Two U.S. Navy Ships Were Named After Confederate Admirals

From Civil War Talk.

There was discussion about a photograph of Captain Franklin Buchanan, CSN, and Captain Josiah Tattnall CSN sitting together.

One comment was from a person saying he was stationed on the USS Tattnall (DDG-19) while in the Navy.  He also said his ship's sister ship was the USS Semmes (DDG-18).  Both were guided missile destroyers.

The Tattnall was commissioned in 1963 and decommissioned in 1991.

The Semmes was commissioned in 1962 and decommissioned in 1991.

Actually, if these two ships were still commissioned in the U.S. Navy today, there now would be a good chance their names would be changed.

Looking at the pictures of these two ships, I have to say that back then, they still looked like destroyers, whereas the new destroyers, or littoral combat ships, look quite a bit like  Confederate ironclads.

--Old B-Runner