McFaul (DDG 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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Ship s Sponsor Marcia C. Coats .J na m avu Mr A. »ft « February 17, 1998 Commander JackS ' I want you to know how honored I am to sponsor the commissioning of our ship, the guided missile destroyer McPaul ■ I am so proud of you and the magnificent crew you have assembled. I ill Th e cro 3S on the seal of cur ship commemo rates Che Navy Cross a warded posthumously to Engi neraan Chie : Petty Offi cer SEAL) Donald L. McFauI :or e Ktraordin ism n action under fire. [ can imag ne he prio e he would feel if he could w itnes 9 the com lission: : this great And I trus th at in ti 3f need, his courage will inet li 3ur creh to live its motto: Courage unde r fir May man and woman who sails in our ship ef Petty Officer McFaul ' s high standards, and may each and every one of them share the joy and satisfaction that comes from serving our great nation on a top-notch ship of the line. Our crew and our McFaul will always be in my prayers and in my heart. Your proud sponsor, VVl c. Marcia C. Coat CJ Marcia Coats is a graduate of Wheaton College, a liberal arts school in Wheaton, Illinois, where she majored in Education. While at Wheaton, Marcia played on the women ' s varsity tennis team for four years, sang with the Oratono Choir and worked on the school ' s yearbook, The Tower. Marcia also met her future husband, U.S. Senator Dan Coats, while at Wheaton. Marcia and Dan were mamed following Dan ' s graduation from Wheaton in 1965. Following her graduation from Wheaton, Marcia became a ftiU-time teacher at a middle school and has since worked as a substitute and part-time teacher. Last year, she completed a master ' s degree in psychology at Johns Hopkins University and is working as a family counselor in Vienna, Virgmia. Marcia has been active in Congressional Wives for the Suffering Church, an organiza- tion committed to helping those persecuted for reasons of conscience or religious convic- tion as well as helping to foster greater per- sonal freedoms in repressive nations. She is also on the board of directors of Women to the World, a non-profit organization that sponsors one-on-one exchanges be- tween women in Third World countries and Western nations. Marcia and Dan have three children, Laura, Lisa, and Andrew, and two grand- children, Christopher and Michael. The Coatses reside in McLean, Vu-ginia, and attend McLean Presbyterian Church. 11

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- Christening McFAUL (DDC 74)1 , SPONSOR ' fftii. f iatcia eaii It was an overcast day in Pascagoula. Mississippi on April 12, 1997 when DDG 74 was christened McFAUL. The McFaul family, former teammates of Chief McFaul, crewmembers, SUPSHIP and Ingalls employees and officials all gathered pierside to witness this signifi- cant event in the life of the ship. After the invocation and welcoming re- marks from Mr. Jerry St. Pe ' , Ingalls Ship- building President and Rear Admiral George Huchting, AEGIS Program Man- ager, the prmcipal address was presented by Senator Dan Coats (R-Ind). Upon con- clusion of Senator Coats ' address, the time- honored tradition of the christening by the ship ' s sponsor, Mrs. Marcia Coats, wife of Senator Coats, took place. The tradition of baptising a ship is said to go back to the barbarous days of the Norse sailors who boasted of break- mg their enemies ' backs over the bow of their vessels. There are even historical records of human sacrifices upon the launching of a ship. Today, of course, more refined methods are used. A bottle of champagne, knotted cer- emoniously with colorful ribbons and smallstuff, is smashed against the bow by the ship ' s sponsor, who is typically the wife, sister or daughter of the ship ' s name - sake, or any distinguished representative who exemplifies the spirit of the namesake or the tradition of sponsorship. It wasn ' t until the early part of the Nineteenth cen- tury that women took any part in the chris- tening ceremony, beginning with Miss Watson of Philadelphia, who christened the GERMANTOWN in 1 846. Many promi- nent women have had the honor of spon- sormg a ship over the years, including Mrs. Herbert Hoover, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt and Mrs. Ronald Reagan. McFAUL has been blessed with a sponsor who embodies the spirit of the name with her patriotism, enthusiasm, and warmth. Marcia Coats approached the bow this blustery day with a special champagne bottle strewn with ribbons of red, white, and blue, and with a mighty swmg, chris- tened the 24th ship of the Arleigh Burke class. U)

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McFAUL Gets its Sea Legs On November 16, !9 ' - ; em- - barked on her maiden oyage, getting underway for the first time under her own power for a very successful Builder ' s Sea frials. On this occasion her crew con- sisted of 65 officers and enlisted members of TEAM McFAUL and hundreds of Ingalls Shipbuilding employees and SUPSHIP rep- resentatives. This trial was specifically de- signed for shipyard and ship ' s force per- sonnel to test and prove McFAUL ' s com- plex engineering and combat systems equipment for the first time at sea. -?ia»iitiTMVj Mm - : ' ■ --