Navy leaguers play key role in successful ship commissionings

Sea Power, Jul 2003 by Vergun, David

Since the founding of the U.S. Navy, the commissioning of a Navy ship has always been a significant event-for the Navy itself, for the ship's crew, and for the community. Originally, that "community" was almost always the port city in which the ship was built. As the Navy grew larger, though, a second city-the city in which the ship would be homeported-also became involved, and on many occasions played a part in the commissioning.

Throughout the post-WWII era, but particularly in recent years, the Navy has relied on the Navy League, on various corporate sponsors, and on civic-minded individuals (many of them members of the Navy League, of course) to provide much of the funding, coordination work, and publicity necessary for first-rate commissioning events, according to Joseph Hanna, the Navy's coordinator of ship commissionings.

Capt. Thomas Danaher, USN (Ret.), recalls that, when he needed help with the commissioning of his ship-the Supply-class fast combat support ship USS Rainier, which was commissioned on 21 January 1995-the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula and Seattle Councils (Wash.) , provided the assistance needed. "I found the Navy League to be well-connected and helpful," he told Sea Power. "Navy Leaguers were pivotal in assisting both with the commissioning events and with coordinating the commissioning with other community organizations.

Capt. George J. Smith Jr., USN (Ret.), former commanding officer of the Avenger-class mine countermeasures ship USS Guardian, commissioned on 16 December 1989, had a similar experience. Without the help provided by the Newport County Council (R.I.), he said, "a formal commissioning-with all of the festivities for the crew and sponsors-would not have been possible." He complimented the council volunteers for "doing it right" and noted that the Newport County Council also had sponsored a cruiser's commissioning the week before the Guardian was commissioned.

Navy League councils have assisted with dozens of other Navy and Coast Guard commissioning ceremonies within just the past few years. The planning for a ship's commissioning should begin at least one year before the event, according to Hanna. During that period, numerous meetings are held between members of the Commissioning Committee (many if not all of whom are members of the local Navy League council as well), the ship's prospective commanding officer, and representatives of the other private- and public-sector organizations involved in the commissioning-the mayor's office, for example, the shipbuilder, and any major Navy commands in the area. Those meetings help determine what assistance is needed for various events related to the commissioning and what organization or individual will be responsible for providing assistance for each event on the agenda.

Following are two examples, of many that could be cited, of the various ways in which Navy League councils assisted in the commissioning ceremonies for: (a) the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (commissioned in August 2002 in San Francisco, Calif.); and (b) the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (commissioned in June 2002 in Seattle, Wash.).

USS McCampbell

Publicity for the commissioning is important-both for fund-raising purposes and to educate the community about the important role seapower, both naval and commercial, plays in national security. Precommissioning publicity and media coverage of the McCampbell commissioning were coordinated by the ship's public affairs staff and by Frederick Gorell, a member of the San Francisco Council. Thanks to their combined efforts, local newspapers and magazines, as well as radio and TV stations in and around San Francisco, and some national media outlets, provided extensive coverage of the commissioning.

"Obtaining the support of well-known people is a benefit we realized from the beginning," Gorell said. "We were honored when the Apollo 13 commander, Capt. James Lovell [USN (Ret.)], and former Secretary of State George P. Shultz agreed to serve as honorary co-chairs of the Commissioning Committee."

Lovell also attended the commissioning, along with such other distinguished guests as Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Dionel M. Aviles, the principal speaker; former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the ship's sponsor; and San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr.; joining them on the commissioning platform were two special guests: Cdr. David McCampbell, USN (Ret.), son of the late Capt. David McCampbell, for whom the ship is named, and Lt. Kevin Schaeffer, USN (Ret.).

Captain McCampbell, the Navy's "Ace of Aces" during World War II, received the Medal of Honor for his combat heroics during several aerial engagements against the Japanese in the Pacific. Schaeffer, who was severely burned during the 11 September 2001 attack on the Pentagon, helped to set the first watch on the McCampbell.

Was sponsoring the commissioning worth a year of hard work and planning? "Definitely," said Gorell. "Navy League members, and others, who came by the busloads from everywhere in the region ... to participate in the commissioning can say that they supported and witnessed something truly memorable and awesome."