USS Princeton

Six United States Navy ships have borne the name Princeton, after the town of Princeton, New Jersey, site of an American victory in the Revolution.

• The first Princeton was a screw sloop, launched and commissioned in 1843, the first screw-driven vessel in the Navy. One of this ship's heavy shell guns exploded on February 28, 1844 on the Potomac River, with many federal dignitaries aboard. United States Secretary of State Abel P. Upshur and United States Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Gilmer were among those killed.
• The second Princeton was a transport and training ship, launched in 1851 and commissioned in 1852.
• The third Princeton was a gunboat launched in 1897 and commissioned in 1898.
• The fourth Princeton (CVL-23) was a light aircraft carrier, commissioned in 1943 and active in World War II until being sunk in the Battle of Surigao Strait in 1944.
• The fifth Princeton (CV-37) was an aircraft carrier commissioned in 1945, serving in the Korean War and Vietnam War.
• The sixth Princeton (CG-59) is a guided missile cruiser commissioned in 1989 and still on active service in 2005.