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THE NAVAL HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE www.history.navy.mil THE NAVAL HISTORY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE SHIPS USS Doyen I (DD 280), 1919 USS Doyen II (APA 1), 1943 USS Forrest Sherman (DD 931), 1955 USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98), 2006 USS Grafton (PCS 1431), 1944 USS Grafton (APA 109), 1945 USS Hampton (SSN 767), 1993 USS John W. Weeks (DD 701), 1944 Kearsarge I (Sloop of War), 1862 Kearsarge II (Battleship No. 5), 1900 USS Kearsarge III (CV 33), 1946 USS Manchester I (CL 83), 1946 USS Manchester II (LCS 14), 2018 Merrimac I (Side-Wheel Steamer), 1864 USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) is a Virginia-class attack submarine. The Virginia- class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines is designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare. At least 29 ships have been named after the state of New Hampshire, its cities, places, and people. They include: SHIPS USS New Hampshire (SSN 778) Merrimac II (Steamer), 1898 Merrimack I (Ship), 1798 Merrimack II (Screw Frigate), 1856 New Hampshire I (Ship of the Line), 1864 New Hampshire II (BB 25), 1908 USS New Hampshire III (SSN 778), 2008 USS O'Kane (DDG 77), 1999 Ossipee (Screw Sloop of War), 1862 USS Perkins I (DD 26), 1910 USS Perkins II (DD 377), 1936 USS Perkins III (DD 877), 1945 Portsmouth I (LSD 37), 1798 Portsmouth II (Sloop of War), 1844 USS Portsmouth III (CL 102), 1945 USS Rogers Blood (APD 115), 1945 29 29 PLACES PLACES PEOPLE John W. Weeks U.S. Naval Officer Forrest P. Sherman Admiral Sources: Naval History and Heritage Command; navy.mil; Naval Sea Logistics Center; Center for Security Forces; nh.gov; Library of Congress. Infographic by Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division. Richard H. O'Kane Medal of Honor Recipient Did You Know...? The words "Live Free or Die," are the official motto of the state of New Hampshire. They were originally written on July 31, 1809, by Gen. John Stark, the state’s most distinguished Revolutionary War hero. The 1945 legislature gave New Hampshire its official motto and emblem as World War II came to an end. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Richard H. O’Kane was born in Dover, NH. He served in both the surface and submarine communities with distinction during World War II. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor for “his illustrious record of heroism in combat” after surviving the sinking of his submarine, USS Tang (SS 306), and being captured and held as a Japanese prisoner until the end of the war. The destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77) is named in his honor. Born in Merrimack, NH, Adm. Forrest P. Sherman helped shape the Korean War strategy as the 12th Chief of Naval Operations. He was quoted as having said, “When you can’t go where you want to, when you want to, you haven’t got command of the sea. And command of the sea is a rock bottom foundation of all of our war plans.” Adm. Sherman served as CNO until his death in 1951. Two destroyers were named in his honor. PEOPLE John Wingate Weeks, a New Hampshire native, served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and also distinguished himself as a civil engineer, financier, and political leader. In 1904, Weeks was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served until entering the Senate in 1913. He became Secretary of War on March 4, 1921, and held the post until failing health forced him to resign in October 1925. The destroyer USS John W. Weeks (DD 701) was named in his honor. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) is one of four remaining naval shipyards in the United States. The shipyard is on the federally owned Seavey Island, across the harbor from Portsmouth, NH, with access to the mainland by two bridges connecting to Kittery, ME. Portsmouth Naval Shipyard employs 5,600 civilian employees, predominantly from New Hampshire and Maine. The Center for Security Forces Detachment Kittery offers Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape (SERE) training to Sailors in Portsmouth, NH. The Center for Security Forces is one of 13 learning centers within the Naval Education and Training Command (NETC). The center trains more than 28,000 students per year at training facilities across the United States and around the world. Naval Sea Logistics Center (NSLC) Portsmouth in Portsmouth, NH, is part of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), which is tasked with designing, engineering, integrating, building, and procuring U.S. Navy ships, shipboard weapons, and combat systems. NSLC Portsmouth, located on the Piscataqua River, develops and manages logistics tools for the U.S. Navy.
