Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Three ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Rhode Island in honor of the 13th state. The first USS Rhode Island, was a wooden sidewheel steamer previously named John P. King and Eagle, and later renamed Charleston that saw action in the American Civil War. The second USS Rhode Island (BB-17), a Virginia-class battleship, sailed on the first leg of the Great White Fleet's voyage, and provided anti-submarine services during World War I. The Ohio-class submarine SSBN-730 was laid down as Rhode Island, but when Senator Henry M. Jackson died, the next boat to be launched was given his name, and USS Rhode Island (SSBN-740) became the third ship named for the state. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.