Destroyer Sterett commissioned in Baltimore

[unhappycamper]

Destroyer Sterett commissioned in Baltimore
By Chrissie Thompson - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Aug 10, 2008 10:09:00 EDT

BALTIMORE — The Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer has some of the most advanced firepower in the fleet. It can sail on autopilot and electronically close off burning parts of the ship if a fire starts.

And it carries the spirit of Andrew Sterett, one of the United States’ first naval officers.

In a commissioning ceremony Saturday in Baltimore, Greg Sterett brought his ancestor’s “spirit” aboard the $1.4 billion destroyer Sterett after the ship’s crew members flooded its decks in their white uniforms, saluting an estimated 5,000 guests.

Another Sterett descendant and the ship’s sponsor, Michelle Sterett Bernson, gave the order to “man our ship and bring her to life.”

“Aye-aye, ma’am!” the 280-person crew cried in unison, jogging from the dock at South Locust Point Marine Terminal to the tune of “Anchors Aweigh.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/08/ap_sterett_commissioning_081008/



uhc comment: "According to statistics provided by the Navy, the estimated cost for two new DDG 51s is about $3.5 billion". . Granted we're talking only about $700 million or so, but it adds up.