Four ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Nicholson, named in honor of the Nicholson family, James

James Nicholson (naval officer)

James Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.The son of Joseph and Hannah Scott Nicholson, he was born in Chestertown, Maryland. James Nicholson served in the colonial Navy with the British in the assault on Havana in 1762, and was commissioned...

; Samuel

Samuel Nicholson

Samuel Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later in the United States Navy. -Early life:...

; John

John Nicholson (naval officer)

John Nicholson was an officer in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War.The son of Joseph and Hannah Scott Nicholson, he was born in Chestertown, Maryland. John Nicholson entered the Continental Navy as Lieutenant in October 1776 and the next month was promoted to Captain to...

; William

William Nicholson (naval officer)

William Carmichael Nicholson was an officer in the United States Navy during the War of 1812 and the Civil War.A native of Maryland, Nicholson was the son of naval officer John Nicholson...

; and James W.

James W. Nicholson

Rear Admiral James William Augustus Nicholson was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...

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, was a Blakely-class torpedo boat, launched in 1901 and struck in 1909
, was a O’Brien-class destroyer, launched in 1913 and struck in 1936
, was a Gleaves-class destroyer, launched in 1940 and decommissioned and transferred to Italy in 1951. She served in the Italian Navy as Aviere. She was stricken and sunk as target in 1975.
, was a Spruance-class destroyer, launched in 1977 and sunk as a target in 2004.