Moore urges Navy to name ship USS Kings Mountain

Rutherford County’s congressman seeks recognition for Revolutionary War victory; Navy secretary would decide the name.

U.S. Rep. Tim Moore is asking the Navy to name a future warship USS Kings Mountain, honoring a Revolutionary War victory with deep ties to Western North Carolina.

Moore, a Republican whose 14th Congressional District includes all of Rutherford County, submitted an Oct. 7 letter on the battle’s 246th anniversary. His office announced the request that day.

The letter asks the Navy to consider the name for an upcoming America-class amphibious assault ship or San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.

“As our Nation marks its 250th birthday, that history deserves recognition in the naval fleet,” Moore wrote.

Moore said the name would honor the battle and the citizen-soldiers who fought for American independence.

“The communities of Western North Carolina take great pride in this heritage,” he wrote.

In recorded remarks, Moore said he also had directed the request to the White House and the Department of War. He described Kings Mountain as a significant battle that sometimes receives too little recognition.

“This is one of the historically, sometimes it seems, underappreciated battles that was so significant in our American Revolution,” Moore said.

The Battle of Kings Mountain was fought Oct. 7, 1780, in South Carolina near the North Carolina border. Patriot militia defeated Loyalist forces under British Maj. Patrick Ferguson, who was killed in the battle. The victory helped turn the tide of the Revolutionary War’s Southern campaign, according to the National Park Service.

Thomas Jefferson called the battle “The turn of the tide of success.” Today, Kings Mountain National Military Park preserves the battlefield.

Moore’s letter is a recommendation in the Navy’s naming process. Under Navy policy, the Secretary of the Navy has authority to approve names for new ships. Suggestions can come from individuals and groups, and the Navy considers factors including naming traditions for the ship’s type, geographic representation and the service histories of earlier vessels.

There is no fixed point at which a new ship must receive its name, although the Navy typically selects one before christening. Naming is one milestone in a broader construction and service process. Christening ceremonially gives the vessel its name, while commissioning later establishes it as an active Navy command.

The USS designation, meaning United States Ship, formally applies while a vessel is commissioned.

“Hopefully, we’ll get a ship named after Kings Mountain to commemorate this huge occasion in our nation’s history and to honor the sacrifice of patriots who fought for our freedom,” Moore said in a Facebook video.

Moore’s announcement did not identify a specific hull for the proposed name or provide a timeline for a Navy decision.