North Dakota lobbies for namesake attack sub
Washington Post
North Dakota is feeling left out, again.
Advertiser library photo • March 26, 2001
First there was the failed campaign to change the state's name to "Dakota," in an effort to escape its reputation as a cold, desolate land to the north.
The Navy will build 30 Virginia-class fast-attack submarines over the coming decades, and a coalition from North Dakota wants one of them to be named USS North Dakota.
Now the state wants one of the Navy's fleet of 30 new, fast-attack submarines named after it.
The USS North Dakota Coalition notes that despite a strong military presence, North Dakota is one of six states to have had only one Navy vessel named after it.
As if that weren't bad enough, the only ship named for the state, the battleship USS North Dakota, was sold for scrap in 1931.
"I wouldn't say we've been overlooked; I would say it would be timely," said Laurie Boeder, a spokeswoman for Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., who is leading the coalition of native former and current politicians and military and business leaders.
The coalition includes former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, a Scranton, N.D., native.
The Navy has named four of the 30 Virginia-class submarines, which are to be built over the coming decades.
But their namesake states — Virginia, Texas, Hawai'i and North Carolina — already have vessels named after them.
Boeder said planes refueled at Grand Forks Air Force Base on their way to Afghanistan, and the missile wing and B-52s at Minot Air Force Base were also crucial in that conflict.
"North Dakota is a state with a small population but a strong military tradition," Boeder said. "The submarine would be a nice tribute to the contribution of our men and women in uniform."
