Texas-Sized Bragging Rights: Sub gets ceremonial start with first lady's praise

Newport News Daily Press | July 13, 2002 | Michael Fabey

[ArrogantBustard]

You might also want to vist Norfolk Virginia; we have USS Wisconsin BB64 preserved on the downtown waterfront. She's quite impressive.

[cubreporter]

Two GRAND Ladies... USS Texas and First Lady of the United States Laura Welsh Bush. God bless them both. They do us both proud! One Nation Under God.

[ArrogantBustard]

Just for completeness' sake, here's an artist's rendering of Texas' sister, USS Virginia SSN 774:

[Stand Watch Listen]

Thanks for the pics...appreciate it.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The first few years of Hayden Fry in Iowa City saw "Hook em Hawks" bumper stickers...
I recall listening to one of Hayden's first post game news conferences (after stomping Wisconsin flat as a pancake) and wondering if the state had been partitioned. He referred to the losing team as being from West-consin.

[Gumlegs]

Thanks. I may just do that next time I visit family in Chesapeake. (When we visited the North Carolina's Outer Banks a couple of years ago, I tried to organize an expedition to the U.S.S. North Carolina, but was shot down faster than a Zero in the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.

[Non-Sequitur]

Slip up like that again and we tin can sailors will take away your pirate name.

[ken5050]

Thanks for the pic.....is the Navy returning to some sort of sanity in its "naming policy".....ever since the "dead Admirals" class of frigates, it's been a mess....and it ultimately gave us the USS Jimmy Carter....and the Stennis..which was a big mistake...

Back in WW II, when we had a 1000+ ship Navy, it was easy...BB's were named for states, CV's carried the names of historic US Navy ships ( Lexington, Enterprize, Hornet) cruisers were named for cities, and subs were named for fish....

But at least, we aren't gonna get the USS Bubba, or the USS Slick...maybe, if the Navy evey builds a "honey ship" to pump out the heads from the fleet, we can name it the USS Bill Clinton..

[ArrogantBustard]

In WWII, BB => States, C => Cities, CV => Battles, DD => Warriors, SS => Fish. With a few exceptions, as some carriers were named for earlier ships rather than battles. I don't know what the new naming pattern(s) will be. It's all rather confused right now. I wish they'd return to naming the subs for fish, but fish don't vote. At least naming SSNs for States keeps traditions alive.

AB

[ken5050]

Oddly enough, the Navy's first real deviation with traditional submarine naming was way cool...of course, I refer to the Nautilus.....It couldn't have been anything else....

[bandleader]

"God Bless The USS Texas and All Who Sail In Her",AND GOD BLESS Laura &"W"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I have to agree.

[Non-Sequitur]

Nautilus wasn't really a deviation. A nautilus is a type of mollusk native to the south Pacific and Indian Oceans.

[Moose4]

If you're ever in North Carolina, you can head down to Wilmington and check out the USS North Carolina (BB 55). They've done a fantastic job with preserving the "Showboat".

}:-)4

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Thanks for the warning, matey.

On a pirate ship, they'd wait until ye were asleep and quietly slit yer gizzard. Arrrh!

[Gumlegs]

He's apologized. (Of course, I was a cruiser man, so I don't have quite the personal interest in it that you do).

[Moose4]

Oops, just noticed that you already knew about the North Carolina, sorry. :)

And if your tastes ever run to ships with bigger, flatter decks, come down to Charleston, SC and check out the Patriot's Point Naval Museum, centered around the USS Yorktown.

}:-)4

[ken5050]

I stand suitably in awe of your arcane knowledge...(g)....and, of course, Jules Verne could have named his creation the "Mollusk"

[Gumlegs]

I'd probably enjoy it. I've visited Intrepid in New York numerous times, and when I was in the navy, I visited Constellation and Kitty Hawk. During last year's fleet week, I was aboard JFK. 95,000 tons. Astonishing. (My son demanded a souvenir, so I got him a "Puking Dogs" patch courtesy of the gallant fliers of VF-143).

[tanknetter]

Nautilus wasn't really a deviation. A nautilus is a type of mollusk native to the south Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Not only that, but the first USS Nautilus was a WWII-era submarine with a very impressive combat record:

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-n/ss168.htm