The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-07-02
USE OF HISTORIC NAMES
Origin Of Those Of United States Ships
Of Battle.


Of Battle.
Syracuse Post-Standard: The navy
Is to be congratulated upon the sense
OF fitness which led to naming our five
new battle cruisers after famous frig-
ates of the first American navy. There
are two reasons why the choice Of
these names is admirable. 1t helps
to perpetuate the memory Of those
staunch fighting ships; it provides
new system of nomenclature when
we are forced to discontinue the old.
1t is the American custom to name
battleships after states, cruisers after
cities, and smaller vessels after noted
commanders Of the past. With the in
crease Of our navy in the last ten
years We have nearly run out of state
names for battleships. Furthermore,
the battle cruiser constitutes an alb
solutely new type of vessel, deserving
Of distinctive nomenclature.
The names chosen for the five YES
sells now building are Ranger, Lexing
ton, Constitution, Constellation and
Saratoga. OF these, perhaps, the Con-
stitution and Ranger are best known.
The Ranger is imm ediately coupled
with the name of John Paul Jones.
The ConstituIion-still afloat, saved
to the country by the famous poem
"Old ronsides to mind our
battle for the freedom Of the seas
against French privateers. against
the Tripolitan pirates, and later
gainst England.
Although the Lexington is not as
well known as those others, it was the
first war vessel bought and manned
under law enacted by the continental
har hn fret
American warship and her commander
John Barry. was the first American
naval officer. It was on October 13,
IT'S. nearly six months after the battle
from which the ship received her name
that the Lexington received orders to
move, and 1t was four months later
that she went into action. For months
she harassed the coasts and shipping
lanes around the British isles, until
capture and Imprisonment Of her
crew ended her career.
The Ranger, which John Paul Jones
called the finest American ship in the
navy, was a thorn in England's side
for months. Her name and that of her
commander were the most hated and
feared upon the English sea coast dur
ing the war.
The Constitution, a 44-gun frigate
constructed under the naval armament
law Of 1894 with five others, among
them the Constellation, was built at
Boston and went into service against
the French privateers In the summer
of 1898 Her capture Of the Guessiere,
and subsequent exploits Of her long
career are well known.
The Constellation, built at Baltimore
under the same act, carried thirty-six
guns and fought through the same
wars as her sister ships.
The Saratoga was a corvette, built
in 1914, carrying twenty-six guns, and
fla gship of the victorious fleet which
Lieutenant Macdonough commanded
in the battle of Lake Champlain, on
September II of that year.
Perhaps the choice Of names given
by the founders Of our navy was not
always the best But the names were
at least picturesque, and their rec
ords were proud We do not need to
seek farther than the old navy lists
of the early years of the republic for
new names. Here are the President,
the Congress, the Chesapeake, the Han
cock, the Reprisal, the Wasp, the indie
pendence, the Montgomery, the War
rem, the Sacham and a score more.
May the gun crews and commanders OF
the new ships live up to the memories
Of their namesakes.