"With the Commissioning of the USS Jimmy Carter, the policy of ships came
into a discussion, and I saw this anecdoctal quote that I figured I'd
pass along...
When the US destroyed the Spanish fleet at Manila they captured three
ships of intermediate size. Admiral Dewey wired Navy Headquarters that
he wanted to take the ships into the US service as members of a unique
class.
The Navy said OK and said the ships of the new class would be named
after American colleges and universities. They Asked Dewey what his
favourite schools we so they could enter them into the register as
commissioned ships.
Dewey allegedly replied that his 3 favourite schools were Rensselaer
Polytechnic Insitute, New England Normal School for Girls, and the
Massachuists Insitute of Technology.
In response, the US Navy sent orders to name the 3 ships the Harvard,
Yale, and Princeton."
I love history.
:-) 
