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 sponsor Terry Stackley will christen PCU Idaho with water collected from the lakes, rivers and streams of the great state of Idaho.