Commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military forces. A warship is a Ship that is built and primarily intended for Combat. Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part a military force as opposed to reserve duty. The ceremonies involved are often rooted in centuries old naval tradition.
Ship naming and launching endow a ship hull with her identity, but many milestones remain before she is completed and considered ready to be designated a commissioned ship. The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old The engineering plant, weapon and electronic systems, galley, and multitudinous other equipment required to transform the new hull into an operating and habitable warship are installed and tested. The galley is the compartment of a Ship, Submarine, Train or Aircraft where food is cooked and prepared The prospective commanding officer, ship's officers, the petty officers, and seamen who will form the crew report for training and intensive familiarization with their new ship. A Petty Officer is a noncommissioned officer or equivalent in many navies.
Prior to commissioning, the new ship undergoes sea trials to identify any deficiencies needing correction. The preparation and readiness time between christening-launching and commissioning may be as much as three years for a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to as brief as twenty days for a World War II landing ship. This article is a subarticle of Nuclear power. A nuclear reactor is a device in which Nuclear chain reactions are initiated controlled An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including An amphibious assault ship (also referred to as an amphibious assault carrier or commando carrier) is a type of Helicopter carrier employed to land The USS Monitor, of American Civil War fame, was commissioned less than three weeks after launch. Design Monitor was one of three ironclad warships ordered by the U Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South
United States Navy
Commissioning in the early United States Navy under sail was attended by no ceremony. An officer designated to command a new ship received orders similar to those issued to Captain Thomas Truxtun in 1798:
- Sir, I have it in command from the president of the United States, to direct you to repair with all due speed on board the ship Constellation lying at Baltimore. For the ships named after Truxtun see USS Truxtun Thomas Truxtun (or Truxton) ( February 17, 1755 - Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Four Ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Constellation, in honor according to the US Congress, of the "new Constellation It is required that no Time be lost in carrying the Ship into deep water, taking on board her Cannon, Ammunition, Water, Provisions & Stores of every kind -- completing what work is yet to be done shipping her Complement of Seamen and Marines, and preparing her in every respect for Sea . . . It is the President's express Orders, that you employ the most vigorous Exertions, to accomplish these several Objects and to put your Ship as speedily as possible in a situation to sail at the shortest notice.
In Truxtun's time, the prospective commanding officer had responsibility for overseeing construction details, outfitting the ship, and recruiting his crew. The commanding officer ( CO) is the officer in command of a Military unit. When a captain determined that his new ship was ready to take to sea, he mustered the crew on deck, read his orders, broke the national ensign and distinctive commissioning pennant, and caused the watch to be set and the first entry to be made in the log. The Commissioning pennant or Masthead pennant is a Pennant (also spelt "pendant" flown from the Masthead of a Warship. Thus, the ship was placed in commission.
Commissionings were not public affairs, and unlike christening-and-launching ceremonies, were not recorded by newspapers. Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred The first specific reference to commissioning located in naval records is a letter of November 6, 1863, from Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles to all navy yards and stations. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1863 ( MDCCCLXIII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States Secretary of the Navy ( SECNAV) is the Civilian head of the Department of the Navy. Gideon Welles ( July 1, 1802 &ndash February 11, 1878) was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869 The Secretary directed: "Hereafter the commandants of navy yards and stations will inform the Department, by special report of the date when each vessel preparing for sea service at their respective commands, is placed in commission. "
Subsequently, various editions of Navy regulations mentioned the act of putting a ship in commission, but details of a commissioning ceremony were not prescribed. Through custom and usage, however, a fairly standard practice emerged, the essentials of which are outlined in current Navy regulations.
Officers and crew members of the new ship are assembled on the quarterdeck or other suitable area. Formal transfer of the ship to the prospective commanding officer is done by the Naval District Commandant or his representative. The transferring officer reads the commissioning directive, the national anthem is played, the ensign is hoisted, and the commissioning pennant broken. A national anthem is a generally patriotic musical composition that evokes and eulogizes the history traditions and struggles of its people recognized either by a nation's The prospective commanding officer reads his orders, assumes command, and the first watch is set.
Craft assigned to Naval Districts and shore bases for local use, such as harbor tugs and floating drydocks, are not usually placed in commission but are instead given an "in service" status. They do fly the national ensign, but not a commissioning pennant. An ensign is a distinguishing Flag of a ship or a military unit or a distinguishing token emblem or badge such as a symbol of office The Commissioning pennant or Masthead pennant is a Pennant (also spelt "pendant" flown from the Masthead of a Warship.
In recent years, commissionings have come to be more public occasions. Guests, including the ship's sponsor, are frequently invited to attend, and a prominent individual may deliver a commissioning address. The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old On May 3, 1975, more than twenty thousand people witnessed the commissioning of USS Nimitz (CVN 68) at Norfolk, Virginia. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ship's history The USS Nimitz was first deployed to the Mediterranean in 1976 in company with the nuclear powered Cruisers USS ''South Carolina'' Norfolk is an Independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States The carrier's sponsor, daughter of the late Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, was introduced, and the President of the United States was the principal speaker. An Admiral of the Fleet or Fleet Admiral is a military Naval officer of the highest rank Fleet Admiral Chester William Nimitz, USN, GCB ( February 24, 1885 &ndash February 20, 1966) held the dual command The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by The sponsor traditionally gives the first order to the ship's company: "Man our ship and bring her to life!"
Regardless of the type of ship, the brief but impressive commissioning ceremony completes the cycle from christening and launching to bring the ship into full status as a warship of her nation.
References
- This article includes text from the public domain Ships of the United States Navy: Christening, Launching and Commissioning, Second Edition, prepared for and published by the Naval History Division of the Department of the Navy, Washington, DC, 1975. The Naval Historical Center (NHC is the official History program of the United States Navy. The United States Department of the Navy was established by an Act of Congress on April 30 1798 to provide administrative and technical support and civilian leadership Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
External links
- Navy Traditions and Customs from Naval Historical Center
- Photos from the 1986 commissioning of USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58)
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