Bataan (LHD 5) - Naval Cruise Book

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nkmn ' The ship christening ceremony is a time-honored tradition, whose origin can be traced back to Kshipskd vhen ships first put to sea. This custom still survives today and is practiced in some form by all sea- Mon ;aring nations. Until the 19 century, U.S. Ships were christened by men. In 1846, Mrs. Lavina Vatson Fanning became the first woman to sponsor a United States warship as she christened the ' ' ilooD GERMANTOWN in Philadelphia, PA. Since that occasion, the honor has always been be- ilionduclins, ' iDTODukinn ' towcd upou a woman. erty Tradition holds that the spirit of the sponsor enters the ship at christening and remams forever. Medas The ship becomes part of her and she part of it, as it sails the sea to preserve America ' s Freedom. mikni The christening is a significant milestone in the service life of a ship. It is the moment when the ship receives a name and begins to emerge as more than an inanimate mass of metal. Christenings tie he bond between ships and the men and women who build and sail them. Mrs. Linda S. Mundy wife ' Df former Marine Commandant, Carl E. Mundy, christened BATAAN on May 18, 1996. integjtion

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