Chancellorsville (CG 62) - Naval Cruise Book

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Y -,,.,.. C.-,W ...Y ,W ,.v-- 11 '-f' ff .L -W 41' '-' ' 4- ' ' it:-air' : 1 7 ' , , , - Jn., :i 1-+V , ya W ,M W . 41- 'N' ' ' 'X Y - A A 73 CHANCELLURSVILLE sronson cMlWQdk0Wld'3i1f-dkwltmf IIIGALLS SHIPBUILDIIIG LPI' Christening July 23, 1988 . . 1:-it Y i The origin of the christening ceremony for ships goes back into the dawn of recorded history. The custom has survived through the ages and today is practiced in some form by all seafaring na- tions. Until the 19th century, U.S. ships were christened by men. In 1846, Mrs. Lavina Watson Fan- ning became the first woman to Sponsor a ship as she christened the sloop GERMANTOWN in Philadelphia. Since that occasion, the honor has always been be- stowed upon a woman. According to tradition, the spirit of the sponsor enters the ship at the time of christening and remains there forever. The ship becomes part of her and she a part of it, as it sails the seas preserving Americas freedom. CHANCEL- LORSVILLE is blessed to be protected by Mrs. Edward H. Martin, an ardent patriot and dedicated Navy wife. Christening is the transitional moment when the ship receives a name, and begins to emerge as more than an inanimate object. It signifies the bond existing be- tween ships and the men and women who build and sail them. On July 23, 1988, Mrs. Martin christened CG 62 as CHANCEL- LORSVILLE and the Press On spirit was born.

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using efficient modular shipbuild- ing techniques pioneered by the shipyard in the 1970s and en- hanced in recent years through the development of Product- Oriented Shipbuilding Technology CPOSTJ. As embodied in CG 62, modular shipbuilding and POST techniques resulted in a large ship built in four hull and superstruc- ture modules which were joined to form the complete ship. Propul- sion equipment and heavy ma- chinery, piping, ductwork, and electrical cabling were installed in the ship as the modules were built-prior to launch-and much earlier than would be the case in conventional shipbuilding. The ship s launching was as unique as her construction. CG 62 moved over land via Ingalls wheel-on-rail transfer system and onto the shipyard s launch and recovery drydock The drydock was ballasted down and CG 62 floated free She was then moved to her outfitting dock in prepara tion for the traditional christening ceremony and completion of out fitting and testing

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-Q'-1g-sf-'-'rf AX'A ' ' W f ' sa-.-. c,Hw,,,,.,,,..v.,.Y.,,,.... .,W-h,, W .,,.,.f.f, va- ,Y fm -f-. ,,,, M W, W V K' Mu ,MM HMM, The Building of the Ship Henry Wadsworth Longfellow All is finished! and at length Has come the bridal day Of beauty and of strength. To-day the vessel shall be launched! With fleecy clouds the sky is blanched, And o're the bay, Slowly, in all his splendor light, The great sun rises to behold the sight. And lo! from the assembled crowd There rose a shout, prolonged and loud, That to the ocean seemed to say, - Take her, O bridgroom, old and gray, Take her to thy protecting arms, With all her youth and all her charms! mmm. , awww-w Mw,...M.W,Y, W ...,mm, -'ff How beautiful she is! How fair She lies within those arms, that press Her form with many a soft caress Of tenderness and watchful care! Sail forth into the sea, O ship! Through wind and wave, right onward steer, The moistened eye, the trembling lip, And not the signs of doubt or fear. On the deck another bride Is standing by her lover's side. Shadows from the flags and shrouds Like the shadows cast by clouds, Broken by many a sunny fleck, Fall around them on the deck.