2 Navy ships bear ties to Confederacy

Two U.S. Navy ships with names tied to the Confederacy could also be affected by a Senate committee’s legislative language, to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2021, which seeks to purge names of U.S. military bases and installations tied to the Confederacy. Prompted by the ongoing national unrest following the deaths of two black males at the hands of police,  the Pentagon and Congress have launched new efforts to curb Confederate iconography. The bipartisan language in the Senate’s version of the NDAA, outlined June 14 the Armed Services Committee, seeks to create a committee that within three years “would remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honor or commemorate the Confederacy and anyone who voluntarily served it from bases and other property of the U.S. military.” The focus nationally has been on 10 Army bases named for Confederate military leaders. There are two Navy ships that are also connected to the Confederacy – guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) and oceanographic survey ship USNS Maury (T-AGS-66). Maury is named for Matthew Fontaine Maury. While in the U.S. Navy, he oversaw the Naval Observatory and was instrumental in laying the foundation of modern oceanography. He resigned his commission and served in the Confederate Navy. Chancellorsville is named for the Confederate victory in 1863 by the Army of Northern Virginia led by Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. The Ticonderoga-class of cruisers are named for American battles – including several Civil War conflicts. Unlike USS Vicksburg (CG-69) or USS Mobile Bay (CG-53), Chancellorsville is named for a Confederate victory that paved the way for the Army of Northern Virginia’s invasion of Pennsylvania and the Battle of Gettysburg. (Source: USNI News 06/14/20) https://news.usni.org/2020/06/12/senate-bill-to-purge-confederate-names-from-u-s-military-could-affect-two-navy-ships.