USS Lyndon B. Johnson

Because I know how much some of you really, really care...

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next Zumwalt-class destroyer will be named the USS Lyndon B. Johnson.

The selection of Lyndon B. Johnson, designated DDG 1002, continues the Navy tradition of naming ships after presidents and honors the nation’s 36th president.

The USS Lyndon B. Johnson is the 34th ship named by the Navy after a U.S. president.

“I am pleased to honor President Johnson with the naming of this ship,” Mabus said. “His dedication to a life of public service included bravely stepping forward to fight for his country during our entry into World War II.”

A Texas congressman, Johnson was the first member of Congress to enlist in the military following the start of World War II. After his naval service, Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1948, where he served as both minority and majority leader before being elected vice president Nov. 8, 1960.

Following President Kennedy’s assassination Nov. 22 1963, Johnson succeeded to the presidency, finished the remaining term, and was reelected for a full term as president, by the greatest percentage of total popular vote (61 percent) ever attained by a presidential candidate.

Johnson’s time as president was marked by the passage of programs that greatly influenced and impacted education, healthcare and civil rights for generations to come. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, enacting comprehensive provisions protecting the right to vote and guarding against racial discrimination. His work on civil rights continued with the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed voting rights for all people, regardless of race.

Johnson signed legislation establishing Medicare, which allowed millions of elderly Americans access to cheaper medical services. He also launched the Head Start Program, which provided preschool children from low-income families with classes, medical care, and other services.

As a naval officer, Johnson requested a combat assignment after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in the Pacific theater during World War II. After returning from active duty service, Johnson reported back to Navy leaders and Congress on what he believed were deplorable conditions for the warfighters, and continued to fight for better standards for all military members.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson will be the third Zumwalt-class (DDG 1000) destroyer. Construction began on the ship at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works April 4 and is expected to deliver to the Navy in fiscal 2018. The multimission DDG 1000 class destroyers are designed for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. This warship integrates numerous critical technologies, systems, and principles into a complete warfighting system. Zumwalt ships will be 600 feet in length, have a beam of 80.7 feet, displace approximately 15,000 tons, and capable of making 30 knots speed. Each ship will have a crew size of 148 officers and Sailors.

First, the Zumwalt class has had more good press in the last 3 weeks than it has in the last 3 years. As I have been saying for years, the Zumwalt class destroyers really is going to be the most incredible class of surface combatant ever built by man, and there are people very excited about what this ship is going to be able to do. These ships will have a wow factor that is legitimate, and I'll bet right now that at some point down the road they will be the 3 most capable surface combatants in the Navy by miles. I do not expect the Navy to build more Zumwalts (the hull form is the only mistake on the ship), but I do believe the class will serve as the foundation for the future surface combatant.

Second, I know people get all worked up about ship names, but in complete irony they often cite naval history as the reason they are all pissed off. Uhm, according to the naval history of the United States, the exception to the rules that govern ship names is as much the rule as the rule itself, so if you try claiming that Lyndon B. Johnson is an inappropriate ship name because of naval history, my reply will simply be that you appear to know absolutely nothing about Navy history as it relates to ship names.

I for one look forward to seeing what the SECNAV sends to the House now that he must deliver a report on ship names, because I imagine it will be a very interesting report that justifies - with historical clarity - why naming a ship after a politician is just as much Navy tradition as having themes guide naming conventions for Navy ships. I fully support the authority Congress has lent to the SECNAV to name US Navy ships, and I fully support the SECNAV in naming ships whatever the hell he wants.

BUT WITH ALL THAT SAID... that doesn't mean it's a good idea to ever name a Zumwalt destroyer the JOHNSON. Only Ray Mabus is apparently so tone deaf as to not see the irony that during April 2012 - also known as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in the Navy - that the 18-22 year old enlisted sailors are going to almost certainly come up with some highly creative (and crude) JOHNSON jokes. OK, so the silver lining is that at least we won't have a JOHNSON STRIKE GROUP in the Navy, but when a ship's most prominent feature is often described as 6" or 155mm, JOHNSON doesn't quite strike me as the appropriate name.

*sigh*

Who does the SECNAV listen to, and what kind of lame ass sense of humor and imagination do his advisers apparently have to miss where this is likely to go? I can already imagine a future conversation with my wife..."Honey, I'm going to Bath for a shakedown cruise on JOHNSON."

The jokes regarding the Navy's new JOHNSON may get old, eventually, but probably not this week. If you wish to channel your inner 14 year old to celebrate the Navy's new JOHNSON in the blog comments, I look forward to the laugh.