REDDING, Conn. (AP) - Officials have requested that the U.S. Navy name a new ship after a small Connecticut town with an estimated population of 9,000 residents.

The pitch for the request is to honor the Fairfield County town of Redding as it celebrates its 250th anniversary next year.

Redding Historical Society President Joe Bonomo thought of the idea after he saw a document presented to Congress on the ship-naming program.

Bonomo says he figured that the distinction would be a nice way to honor the town given its history in the Revolutionary War, even if the request is a longshot.

Expeditionary Fast Transport ships and Littoral Combat Ships are the two main types of ships that the Navy names after small American cities.