It is a rare thing for a naval vessel not to have an alias, whether a pet name that it is known by the crew or a comical, heroic or even a derogatory name that is also known by. Have you got any good ones that you can share? Let’s keep it clean, I can name quite a few that can’t be repeated in this forum but that are very choice but as much as I would like to share them I won’t because I value my membership in this fine forum. Here are a few: USS Oriskany- The Toasty O (for her history of onboard fires) USS Forrestal- USS Forest Fire (same reason) USS Saratoga -The Sorry Sara USS Enterprise- Big E, the Prize (as in booby prize), Mobile Chernobyl USS Ranger- the Stranger (it was never in port) USS Kennedy- the Can Opener (it literally cut a destroyer, may it was the Belknap, in half)
There are plenty more but I have to get back to work on the USS Scranton (Scr*tum) before I am missed.
There’s all sorts of funny names, but one of the best stories related to me was by a sailor on the USS Brinkley Bass, DD-887. It seems that whenever she was in port, sailors from another ship in the DESRON would take a launch or rowboat over and paint out the "B"s on her stern.
subfixer, the kennedy didn’t cut the the belknap in half but collided & caused a fire that destroyed the superstructure of the ship. quote from global security, “While involved in exercises in the Mediterranean Sea, Belknap collided with the John F. Kennedy (CV-67) on 22 November 1975. Seven men on Belknap were killed and 24 injured as well as one man killed on the aircraft carrier. The ensuing fire destroyed the entire superstructure of the guided missile cruiser and she was out of service for a lengthy period while repairs were conducted. She recommissioned 10 May 1980 with flag accommodations built in. She would become flagship of the Sixth Fleet.”
HMS Sheffield: “Shiny Sheff” the WW2 Southhampton Class criuser. Nickamed in honour of the stainless steel fittings it carried. Provided by Sheffield companies these were a change from the usual brass carried by other British naval vessels. After decommissioning many of the fittings were added to the Type 42 destroyer and it kept the name.
Going back to pre-Dreadnought days in the Royal Navy, HMS Royal Sovereign was know as the “Tiddly Quid” - the derivation of which will probably mystify anyone across the pond!
I believe Bonhomme Richard was known as Bonnie Dick, pretty funny. And I was just on a battleship site the other day and an old BB ( Texas?) was referrred to as Old Hoodoo, as in bad luck.
USS Tripoli (LPH 10) - USS Crippoli (as in a cripple). I was with this ship on its last float in the Gulf in 1994. That thing broke down all the time. I’m meaning dead stop in the water. It’s surprising the thing didn’t sink on our deployment. Anyway, what can expect from the ship that survived a sea mine explosion in Desert Storm.
There was “Decrepid” for the USS Intrepid. The USS Kearsarge was also known as the “Qu**rbarge” and the Bluefish was called the Blowfish. (terrible I know) Jeff, the Brinkley Bass one is great! Someone explain Tiddly Quid to me, please, I believe a quid is a pound sterling, but “tiddly”?
While on the USCGC RUSH as part of the Avdet,
(Yes some called it the "RUSH to Nowhere Tour),
The Avdet had to rejoin the ship via US Navy Tug.
As usual the weather was a factor and the safest way for us to get aboard was deemed over the stern.
We all got aboard and later noticed the tug had removed the arm of the ‘R’. . .so it was now USCGC PUSH.
The Avdet thought it was hilarious.
Great conversation-starter! Patrick O’Brien (or O’Brian) mentioned quite a few in the Jack Aubrey novels. The eighteenth century HMS Bellerophon was called Bully Ruffian. Perhaps that’s where the aforementioned Belly Ruffin came from. I was on the Antietam out of Pensacola NAS. As she was the first carrier with an angled flight deck (for simultaneous launch and recovery) she was often referred to as the Angle A. More nobly, we called her The Grey Lady of the Gulf. And I remember the Forrestal acquiring the Forest Fire moniker but she was also dubbed USS Zippo!
Two of the four ships I served on had nicknames. They were the “Bachi” for the USS Suribachi (AE-21), the “Guad” or semi-offically the “Golden Guad” (we never thought it “Golden”) for the USS Guadalcanal (LPH-7).
We called the USNS Waccamaw (AOT-109) the “Wack em all” after she collided with several ships while refueling in the Med during 81-82. One of the ships she collided with was the Guad while I was on her in 81.
During the early 80’s we called the USS Vulcan (AR-5) “Building 5, Pier 5”, as she NEVER seemed to move from her mooring spot at the head of Pier 5.
Tiddly (or Tiddley) is RN slang for neat or smart. A sailor’s Number One uniform would be his “Tiddly suit”.
A quid is one pound sterling, or in the days before paper money, a gold sovereign.
BTW, HMS Daedalus, the Royal Navy Air Station at Lee on the Solent, near Portsmouth, was always known to us Air Force types as HMS Dead-loss. Don’t know if the RN called it the same!
Being an ex Lex Brat, I heard a few about the Lexington during conversations between old crewmembers.
Sexy Lexy
Lead Barge
Razorblade Maid
Lady Lex
The Lex
Lex
Sweet 16
Sexy 16
The Rustington
An interesting nickname that the shakedown cruise after the SCB125 conversion was called the “Puberty Cruise”. Since the old Essex Class carrier was now more mature, got a new figure, and was a little top heavy.
Don’t forget the “Mightly Moo”
I have a friend who was on the Shangri-La on one of her last cruises and she was apparently known as “sh!**y sh!**y Shang Shang”