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UNITED STATES, April 21, 2007: The hulls of United States Naval ships are unlikely places one might look for names of Hindu Deities. However, the USS Indra (click here for Wikepedia entry) and the USS Krishna (click here) once did sail as proud members of the fleet. Both were Achelous-class landing craft repair ships and built in 1945. Each performed a variety of naval duties across the globe. The USS Indra was decommissioned in 1970 and transferred to the State of North Carolina in 1992 where she was sunk as an artificial reef off the state’s coast. The USS Krishna was decommissioned in 1971 and sold the Republic of the Philippines. She was renamed RPS Narra. See URL above for the US Navy’s policy on ship names. Repair ships, such as the Indra and Krishna, are named after “mythological figures.” Ammunition ships, on the other hand, should be named after “volcanos,” while barracks ships should be named after “famous hotels.”

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