The List of military vessels named after living Americans reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Apr-2004
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List of military vessels named after living Americans

Few military vessels have been named after living Americans. While it has long been a tradition of the United States Navy that no vessel will be named for a living person, that tradition has been broken on occasion, the frequency of which seems to be increasing.

This list includes vessels that were named in honor of Americans who were alive at the time of naming. Note that the eponyms may die after receiving the honor, as have Carl Vinson, Arleigh Burke, Hyman Rickover, and Bob Hope, but still remain in this exceptional category.