Ship Naming

On March 3, 1819 an act of Congress formally placed the responsibility for assigning names to the Navy's ships in the hands of the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), a prerogative which he still exercises. This act stated that "all of the ships, of the Navy of the United States, now building, or hereafter to be built, shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President of the United States, according to the following rule, to wit: those of the first class shall be called after the States of this Union; those of the second class after the rivers; and those of the third class after the principal cities and towns; taking care that no two vessels of the navy shall bear the same name." The last-cited provision remains in the United States Code today.

The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) remains the sole entity with authority to approve the name of new construction, conversion, and long-term charter ships. The SECNAV is also the authority for approving the naming convention for new ship classes. The ship and class name should reflect the diverse history of our country and the maritime services and be based on the naming convention and historical precedence for previous ships, capability, or mission.

A 3 June 2022 Press Release from the Secretary of the Navy Public Affairs stated, “WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro announced today that the first ship in the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) will be officially named USS District of Columbia (SSBN-826).

The decision to name SSBN-826 is to alleviate any name conflicts with the already- commissioned USS Columbia (SSN 771). §10 U.S.C. 8662(a) states that not more than one vessel of the Navy may have the same name.

The Columbia program was named in 2016 with the lead ship projected to enter service in 2027, consequently overlapping with the existing USS Columbia (SSN 771). SSBN-826 will be named after the nation’s capital while SSN 771 is named after cities in South Carolina, Missouri, and Illinois named Columbia, following the naval tradition of SSNs being named after U.S. cities.

The District of Columbia is rich with naval history. The Washington Navy Yard is our oldest shore facility. Marines like Montford Point Marine Herman Darden and Brigadier General Anthony Henderson and Sailors like Yeoman Charlotte Louise Berry Winters and Medal of Honor Recipient First Class Fireman John Rush were born and raised in D.C.,” said Del Toro. “This is why I prefer to call D.C. not just our nation’s capital, but instead, our naval capital. The naming of the USS District of Columbia honors this.

The future USS District of Columbia’s (SSBN-826) keel laying ceremony will take place on June 4, 2022 at General Dynamics Electric Boat in Quonset Point, R.I. The ship’s sponsors are District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser.”