Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!apple!veritas!amdcad!amdcad!military From: ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu (Allan Bourdius) Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: CGN/DLGN Classification Message-ID: <1991May23.054947.13973@amd.com> Date: 21 May 91 16:03:25 GMT Sender: military@amd.com Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Lines: 24 Approved: military@amd.com From: Allan Bourdius >This is when the Navy ship classification becomes confusing. CVA does >stand for attack aircraft carrier. CA does stand for heavy cruiser. >Don't ask me why... My understanding of Navy abbreviations goes like this. When numerical designations were first given to ships (in the late 19th century, I think) cruisers (like the USS Olympia, now a museum at Philadelphia) were given the designation "C". When new design cruisers were given armor protection, they were called "armored cruisers", hence the designation "CA." When the last of the original C's was retired, they were replaced by ships that carried a "CL" designation, or "light cruiser." This is probably when "armored cruisers" became "heavy cruisers" but the "A" still stands for armored, not heavy. There were also "CB"'s or "battlecruisers". -- Allan Bourdius [MIDN 2/C (Marine Option)/Brother, Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity] ab3o+@andrew.cmu.edu or 1069 Morewood Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 The opinions in this post/mail are only those of the author, nobody else.