The military plays a huge role in both of our lives and we
are both very proud of our husbands and their willingness to serve our country. This pride led us to make the decision to
include “Military Mondays” in our blog. Our
goal is to better educate our readers as well as ourselves about military
history and tradition. Knowledge is power
and learning about the history and tradition of our armed services will allow
for better understanding about what service members and their families deal
with on a daily basis. Whether or not
you agree with the politics of our country, one fact remains…our military has a
long and proud history that we should not forget.
With that being said, my wonderful husband spent a few days
last week in Mississippi attending the commissioning ceremony of the Navy’s
newest attack submarine, the USS MISSISSIPPI.
I personally have never attended a commissioning ceremony but I understand
the basics…once the ceremony is complete the ship is officially a warship
belonging to the United States Navy. I
thought this would be a good topic for our first “Military Monday” blog entry.
There are four major events in the life of a ship. The first is the keel-laying which is a
ceremony put on by the ship builder.
This ceremony symbolizes the beginning of the ship building
process. The second milestone in the
life of a ship is the christening ceremony.
In this ceremony, the newly constructed vessel will be dedicated, named,
and committed to the sea. The ship’s
sponsor, usually a woman, will name the ship and then break a bottle of
champagne on the ship’s bow. The next
event in the ship’s life is the commissioning ceremony where she officially
becomes a United States Naval vessel. The final milestone of a ship’s life is the
decommissioning ceremony where the ship is officially taken out of service.
The commissioning ceremony itself is over three centuries
old and is observed by navies the world over.
The first ship commissioned by our Navy was ALFRED in December of
1775. ALFRED was the first ship of the
new Continental Navy. The commissioning
of ships was derived from British naval custom and although our early Navy had
no written procedure of the commissioning process, through years of tradition
and custom, a ceremony emerged and is now outlined in current Navy regulations.
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| USS BRADLEY Commissioning Ceremony 15 May 1965 |
Today the ceremony is a celebratory event attended by
hundreds, if not thousands depending on the type of ship. In fact, over twenty thousand people attended
the commissioning ceremony of the USS NIMITZ in 1975. Guests usually include the ship’s sponsor, representatives
from the ship yard and the Navy, various politicians, as well as family members
of the officers and crew of the vessel.
During the ceremony, the crew stands ready to man the ship
once the order is given. The Prospective
Commanding Officer accepts the ship from the Navy representative, reads his
orders appointing him to command, takes command of the ship, and then orders
the Executive Officer to “set the watch and bring the ship to life.” The first watch and the OOD (officer of the
deck) take their positions, the commissioning pennant is raised and the ship is
officially a warship belonging to the United States Navy.
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| The crew of the USS MISSISSIPPI stands ready to man their ship |
The commissioning pennant is the symbol of a commissioned
navy ship. The American commissioning
pennant is a narrow red and white streamer with a blue hoist bearing seven
stars.
The commissioning pennant was first used in the 17th
century when professional navies began to form.
The pennant was designed to distinguish a warship from a merchant
ship.
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| The commissioning pennant of the United States |
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| The commissioning pennant is flown at the masthead of the ship |
Although I have never attended a commissioning ceremony, I
have had the opportunity to attend other Navy ceremonies and I would encourage
anyone who gets the chance to attend.
There is something magical about the tradition and custom, and your
sense of pride in your country will swell.
Often times I have been moved to tears watching traditions that are
centuries old and seeing our service men and women in their finest uniforms
proudly serving their country.
We hope you enjoyed our first “Military Monday!”
Kristen and Alyse
Sources
Commissioning program from the USS California (SSN 781)—October
29, 2011
Looking forward to following this! Thanks to all military personnel and their families!!
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