USS Minnesota - Definition and Overview

Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS Minnesota in honor of the 32nd state and the river which shares its name.

• The first USS Minnesota, a wooden steam frigate, saw action during the American Civil War, including an encounter with CSS Virginia.
• The second USS Minnesota (BB-22), a Connecticut-class battleship, saw combat during World War I.

Additionally, USNS Gopher State (T-ACS-4), a Gopher State-class crane ship, operates with the Ready Reserve Force of the Military Sealift Command as a prepositioning ship, operating with the Army. Gopher State is named in honor of the state of Minnesota, which is often called the Gopher State (or the North Star State).

Other ships named for notable features of the State of Minnesota:

• USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (SSN-708), a Los Angeles-class submarine, named for the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the twentieth Los Angeles class sub and is in active service.
• USS Minneapolis: Two ships have been named for the largest city in Minnesota
• USS Saint Paul: Two ships have been named for Minnesota's capital and second largest city.
• USS Duluth: Two ships have been named for Minnesota's fourth largest city (third largest before 2000), the busiest inland seaport in the world.