Bad Omen

US Navy ships often get cool – and sometimes cruel – nicknames

The USS Theodore Roosevelt is known to its crew as “The Big Stick.” As in, “speak softly but carry a…” And a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier is a very big stick, indeed. The USS Ronald Reagan is, of course, called “The Gipper.” Less well known are “The Forest Fire” and “USS Zippo.” Both names were unofficially given to the USS Forrestal after a series of deadly fires.

Now Jimmy Carter is getting a Seawolf-class fast-attack boat named after him. I hope like hell no one ever has reason to call her the USS Malaise.