WINSTON S. CHURCHILL

The ship is named in honor of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill (1874-1965). Although best known for his courageous leadership as Britain’s Prime Minister during World War II, he was also a formidable orator, soldier, artist and author, winning the Nobel Prize for literature in 1953. In late 1900, Churchill was elected to Parliament as a member of the Conservative party and took his seat in early 1901. Following numerous Cabinet positions he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty (the civilian head of the Royal Navy) in 1911, famously championing the conversion of ships from coal to oil power and the use of aircraft in naval combat. On May 10, 1940, and amid the real start of World War II, Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His steadfast refusal to consider defeat, surrender, or compromise, helped inspire the British resistance, especially during the difficult early days of the war when Britain stood alone in its active opposition to Adolf Hitler. Churchill’s good relationship with Franklin D. Roosevelt not only secured vital American support for the British war effort but also saw the beginning of the special relationship that thrives today. In 1963 he was declared an Honorary Citizen of the United States by President John F. Kennedy. Churchill is widely regarded as being among the most influential people in British History.