FACEPLATE FNL (April 2004) - Supervisor of Salvage and Diving

(Building a Warship... continued from page 11.)
The Christening Ceremony!
world. Only two shipyards in the United
States have the capacity and workforce
capable of the task. At Bath Iron Works, a
large sign sits over the main entrance to
the shipyard, “Through these gates pass
the finest shipbuilders in the world.”
It is not just a sign; it is a work ethic evident
in every facet of the company. The shipbuilding
process begins with the 6,200 tons
of steel and 406,000 pounds of welding rods.
Forty-eight miles of pipe and 254 miles of
electrical cable are installed, all by hand!
Three hundred and fifty-seven doors/
hatches/scuttles, 6,500 light fixtures,
8,000 valves, and 69,000 gallons of
paint complete the process. Each
step worked with meticulous attention to
detail befitting BIW’s other slogan, “Bath
built is best built!”
Evelyn Momsen Hailey breaks champagne bottle on the
hull of USS MOMSEN.
As the shipyard
pressed on with its construction
schedule, so did
the crew. Well-trained
individuals were forged
into efficient teams through
Land Based Engineering
Simulators in Philadelphia,
Combat Information Center
Team Training in Wallops
Island, Virginia and
innovative Fire Fighting
Team Training in Newport,
Rhode Island and Bath,
Maine. By March of
2004, MOMSEN was 98%
complete and ready
for sea trials. Just
four days at sea
were needed to test
every major system,
fire two standard
missiles, the 5-inch
62 caliber gun, run
the engineering
plant up to full
power, and complete
hundreds of other
system tests. The
ship performed
magnificently and
even had the
opportunity to
display good seakeeping
ability
when some New England weather
rolled through the Gulf
of Maine!
In May, the crew
had grown to 290, 70%
of whom had never
served a tour of duty
aboard ship. Production
was 100% complete and
on May 6, 2004, the
Navy officially accepted
MOMSEN in a brief but
important Ship Custody
Transfer Ceremony.
The ship now belonged
to the Navy and the
crew was charged
with its maintenance,
training, and upkeep.
All the functions necessary to support a
shipboard routine started that day. The
crew moved aboard, ate their first galley
prepared meal, and stood the first set of
shipboard watches.
At the end of July, MOMSEN will sail
down the Kennebec River and start the
transit to her homeport, Everett,
Washington. At the end of August, the
Commissioning Ceremony will be held in
Panama City, Florida. It is fitting that the
ship named after the father of Navy diving
will be commissioned in the home of Navy
diving and salvage.
In the early part of the twentieth
century, Charles “Swede” Momsen started
CDR Ed Kenyon, Commanding Officer, and LCDR Bill Bullard,
Executive Officer, on an icy bridge wing during sea trials.
a legacy that lives through Navy Divers -
past, present, and future. USS MOMSEN
will bring the Momsen legacy to a new
generation of Sailors not involved with
diving or salvage and well into the twentyfirst
century.
The life cycle of a warship
is thirty years. During that time, 3,500
Sailors will cross the brow and
call MOMSEN “their ship.”
The commissioning crew of
MOMSEN welcomes all Divers into this
new fraternity and hopes Navy Divers
everywhere consider USS MOMSEN
“their ship”, too.
This article was written by the
Pre-Commissioning Crew of USS
MOMSEN (DDG 92).
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