A Los Angeles class USS Marblehead

Blair152

Banned
OTL, there have been three ships named USS Marblehead between 1861 and
1945. With a POD of 1981, what if there was a Los Angeles class submarine
named after Marblehead, Massachusetts?
 
Relatively minor

Ship names seldom make a big difference in their actions, although they do make a difference in their fate after their duty is over, sometimes. If Massachusetts had been named USS Vermont, she's unlikely to have survived, since Vermont has no way to bring her home.

USS Missouri may be an exception, since IIRC, Truman directly arranged for the surrender of Japan to be held onher decks.

To get a major ship named after Marblehead in this day and age, with a 1981 or later POD, there probably has to be a politician from Marblehead who needs some major strking to get a vote from. It seems that ship names are political these days--which infuriates me. USS Ronald Reagan, USS George Bush, USS Jimmy Carter--all named after current politicians who weren't even dead when the ships were named. And--the presidents involved weren't even widely condidered to be great presidents.

Alternatively, have an earlier POD that has an earlier USS Marblehead taking her place alongside of ships like USS Johnston, Intrepid, Gambier Bay, Yorktown, etc...
 
If you're referring to World War 2, the last USS Marblehead, an Omaha-class light cruiser, fought in the Atlantic.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
The TOTAL possible difference is that some other city winds up without a namesake boat.
 

Blair152

Banned
Ship names seldom make a big difference in their actions, although they do make a difference in their fate after their duty is over, sometimes. If Massachusetts had been named USS Vermont, she's unlikely to have survived, since Vermont has no way to bring her home.

USS Missouri may be an exception, since IIRC, Truman directly arranged for the surrender of Japan to be held onher decks.

To get a major ship named after Marblehead in this day and age, with a 1981 or later POD, there probably has to be a politician from Marblehead who needs some major strking to get a vote from. It seems that ship names are political these days--which infuriates me. USS Ronald Reagan, USS George Bush, USS Jimmy Carter--all named after current politicians who weren't even dead when the ships were named. And--the presidents involved weren't even widely condidered to be great presidents.

Alternatively, have an earlier POD that has an earlier USS Marblehead taking her place alongside of ships like USS Johnston, Intrepid, Gambier Bay, Yorktown, etc...
Ted Kennedy, the former Senator from Massachusetts, probably would have been willing to do it, if one of his constituents had asked him to do it.
We're not talking about surface ship here, (Aegis cruiser, etc.), I'm talking
about a Los Angeles class submarine. Hull number SSN-688. Back in 1997,
when the USS Constitution was testing her new sails, there was serious talk of possibly having another ship named USS Marblehead.
 

Blair152

Banned
If you're referring to World War 2, the last USS Marblehead, an Omaha-class light cruiser, fought in the Atlantic.
I am. Read Edwin P. Hoyt's The Lonely Ships. It says that in 1942, she was
with the Pacific Fleet, and then detached to the Asiatic Fleet. There's a chapter in The Lonely Ships called Ordeal of the Marblehead. Maybe she fought in the Atlantic later in 1942, but in early 1942, she was in the Asiatic
Fleet. If you don't believe me, feel free to check the article about the Asiatic
Fleet at wikipedia at www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic Fleet .
 

Blair152

Banned
If you're referring to World War 2, the last USS Marblehead, an Omaha-class light cruiser, fought in the Atlantic.
I am. Read Edwin P. Hoyt's The Lonely Ships. It says that in 1942, she was
with the Pacific Fleet, and then detached to the Asiatic Fleet. There's a chapter in The Lonely Ships called Ordeal of the Marblehead. Maybe she fought in the Atlantic later in 1942, but in early 1942, she was in the Asiatic
Fleet. If you don't believe me, feel free to check the article about the Asiatic
Fleet at wikipedia at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asiatic Fleet.
 

Blair152

Banned
If you're referring to World War 2, the last USS Marblehead, an Omaha-class light cruiser, fought in the Atlantic.
I am. Read Edwin P. Hoyt's The Lonely Ships. It says that in 1942, she was
with the Pacific Fleet, and then detached to the Asiatic Fleet. There's a chapter in The Lonely Ships called Ordeal of the Marblehead. Maybe she fought in the Atlantic later in 1942, but in early 1942, she was in the Asiatic
Fleet. If you don't believe me, feel free to check the article about the Asiatic
Fleet at wikipedia at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AsiaticFleet.
 
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