The Constellation name recalls the original American frigates, whose names included Congress. The second modern ship, USS Congress, prompts a joke about the headline that cancelling it would produce. Suggesting that Congress should have been sixth in the class extends the same argument about protecting a larger order through naming. The explanation is commentary on political incentives; it does not establish why decision-makers retained particular ships.
Notable Point · 2:00:17-2:02:30
USS Congress and the politics of ship names
A joke about cancelling USS Congress introduces an interpretation of how ship names can make cancellation politically awkward.