USS Varuna
Encyclopedia
Two ships in the United States Navy
have been named USS Varuna for Varuna
, the Vedic god
of oceans and rivers and keeper of the souls of the drowned.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
have been named USS Varuna for Varuna
Varuna
In Vedic religion, Varuna is a god of the sky, of water and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld...
, the Vedic god
Rigvedic deities
There are 1028 hymns in the Rigveda, most of them dedicated to specific deities.Indra, a heroic god, slayer of Vrtra and destroyer of the Vala, liberator of the cows and the rivers; Agni the sacrificial fire and messenger of the gods; and Soma the ritual drink dedicated to Indra are the most...
of oceans and rivers and keeper of the souls of the drowned.
- The first VarunaUSS Varuna (1861)USS Varuna was a heavy steam-powered ship acquired by the Union Navy during the early days of the American Civil War. She was outfitted with powerful 8-inch guns and assigned, as a gunboat, to the Union blockade of the waterways of the Confederate States of America.- Built in Connecticut :Varuna,...
was a screw gunboatGunboatA gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
launched in 1861 and sunk by enemy action in April 1862. - The second Varuna (AGP-5)USS Varuna (AGP-5)USS Varuna was a Portunus-class motor torpedo boat tender of the United States Navy during World War II.The ship was laid down on 23 August 1942 by the Dravo Corporation at Neville Island, Pennsylvania as the LST-14. Launched on 9 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. R. J...
was a motorboat tender, commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1946.