Icarus
1950 Pres Truman orders Air Force & Navy into Korean conflict
1950 UN Security Council calls on members for troops to aid South Korea
1950 US sends 35 military advisers to South Vietnam
1951 M Itzigsohn discovers asteroid #1588 Descamisada
1954 1st atomic power station opens (Obninsk, near Moscow, Russia)
1954 CIA-sponsored rebels overthrow elected government of Guatemala
1955 1st automobile seat belt legislation enacted (Illinois)
1956 Indians trailing Orioles 9-1 come back to win 12-11 in 11 innings
1957 390 die by Hurricane Audrey in coastal La & Tx
1958 Billy Pierce's perfect game bid broken with 2 outs in 9th
1960 British Somaliland becomes part of Somalia
1960 Chlorophyll "A" synthesized Cambridge Mass
1962 NASA civilian pilot Joseph Walker takes X-15 to 6,606 kph, 37,700 m
1963 Bill J Kramer & Dakotas record Lennon & McCartney "I Call Your Name"
1963 Pres Kennedy spent 1st full day in Ireland
1963 USAF Major Robert A Rushworth in X-15 reaches 86,900 m
1966 1st sci-fi soap opera, "Dark Shadows," premiers
1966 4th Mayor's Trophy Game; Yanks beat Mets 5-2
1967 Race riot in Buffalo NY (200 arrested)
1969 50,000 attend Denver Pop Festival
1969 Police raid the Stonewall Gay Bar in Greenwich Village, NY, about 400 to 1,000 patrons riot against the police, it lasts 3 days
1971 T Smirnova discovers asteroid #2121 Sevastopol
1973 John W Dean tells Watergate Committee about Nixon's "enemies list"
1977 5-4 Supreme Court decision allows lawyers to advertise
1977 Djibouti gains independence from France (National Day)
1978 Henry Rono of Kenya sets record for 3,000 m, 7:32.1
1978 Soyuz 30 carries 2 cosmonauts (1 Polish) to Salyut 6 space station
1978 US Seasat 1, 1st oceanographic satellite, launched into polar orbit
1980 Dodger's Jerry Reuss' no-hits SF Giants 8-0
1982 4th Space Shuttle Mission-Columbia 4 launched
1983 Highest price paid for painting by a living artist-œ960,200-Mir¢
1983 Maxie Anderson & Don Ida die during a balloon race
1983 NASA launches space vehicle S-205
1983 Soyuz T-9 carries 2 cosmonauts to Salyut 7 space station
1984 Supreme Court ends NCAA monopoly on college football telecasts
1985 1st hotel strike in NY
1986 Anne White shocks Wimbeldon by wearing only a body stocking
1986 In referendum, Irish uphold ban on divorce
1986 Robby Thompson (SF) sets record, caught stealing 4 times in 1 game
1986 US informs New Zealand it will not defend it against attack
1986 World Court rules US aid to Nicaraguan contras illegal
1987 Supreme Court Justice Powell retires
1988 Mike Tyson KOs Michael Spink in 91 seconds, in Atlantic City ($67m)
1990 Jos‚ Canseco signs record $4,700,000 per year Oak A's contract
1990 Salman Rushdie, condemned to death by Iran, contributes $8600 to help their earthquake victims
1993 NY Met pitcher Anthony Young loses record 24th straight game

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

Iowa : Independence Sunday (1776) - - - - - ( Sunday )
Newfoundland : Discovery Day (1497-John Cabot) - - - - - ( Monday )
National Fink Day. Reach out & tweak someone

Religious Observances
Christian : Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help
RC : Memorial of Cyril of Alexandria, bishop & doctor (opt)
Christian : Commem of St Ladislas I (St Lazlo), king of Hungary

Religious History
1299 In his encyclical 'Scimus fili,' Pope Boniface VIII claimed that Scotland owed allegiance to the Catholic Church.
1739 English revivalist George Whitefield wrote in a letter: 'Christ's servants have always been the world's fools.'
1760 English founder of Methodism John Wesley wrote in a letter: 'Every one, though born of God in an instant, yet undoubtedly grows by slow degrees.'
1844 Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormons, and his brother Hyrum were lynched by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, resulting in part from the community's moral outrage at Smith's recent authorization of polygamous Mormon marriages.
1961 In England, Arthur Michael Ramsey was enthroned as the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury, the principal see of the Established Church of England.

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"Eat a live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."

Good Morning Everybody.

You Know The Drill
Click the Pics J

I'm testing out a new idea for the coffee and donuts post. Now when you click on the graphics a list should appear in a new window. You may make your own selections of what you want to hear. Let me know if you like it. Thanks.

Coffee & Donuts J

Very interesting theme snippy. Thanks.

I served in the USS Piedmont (AD-17), a Destroyer Tender.

AD's were named after geographical regions of the US. The PIEDMONT was a Dixie class tender. There were three AD's operating within out of San Diego during my era. The DIXIE, PRAIRIE, and PIEDMONT. Each took a rotation 6 month WESTPAC cruise, followed by 9 months in our homeport.

A late 60's built AD, the SAMUEL GOMPERS, was I believe the first AD to bear a name of an individual vs. a geographical area.

My former "home"...

Hey Snip & Sam~

Quick question . . . the USS Ranger (see photo) has an interesting painting configuration on the port side. What's that all about? Thanks.

In Volume III of my Dragon's Fury Series of novels about a near future World War III, I have special dispensation and directives developed and the new CVX, when it is launched, is christened the U.S.S. Shanksville, CVN 93,

In addition to the many other innovations already planned for that new carrier, a bank of four new SUB-CIWS (Sub-surface Close in Weapon System) stations are added below the surface on each side added to counter the devastating supercavitating weapon the PRC has developed in the series.

Great post today, Snippy!
And I thought I knew a lot about naming ships before today...I always learn how much I don't know when I fall in to the Foxhole...