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  [Discuss] Navy names ships for astronauts (Page 1)

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Author Topic:   [Discuss] Navy names ships for astronauts
Robert Pearlman
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From: Houston, TX
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posted 04-21-2012 07:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Robert Pearlman   Click Here to Email Robert Pearlman     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Editor's note: In an effort to keep the topics ...focused on status updates, reader's feedback and opinions are directed to this thread.

Please use this topic to discuss the Navy's naming of its ships after astronauts.

yeknom-ecaps
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From: Northville MI USA
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posted 01-21-2006 05:44 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great news! Maybe a Mercury 7 fleet in the works. US Navy already had USS John Young (though not for the astronaut). You can even find STS-1 launch covers with a USS John Young cancel and ship emblem applied as the cachet.

fabfivefreddy
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From: Leawood, Kansas USA
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posted 01-21-2006 12:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for fabfivefreddy   Click Here to Email fabfivefreddy     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
When they get to Grissom, will it be called "unsinkable"?

East-Frisian
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From: Germany
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posted 01-21-2006 12:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for East-Frisian     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
You are not very kind in this message.

mdmyer
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From: Humboldt KS USA
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posted 01-21-2006 04:23 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for mdmyer   Click Here to Email mdmyer     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Just a little humor. Sometimes we don't have enough of that in our lives.

ejectr
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From: Killingly, CT
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posted 01-21-2006 04:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The Admiral would have loved it...

yeknom-ecaps
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From: Northville MI USA
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posted 01-21-2006 04:37 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Shepard will have a ship, Grissom and Onizuka have had AFB named for them. Any others?

McAullife and Chaffee had planetariums named after them. Any others?

ApolloAlex
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From: Yeovil, England
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posted 01-21-2006 07:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ApolloAlex   Click Here to Email ApolloAlex     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Fitting tribute, simple as.

karonadams
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Posts: 16
From: Chattanooga TN, USA
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 01-25-2006 10:06 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for karonadams   Click Here to Email karonadams     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by fabfivefreddy:
When they get to Grissom, will it be called "unsinkable"?
Hey! let us not forget, it was Gus himself who named his Gemini spacecraft the Molly Brown! Of course, after that, NASA banned naming spacecraft until they had to do so for the Apollo program so they could distinguish between command and lunar modules.

Gus certainly had a sense of humor about being unsinkable. Certainly we may do so as well.

yeknom-ecaps
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From: Northville MI USA
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posted 02-02-2006 01:58 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for yeknom-ecaps   Click Here to Email yeknom-ecaps     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The designation is USNS Alan Shepard not the USS Alan Shepard.

The Department of the Navy announced January 20, 2006 the naming of the Navy's newest combat logistics force underway replenishment naval vessel, USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3), to honor the first American in space, Rear Adm. Alan B. Shepard Jr.

USNS Alan Shepard, being built in San Diego by General Dynamics' National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, will be 689 feet long and 106 feet wide; and able to carry 41,187 metric tons of cargo, a maximum of 26,000 barrels of fuel and 1.38 million square feet of cargo. The diesel-electric-drive ship will have a range of 14,000 miles at a speed of 20 knots.

As part of the Naval Fleet Auxiliary Force, the ship will be designated a USNS ship. The term stands for United States Naval Ship. Unlike their United States Ship (USS) counterparts, USNS vessels are manned primarily by civilian crews working for the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command, Washington, D.C.

divemaster
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From: ridgefield, ct
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posted 06-14-2006 08:41 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for divemaster   Click Here to Email divemaster     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I sure hope that when it's christened, that they find spray painted "USS Wally Schirra" over it's namesake. The ultimate gotcha!

After all, it's being built in Wally's backyard.

Scrapyard Ape
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From: Somewhere in Florida
Registered: May 2006

posted 06-21-2006 11:01 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Scrapyard Ape     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
While I would like to have seen a carrier named after Alan Shepard, I know the chances are/were slim... even with the next generation of large aircraft carriers.

MarylandSpace
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posted 06-21-2006 01:24 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for MarylandSpace   Click Here to Email MarylandSpace     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I hope that you all get a chance to say hello to Shepard's daughter (I think her name is Laura) at the launch.

She was just beaming and so proud to represent the family at this year's AHOF Astronauts Scholarhip Foundation dinner in May.

FFrench
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From: San Diego
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posted 12-07-2006 12:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for FFrench     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Local media coverage: Here's a GREAT sound and images slideshow of the launch too.

spaceman1953
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From: South Bend, IN
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posted 10-13-2008 07:46 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for spaceman1953   Click Here to Email spaceman1953     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Wow, that "Stu Roosa kid" is a dead-ringer for his beloved father! Look at that RED hair!

Thanks, most sincerely, for sharing all those pictures!

NavySpaceFan
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From: Norfolk, VA
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posted 03-04-2008 05:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NavySpaceFan   Click Here to Email NavySpaceFan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
The selection of Wally Schirra, designated T-AKE 8, was chosen in honor of Captain Walter "Wally" Schirra.
Great!!!! No one is more deserving than Wally!!!

ejectr
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From: Killingly, CT
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posted 03-04-2008 06:26 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Being X-Navy, I think this is a really great way to honor those who excelled.

Too bad they waste the aviation connection by naming aircraft carriers after U.S. presidents and not those who excelled in the field of aviation. The only exception being G.H.W Bush, of course.

divemaster
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From: ridgefield, ct
Registered: May 2002

posted 03-04-2008 07:12 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for divemaster   Click Here to Email divemaster     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And it will probably have oars as a gotcha...

PowerCat
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From: Herington, KS, USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 03-04-2008 08:28 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for PowerCat   Click Here to Email PowerCat     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by divemaster:
and it will probably have oars as a gotcha
Or a trolling motor.

divemaster
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From: ridgefield, ct
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posted 03-04-2008 10:48 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for divemaster   Click Here to Email divemaster     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
And a deep sea fishing chair...

John Youskauskas
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posted 03-04-2008 02:50 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for John Youskauskas     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
An unbreakable champagne bottle...

ea757grrl
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From: South Carolina
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posted 03-03-2009 06:38 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ea757grrl   Click Here to Email ea757grrl     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Somehow I get the feeling every Turtle among us is chuckling at the abbreviation for the shipyard...

bruce
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From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
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posted 03-03-2009 08:04 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for bruce   Click Here to Email bruce     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Gosh Jodie, I was just laughing out loud about that as I scrolled down to your post!! I also hear Skyray's booming laugh right about now. I really miss him at the astronaut shows.

E2M Lem Man
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From: Los Angeles CA. USA
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posted 03-05-2009 04:25 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for E2M Lem Man   Click Here to Email E2M Lem Man     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Are we sure this isn't a gotcha? 7 AM on the first sunday after the time change? Wally must be smiling where he is now!

Jay Chladek
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From: Bellevue, NE, USA
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posted 03-09-2009 01:08 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Jay Chladek   Click Here to Email Jay Chladek     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That ship looks like a real turtle.

Fitting tribute to a great man. Thanks for the pics Francis. Nice touch to see Mark Harmon there as well.

Moonwalker1954
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From: Montreal, Canada
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 03-09-2009 02:15 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Moonwalker1954   Click Here to Email Moonwalker1954     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Jay Chladek:
Nice touch to see Mark Harmon there as well.
That's exactly what I thought when I saw the picture with Dee!

Thanks Francis, for sharing that special moment with us, who cannot attend those events.

Dave Clow
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From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-09-2009 03:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave Clow   Click Here to Email Dave Clow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
He was a man, take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again.

-- Hamlet I:ii

E2M Lem Man
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From: Los Angeles CA. USA
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posted 03-09-2009 06:39 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for E2M Lem Man   Click Here to Email E2M Lem Man     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Francis, ole friend, your description brought tears to my eyes.

Wally would have loved the launch. The fact that all of his friends were there made it so special. You just had to know that Wally had to delay that 1st movement of the ship.

NavySpaceFan
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From: Norfolk, VA
Registered: May 2007

posted 03-10-2009 06:54 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for NavySpaceFan   Click Here to Email NavySpaceFan     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great pictures Francis!!! One of the things I love about my servce, and that I will miss since I have just retired, is the pomp and ceremony for occasions like ship's christenings, commissionings, etc. I also regret that I did not think to invite Wally to the commissioning of my second ship, USS KEARSARGE (LHD-3) back in 1993. She's the successor to CV-33, the ship that recovered him after his Mecury mission. I think he would have loved it.

Bernasconi
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From: San Diego, CA
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 03-10-2009 05:28 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Bernasconi     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Here is the video shot by Francis at the launch of the USNS Wally Schirra:

Can someone please teach Francis the parts of YouTube that are not bad music videos and Prog Rock, thanks!

Shalene
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From: San Diego, California
Registered: Apr 2008

posted 03-11-2009 08:02 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Shalene     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
I shot a few pictures Sunday morning at the launch that I thought were good to post. In the second shot you can see the bottle swing as Mrs. Schirra bangs on the boat.

It was fun to see!

ejectr
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Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 03-11-2009 12:01 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That's a ship Shalene, not a boat. A ship is a vessel that has the ability to navigate and sail the high seas. A boat is a vessel that is small enough to be carried aboard a ship.

Nice photos of Wally's ship.

Aztecdoug
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From: Huntington Beach
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posted 03-11-2009 02:57 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Aztecdoug   Click Here to Email Aztecdoug     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Great job Francis in conveying the sense of being there.

I did my college internship programming down at NASSCO back around 1983 or 1984... it brings back fond memories. I wrote a DYL-260 program that changed all the phone number records from 714 to 619 when they did the area code change back in the day.

ilbasso
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From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006

posted 03-12-2009 07:05 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ilbasso   Click Here to Email ilbasso     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Happy birthday, Wally - we miss you! You're still a BIG presence in our hearts!

E2M Lem Man
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From: Los Angeles CA. USA
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posted 03-12-2009 06:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for E2M Lem Man   Click Here to Email E2M Lem Man     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
That USNS insignia has the first three engined Redstone I have ever seen!

ilbasso
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From: Greensboro, NC USA
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posted 03-12-2009 09:19 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for ilbasso   Click Here to Email ilbasso     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
Well, that's the Navy drawing an Army rocket...

Dave Clow
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Posts: 236
From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-16-2009 10:43 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave Clow   Click Here to Email Dave Clow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
What's the translation of the Latin motto on the USNS Wally Schirra insignia?

ejectr
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Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002

posted 03-16-2009 11:56 AM     Click Here to See the Profile for ejectr   Click Here to Email ejectr     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dave Clow:
What's the translation of the Latin motto?


Are you a Turtle? What else!

Delta7
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From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007

posted 03-16-2009 01:12 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Delta7   Click Here to Email Delta7     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Dave Clow:
What's the translation of the Latin motto?
"Life Is More Fulfilling With The Successful Gotcha."

Dave Clow
Member

Posts: 236
From: South Pasadena, CA 91030
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-16-2009 03:55 PM     Click Here to See the Profile for Dave Clow   Click Here to Email Dave Clow     Edit/Delete Message   Reply w/Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Delta7:
"Life Is More Fulfilling With The Successful Gotcha."
LOL... and if I believe that, I'm a turtle?


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