The occasion, held in accordance with virtually a millennium of naval custom, marked the location of Stennis’ new predominant mast, not solely giving the ship part of its id again, but additionally offering a platform for brand spanking new fight system capabilities and a safer manner for Sailors to climb the mast.
Audio system on the occasion included Capt. J Patrick Thompson, Commanding Officer of John C. Stennis, Lt. Cmdr. Marco Guidi, Fight Methods Officer, and visitor speaker Ms. Jessica Gomez, Program Director for In-service Service Applications at Newport News Shipbuilding.
“This mast stepping permits us to acknowledge our previous as we transfer into the longer term,” Stated Thompson. “Whereas the mast of the times of sail represented propulsion, the brand new mast you see right here represents pure fight functionality –the flexibility to information an plane residence on the darkest of stormy nights; the flexibility to speak and share focusing on knowledge with different ships and plane by way of encrypted, jam resistant networks; or the flexibility to coordinate offensive motion with our Navy and Joint companions by way of low likelihood of intercept communications. “
The brand new sq. and tapered mast, which changed the smaller, round-shaped pole, supplies a bigger space to host state-of-the-art protection and communications techniques that may assist carry the ship into the longer term.
“This crew has put its coronary heart and soul into USS John C. Stennis, and we’ll proceed to offer our all to arrange her for the second half of her life,” mentioned Gomez. “When she leaves our shipyard to return to the decision of responsibility, Stennis will probably be outfitted with up to date plane launch and restoration tools to help the newest plane, innovative fight techniques to guard the ship and probably the most superior provider IT community.”
The observe of mast stepping will not be a brand new. In actual fact, in response to The Society for Nautical Analysis, the custom is more likely to be as previous as shipbuilding itself. Relationship again extra that 2000 years in the past, the ritual has developed over time and led to Vikings and seafarers of the north who would place cash, amulets and different choices beneath the masts of their ship for good luck. Even the united statesConstitution, one of many U.S. Navy’s six unique frigates licensed for development by the Naval Act of 1794, had cash positioned beneath her mast in conformity with this time-honored naval custom.
The observe continued even after the appearance of steel-hulled ships, commemorative time capsules containing cash and different remembrances of the present period welded to the mast “step” in lieu of cash being positioned beneath a wood predominant mast.
“Even a brief ceremony like this implies quite a bit to our Sailors and myself,” mentioned Guidi. “So many facets of our job return 1000’s of years, and sustaining these maritime traditions and ceremonies remind us the place we got here from. Though I work with a few of the most superior techniques on the ship, I nonetheless benefit from the historic traditions.”
Objects positioned within the capsule, which was welded to the Stennis’s mast step after the ceremony, included a full roster of the ship’s crew, a commanding officer’s coin and the ship’s mid-life coin.
Not like different forms of ships, fashionable carriers sometimes bear mast stepping twice; as soon as throughout preliminary development, after which once more when the ship goes by way of the RCOH course of.
The Stennis, nonetheless, is exclusive that this would be the ship’s third mast stepping, the second installment going down in 2005 throughout a deliberate upkeep availability. Objects retrieved from the final time capsule, positioned almost 20 years in the past, will probably be positioned within the Stennis Room aboard the ship for Sailors to return observe and replicate upon a unique time within the provider’s historical past.
“I had the pleasure of serving as this ship’s government officer throughout its most up-to-date deployment and noticed the capabilities of this warship,” mirrored Thompson. “In the present day, we see the following step in its transformation into probably the most technologically superior Nimitz-class provider within the fleet. The quantity of hours and dedication put into not solely the mast, however revitalizing this ship as a complete is actually remarkable- the power of our U.S. provider power is a testomony to every particular person who has performed an element in getting this ship again within the struggle.”
The John C. Stennis entered RCOH on the Newport News Shipbuilding, Might 2021, for its mid-life refurbishment, making ready the plane provider for a further 25 years of service.
