Destroyer christened at bath honors sub rescue hero

Sea Power, Oct 2003

The Navy's 42nd Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer (DDG 92) has been launched at Bath Iron Works-a General Dynamics company-and named for a pioneer in the rescue of submariners.

Evelyn Momsen Hailey, the ship's sponsor, smashed a bottle of champagne across the bow of the new destroyer at the shipyard in Bath, Maine, as she named the ship Momsen in honor of her late father, Vice Adm. Charles Bowers "Swede" Momsen.

Momsen is most famous for supervising the successful rescue of 33 crewmen of the submarine USS Squalus after she sank in 240 feet of water in May 1939. Momsen also was noted for several other accomplishments, including the development of the Momsen Lung, a breathing device that was successful in helping submariners escape from sunken submarines; the development of the steel rescue chamber for submarine rescues; and the retrieval of a dud torpedo to determine the reason for a rash of torpedo failures in World War II. Momsen also commanded the battleship USS South Dakota.

Vice Adm. Albert H. Konetzni Jr., a submariner and deputy commander and chief of staff of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, was the keynote speaker at the Aug. 9 christening ceremonies in Bath.

The 9,200-ton, 511-foot-long Momsen is the 23rd Arleigh Burke-class DDG built by Bath Iron Works. The destroyer's crew of 380 officers and enlisted personnel will be commanded by Cdr. Edward F. Kenyon.