How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterprise

[marksound]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

This is a non-issue.

Trekners wanted the shuttle to be named Enterprise. As I remember it, the noise was loud enough that "the powers that be" decided to go ahead and do it.

Whether or not that's in the recorded history ... ? But that's what I remember.

Yeah, uh, you know the question isn't ``was the first space shuttle named Enterprise after Trek fans organized a letter-writing campaign?''. There's no room for realistic doubt about the answer to that being yes.

The interesting question is, ``was there actually another name planned for that orbiter before the Trek letter-writing campaign, and if so, was it Constitution?'' And there is quite some room for doubt about its answer, for reasons outlined above.

Uh, yeah. I know what the question was.

 

[Nine of Four]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

I seriously doubt anyone in the navy knows what Star Trek even is.....

You might be surprised. I sell Star Trek items, and fully half my Trek customers are in the military. I also shipped one item to the White House.

My cousin who served in the Navy told me when they refueled from the Enterprise they'd play the Star Trek theme. I was never sure if he was pulling my leg or not but a search in Google did turn up this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakaway_music.

Awesome!!!

 

[Darkwing]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

I know they aren't the same type of vessel, but I like reserving the name "Constitution" only for the frigate in Boston.

Whereas I think the frigate needs to be emulated more. I heard a proposal in the mid-90s to name the new CVN design "Constitution-class", with the class ship being USS Ironsides, and the next several named after the other 5 frigates. That, IMO, would've been seriously cool. Unfortunately, they decided to go back to presidents...

 

[Darkwing]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

I seriously doubt anyone in the navy knows what Star Trek even is.....

In the admiralty, maybe not. Most of us do.

 

[Darkwing]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

My cousin who served in the Navy told me when they refueled from the Enterprise they'd play the Star Trek theme. I was never sure if he was pulling my leg or not but a search in Google did turn up this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakaway_music.

Yep, it's traditional to play breakaway music after every underway replenishment. Some ships take votes on what to play, some ships always use a set recording. So your cousin was NOT pulling your leg - except possibly about the use of the Star Trek theme as the breakaway music.

I started on an ammunition ship, which meant doing lots of unreps. We loved hearing the music - it meant the unrep was over. When uploading or downloading all the ammunition of a battlegroup, that might mean 0500 - 2200 (5am to 10pm) for 7 days straight. For a DDG or LPD, it usually meant 1-3 hours of taking on fuel. Strange how the most arduous sea tour is still the one with the most fond memories...l

 

[The Old Mixer]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

The use of the Star Trek theme is confirmed in the wiki article.

 

[Darkwing]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

A. Hadn't read the article
B. Don't trust wikipedia too much
C. That article also doesn't mean that the Star Trek theme was ever used when the cousin did an unrep with the Enterprise and/or that he wasn't simply embellishing a sea story.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

Either as a source might be unreliable...when they agree, it's worth giving the cousin the benefit of the doubt. Do we have any reason to doubt both the cousin and the wiki article? Are they collaborating in a conspiracy to make Trek fans enlist in the Navy or something?

 

[Darkwing]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

Just saying that the cousin wasn't pulling the poster's leg about the use of breakaway music, but COULD have been about that music being the ST theme; not knowing his cousin or participating in those particular unreps, I couldn't say. Not knowing, Zathras not saying...

 

[J.T.B.]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

Whereas I think the frigate needs to be emulated more. I heard a proposal in the mid-90s to name the new CVN design "Constitution-class", with the class ship being USS Ironsides, and the next several named after the other 5 frigates. That, IMO, would've been seriously cool. Unfortunately, they decided to go back to presidents...

Interesting. Of course that would only have allowed for five total, as Constellation was already in service. The carrier Congress would probably have been the butt of some jokes...

As some will already know, the closest the name "Constitution" came to a new warship was as a WW1-era Lexington-class battle cruiser, which were to have been named for notable vessels of the early Continental/US Navy. Constitution was originally supposed to be the lead ship, but names and hulls were shuffled around and the class ended up as:

• Lexington (CC-1, finished as CV-2)
• Constellation (CC-2)
• Saratoga (CC-3, finished as CV-3)
• Ranger (CC-4)
• Constitution (CC-5)
• United States (CC-6)

To free the name for the battle cruiser, the historic frigate was renamed Old Constitution for a few years till the new ship was cancelled.

 

[Captain Kathryn]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

I don't think anyone hated the name Constitution and I think, given the circumstances, Enterprise was appropriate. I like that they changed it!

 

[Nine of Four]

Re: How Star Trek fans sunk the Constitution on behalf of the Enterpri

^ ^ Yeah, nobody hated Constitution, they just liked Enterprise so much better...