St. Augustine Adoption of Farragut Recognizes Local Historical Connection
By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor
More than 100 members of the St. Augustine, Fla., Council, Navy officials and state and local government representatives gathered at Mayport Naval Station to take part in the council’s adoption of the recently commissioned guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut.
Speakers and featured guests at the adoption ceremony included Cmdr. David Robertson, commander of Destroyer Squadron 14 at Mayport, to which Farragut is assigned; State Rep. William Proctor, R-St. Augustine; Mayor George Gardner; County Commissioner Ben Rich and Navy League National President John A. Panneton.
Gardner presented a city proclamation declaring June 10 and Aug. 18 official “USS Farragut days” in the city of St. Augustine to mark the ship’s official commissioning date (June 10, 2006) and the Aug. 18 adoption.
During his proclamation, Mayor Gardner said the ship’s namesake, Civil War commander Adm. David G. Farragut, “has a special connection to St. Augustine in his family roots and in his command of the Mediterranean Fleet, headquartered in Menorca,” an island near the coasts of France and Spain.
St. Augustine maintains a large Menorcan community, which dates to the late 1700s. Farragut, who was of Menorcan descent, died in 1870. Though he never lived in St. Augustine, the local community took his legacy to heart, according to Council President Bill Dudley.
Dudley presented Cmdr. Diedre McLay, commanding officer of the Farragut, with the ship’s official Certificate of Adoption during the ceremony. McLay then received The Order of the Belaying Pin from George Grech, the council’s liaison for the Farragut. The Belaying Pin plaque depicts all the ships that have been adopted by the St. Augustine Council since it was chartered in October 1975, Dudley said.
Following the adoption ceremony, Grech presented a Sailor of the Quarter award to GSM1 (SW) Christopher H. Washington. Washington was given a plaque honoring his selection, along with a two-night’s stay in St. Augustine provided by Jalaram Hotels Inc., free admission to many of the local attractions provided by the St. Augustine Convention and Visitor Bureau, and a cash gift from the St. Augustine Council.
At the conclusion of the adoption ceremony, all guests were given a tour of the ship. Sailors were assigned to each party and everyone enjoyed the experience of seeing first-hand the very latest in ship technology, Dudley said.
After the tours, members of the Navy League and guests enjoyed lunch onboard, dining with the captain in the wardroom, the command master chief in the chief petty officer’s dining area and in the crew’s mess.
“It was a great opportunity to meet these men and women and exchange conversations with them and to let them know how much we appreciate what they do for our country,” Dudley said.
Lone Sailor Statue Installed In Fort Lauderdale
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Council’s three-plus-year effort to bring a Lone Sailor statue to the city culminated Sept. 8 when it was installed in Esplanade Park along Fort Lauderdale’s Riverwalk.
Lone Sailor Committee chairmen George C. Wortley and Nicholas DiNunzio, panel members Gary Pirtle, Patricia and Dolph Du Mont, John A. Parks, Thomas A. King and Council President Mary Minnet were on hand as the statue was moved from its temporary home at the Fort Lauderdale Fire Museum and placed into its permanent position overlooking the New River.
The statue was to be officially dedicated during a ceremony Oct. 14. Guest speaker was to be U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw Jr., R-Fla., whose district includes Fort Lauderdale.
The Lone Sailor Committee, which involved nearly 30 Fort Lauderdale Council members, raised more than $250,000 since forming in 2003. Donors included the city of Fort Lauderdale, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, the Huizenga Family Foundation and the Miami Herald.
The Lone Sailor is situated in the Fort Lauderdale Arts and Entertainment District, near the Museum of Discovery and Science and the Museum of Art — an area that receives more than 1.5 million visitors a year. The statue serves as a tribute to Fort Lauderdale’s relationship with the nation’s sea services, including the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine.
The 7-foot tall statue, which was designed by sculptor Stanley Bleifeld and provided by the U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, comprises two pieces, representing the sailor himself and his cleat and bag. It weighs a total of 1,700 pounds.
As part of the casting process, the Lone Sailor statue was mixed with actual remnant artifacts from eight U.S. Navy ships provided by the Naval Historical Center at the Washington Navy Yard.
First Lady Commissions Texas
The Virginia-class submarine USS Texas was commissioned Sept. 9 at a ceremony at the Port of Galveston, Texas, attended by about 10,000 spectators. Accompanied by Texas Command Master Chief Mark Brooks and Commanding Officer John J. Litherland, First Lady Laura Bush, the boat’s official sponsor, gave the orders to “bring the ship to life.” She also christened the boat two years ago.
The commissioning ceremony was sponsored by the Navy League’s Greater Houston Council. Council President Joseph T. Coleman was a member of the Texas Commissioning Committee. Navy League President John A. Panneton and his wife, Alice, were on hand for the ceremony, as were a number of Navy Leaguers from councils around the region.
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, was the ceremony’s principal speaker. Other speakers and guests included U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, a Galveston native; Adm. Mike Mullen, chief of naval operations; Dionel M. Aviles, undersecretary of the Navy; Delores M. Etter, deputy undersecretary of Defense for science and technology; and Mike Petters, president of Northrop Grumman Newport News in Newport News, Va., the lead contractor that built the vessel in partnership with Groton-based General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Texas is the second Virginia-class fast-attack submarine. The first, Virginia, was commissioned in October 2004. Texas will be home-ported at Submarine Base New London in Groton, Conn., where it will serve in the Atlantic Fleet.
Past Navy League National President Thomas Morris Dies
Former Navy League National President Thomas E. Morris died Sept. 2 in Juno Isles, Fla. A retired Navy rear admiral, he was 80.
Morris was Navy League national president from 1971-73. He also served as national chairman of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
A decorated veteran of World War II and the Korean War, Morris held multiple commands during his naval career. He was a two-time recipient of the Legion of Merit, and received the Distinguished Public Service Award from both the Navy and Coast Guard.
Morris was founding director of the USS Constitution Museum, founding director of the Navy War College Foundation and a trustee of the Coast Guard Academy Foundation. He also worked tirelessly for veteran affairs and recently received a presidential appointment as a member of the American Battle Monument Commission.
A funeral mass was held Sept. 8 in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Morris will be buried Dec. 19 at Arlington National Cemetery, Va. He is survived by his two sons, Mark and Bryce, and his foster son, Ralph. He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosamond B. Morris.
Former Coast Guard Commandant Kime Dies at 72
Retired Adm. John William Kime, a former U.S. Coast Guard commandant, died Sept. 14 in Baltimore. He was 72.
Kime served as commandant of the Coast Guard from 1990-1994, where he oversaw implementation of the landmark Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and established the position of drug interdiction coordinator. He also was a key leader in the Coast Guard’s response to the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
During his 41-year Coast Guard career, Kime’s assignments included commanding the Coast Guard district in Long Beach, Calif., directing operations for the Coast Guard district in Miami, heading up the service’s technical division in New York and Washington, serving as captain of the port in Baltimore and chief of the marine safety, security and environmental protection office in Washington. Kime received the United Nations World Maritime Prize in 1993.
Survivors include his wife, Valerie, and two sons, Edward and James. Kime will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
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Peter Atkinson, Deputy Editor
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Arlington, VA 22201-3308
E-mail: patkinson@navyleague.org
