L gryphus , fr. Gk gryp -, gryps , fr. Also grif fon . The gryphon is a large, powerful creature. It can take to the sky and soar with its strong and mighty eagle wings.
Sharp eyesight enables it to spot any potential danger from far distances.
The lion body provides muscular force with supple grace to dispatch any foe it encounters. This creature of the air with its excellent sensory equipment, strong propulsion system, and formidable defensive capability seems well suited as a base for a spaceship's name. The name of our vessel, the USS Gryphon , also honors Le Griffon , the first commercial vessel in the New World. Ren Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, built Le Griffon during the summer of 1679 at the mouth of Cayuga Creek, upstream from Niagara Falls on the Niagara River. The barque had two square sails, a high poop, a gilded eagle with spread wings above the quarterdeck, and a silhouetted gryphon springing from its prow.