Christening Ceremony

The Christening Ceremony

The ship sponsor in a christening ceremony is the central figure in an event that reaches far back in history. In ancient Greece, for example, participants in ship launchings drank wine to honor the gods and poured water on the new vessel as a blessing. In 17th century England, the presiding official took a sip of wine from a ceremonial cup and poured the rest on the ship.

The first description of a U.S. warship christening is that of Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” at Boston on October 21, 1797. As the ship slipped into the water, the sponsor, Capt. James Sever, broke a bottle of Madeira over the bowsprit.

The first identified female sponsor was Miss Lavinia Fanning Watson, daughter of a prominent Philadelphian. She broke a bottle of wine and water over the bow of sloop-of-war Germantown at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on August 22, 1846.

Champagne came into popular use as a “christening fluid” in the late 19th century. A granddaughter of Navy Secretary Benjamin Tracy broke a bottle of champagne on the bow of Maine, the Navy’s first steel battleship, at the New York Navy Yard on November 18, 1890.

Ship Co-Sponsors Mary Kaye Huntsman and Sharon Lee will christen PCU Utah with a bottle of sparkling Cyser, a honey and apple cider wine from Slide Ridge Winery of Mendon, Utah. Cyser is a type of mead where cider is used as the primary fermentable ingredient instead of only honey and water.

Previous Christenings

• Idaho (SSN 779)
• USS Iowa (SSN 797)
• USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 795)
• USS Oregon (SSN 793)
• USS Vermont (SSN 792)
• USS South Dakota (SSN 790)
• USS Colorado (SSN 788)
• USS Illinois (SSN 786)