December 13, 1963
Page 24498
CHRISTENING OF U.S.S. "JOSEPHUS DANIELS"
Mr. HILL. Mr. President, on November 30, 1963, the U.S.S. Josephus Daniels, named for that great American and that great Secretary of the Navy, the late Honorable Josephus Daniels, was christened on the Kennebec River, at Bath, Maine. The naming of the ship for Secretary Daniels was indeed a richly deserved honor to his memory and an expression of appreciation of his wonderful services to our country. I ask unanimous consent that the remarks at the christening, together with a copy of the telegram which I sent expressing Mrs. Hill's and my deep regret that we could not be present on the occasion, be printed at this point in the body of the RECORD.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the RECORD, as follows:
A PRAYER-CHRISTENING OF U.S.S. "JOSEPHUS DANIELS" (DLG-27)
NOVEMBER 30,1963
(Invocation given by Chaplain Bey 0. Grunder, U.S. Navy, at the Bath Iron Works on Saturday, November 30, 1963)
Eternal God, who art robed in majesty and girded with strength, we beseech Thee to look with favor and compassion upon our Nation. Through the grievous death of our President John F. Kennedy we are again shocked into awareness that the heart of man can so easily be a hotbed of hate, where the trigger is given precedence over truth and tolerance. Assuage our grief and comfort the sorrow of Mr. Kennedy's wife and family,. In these critical days we pray for our President Lyndon B. Johnson, that Thou wilt be to him a tower of strength, a fountain of wisdom, and a shield of safety.
We look unto Thee, 0 Lord of hosts, as our refuge and our fortress, that Thou wilt guard us in all our ways and grant unto us Thy salvation. And now we are about to christen this ship, this product of ingenuity and workmanship, as a powerful symbol of our determination to preserve the freedom Thou hast given us.
In humility and in faith, we invoke Thy blessings upon U.S.S. Josephus Daniels; upon her commanding officer and all her crew. May the employment of this ship worthily reflect the genius and patriotism of her illustrious namesake. In every course upon every sea, let the Josephus Daniels steam with Thee who dost plant Thy footsteps in the sea and who dost ride upon the storm.
In the name of Thy divine Son, our Saviour. Amen.
REMARKS OF JOHN R. NEWELL, PRESIDENT OF THE BATH IRON WORKS
Mrs. Woronoff, Senator MUSKIE, distinguished guests, fellow employees of the Bath Iron Works, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you here today to the banks of the Kennebec River to witness the christening of the U.S.S. Josephus Daniels (DLG-27). Unfortunately, we were unable to get towboats here today due to the heavy seas outside, and so we are unable to put the ship in the water this morning. And since the weather is still a little gusty, I am glad that we decided not to launch even with towboats. We hope to launch tomorrow about 12:37 but we won't be able to make that decision until later when we find out what the weather is going to do.
The Josephus Daniels is the second of her class -- the Belknap was launched last July. She is a big ship, 547 feet long, 55-foot beam, and will displace almost 8,000 tons when fully loaded. In fact, she is the longest ship ever launched at this yard or at Bath, Maine. She will be completed in about 13 months.
The Daniels is named for the distinguished Secretary of the Navy, under President Wilson, the Honorable Josephus Daniels. He was the editor of the Raleigh News & Observer for many years and built the paper up from scratch to a newspaper of national significance. He was Ambassador to Mexico under President Franklin D. Roosevelt from 1933 to 1942. The Josephus Daniels will be christened by a granddaughter of Mr. Daniels, Mrs. Robert Woronoff. We had expected another granddaughter to be present here today as cosponsor, Mrs. Clyde Rich, Jr., but she was unable to be present.
We also have with us today several other members of the Daniels family and many other distinguished guests, a few of whom I will mention:
Mr. and Mrs. Josephus Daniels, Jr.
Mr. Jonathan Daniels.
Mr. and Mrs. Frank A. Daniels, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Derick Daniels.
Dr. and Mrs. Worth B. Daniels.
Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Squire.
Mr. Herbert W. Jackson.
The Honorable EDMUND S. MUSKIE, U.S. Senator from Maine.
Adm. Robert B. Carney, U.S. Navy (retired), chairman of the board, Bath Iron Works.
Rear Adm. J. A. Brown. U.S. Navy, Design, Shipbuilding, and Maintenance Division, representing the Chief of the Bureau of Ships.
Air Vice Marshall R. Stanley Aitken, RAP (retired).
Rear Adm. and Mrs. William F. Royall, U.S. Navy (retired).
Rear Ad-. and Mrs. J. P. Canty, U.S. Navy (retired).
Air Commodore J. C. Young, U.S. Navy, Fleet Air Wing 3, U.S. Naval Air Station,, and Mrs. Young.
Capt. Walter E. Baranowski, U.S. Navy. supervisor of shipbuilding, Bath, representing the commandant of the 1st Naval District.
Capt. Ernest J. Knoche, U.S. Navy, commanding officer, U.S. Naval Air Station, Brunswick, and Mrs. Knoche.
Col. Edward A. Herbes, U.S. Air Force, commanding officer, Bangor Air Defense Sector, and Mrs. Herbes.
Capt. Vincent Deitchman, U.S. Navy, chief of staff, Fleet Air Wing 3, U.S. Naval Air Station, Brunswick, and Mrs. Deitchman.
Capt. Charles W. Ward, U.S. Navy, administration officer, 1st Naval District, and Mrs. Ward.
Capt. and Mrs. Terry T. McGillicuddy, planning officer, Boston Naval Shipyard.
Capt. Russell S. Hitchcock, U.S. Navy (retired), former supervisor of shipbuilding, Bath, and Mrs. Hitchcock.
Capt. Edson H. Whitehurst, U.S. Navy (retired), and Mrs. Whitehurst.
Capt. David M. Burns, U.S. Navy (retired), and Mrs. Burns.
Hon. Carleton Day Reed, Jr. State senator, and Mrs. Reed.
Hon. Frederick E. Drake, Jr., State representative, and Mrs. Drake.
Hon. Ralph W. Brewer, State representative, and Mrs. Brewer.
REMARKS MADE BY REAR ADM. J. A. BROWN, REPRESENTING THE BUREAU OF SHIPS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE LAUNCHING OF THE "JOSEPHUS DANIELS" (DLG-27) AT THE BATH IRON WORKS
November 30, 1963
Launching traditionally marks the birth of a ship, the moment when it takes to its natural element and begins its vibrant, restless life.
This launching will be the start of a life dedicated to preserving peace and freedom. Such a life calls for power and versatility, both of which this ship has in abundance. It has the size, speed, endurance, and sea keeping qualities to operate effectively with fast aircraft carrier task forces. Its long range radar and Terrier missile battery will enable it to shoot down attacking aircraft. A powerful sonar and the latest antisubmarine warfare weapons will make it effective against marauding submarines. This ship will have 3-inch and 5-inch guns for close in firepower -- for local shore bombardment in support of amphibious operations.
Building such a ship takes great skill, and that we find in abundance here at the Bath Iron Works Corp. This shipyard has demonstrated particular competence in constructing destroyer types and has built many of the Navy's prototype destroyers. Just since World War II, Bath has built the prototypes Mitscher (DL-2), Forrest Sherman (DD-931) Dealey (DE-1006). Charles F. Adams (DDG2). and Leahy (DLG-16), and is now building the prototype Belknap (DLG-26), a sister of this fine new ship. In addition, Bath is now building the experimental destroyer escort, Glover (AGDE-1). Such an array accurately reflects the enterprise of the management of the company, as well as the Navy's confidence in the skill and ingenuity of personnel. I know they have used all this ability in readying this ship for launching.
As this ship is launched, it will be named after World War I Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, by a charming lady who is his granddaughter. I am sure that as she christens the ship she will infuse it with some of her grandfather's greatness of character and intellect. This ship will need these qualities in the life she now begins.
REMARKS 13Y SENATOR EDMUND S. MUSKIE, DEMOCRAT, or MAINE, AT THE LAUNCHING CEREMONIES OF THE U.S.S. "JOSEPHUS DANIELS, IN BATH, MAINE, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1963
Mrs. Woronoff and other members of the Daniels family, Admiral Carney, Admiral
Brown, President Newell, and distinguished guests, we meet here today to christen a fighting ship, and to honor a great Secretary of the Navy.
Tragic coincidence finds us doing so as the Nation mourns the death of a naval hero, whose personal courage served us gallantly in war, and whose inner strength was used to lead us wisely and firmly through the uncertain perils of our time.
Fighting ships are a Maine tradition. Maine craftsmen have built them; and have built into them the rock-ribbed strength, the sturdy reliability, and the stouthearted qualities which are bred into our people. Maine men have manned them and fought them, and the tales of their deeds of courage and patriotism are woven into the fabric of our country's history. And so, it is fitting that the launching of a Maine fighting ship should be an occasion for paying tribute to Josephus Daniels and John F. Kennedy. Stouthearted men and stouthearted ships have always felt a kinship for each other.
The ship we christen today, and the men who will man her, are the products of the modern Navy which Josephus Daniels did so much to create. They will be used to implement the national policy of using military strength as a force for peace, which John F. Kennedy did so much to shape.
When Josephus Daniels became Secretary of the Navy, in 1913, the world was dominated by Europe, a gigantic chessboard of power politics, and America was a disinterested spectator. comfortable in the isolationism which seemed such a perfect shield.
In such circumstances, it took vision to see that the oceans, of themselves, were not a perfect shield. Josephus Daniels had such vision, and worked for a two-ocean Navy.
This modest, North Carolina newspaper editor was not a specialist. He was not a skilled tactician.
But he understood his country, sensed that America stood at the threshold of world leadership, and believed that she must equip herself to assert her strength upon the seas.
And so, Josephus Daniels labored at making the Navy a better shield, a more effective instrument for world leadership.
Such a Navy required a stepped-up program of ship construction
Such a Navy required the mobilization of scientific resources for its full development.
Such a Navy required training programs to equip its personnel to use increasingly intricate and complex equipment.
Josephus Daniels foresaw these requirements and acted to meet them. Under his leadership, the Navy grew in physical resources. He organized the Naval Consulting Board for Naval Research. He established schools at sea to train men for their duties and opened to all enlisted men the possibility of becoming naval officers.
This missile frigate is a memorial to him and his work.
It is an instrument of the world leadership which he foresaw and which has become ours to exercise in a far different world than that of 1913.
As such, it has and must have a far different use than did the Navy of a half century ago. Our military strength is infinitely greater, but the consequences of its use can be so infinitely disastrous, that we must be infinitely wiser in that use.
Unless we learn to use it effectively as an instrument for peace, we can derive little comfort from its utility as an instrument for war.
To John F. Kennedy, military strength and power were essential elements of our national influence in the world, but he understood the need for wisdom and restraint in their use. He recognized their limitations as well as their awesome potential.
He saw that military power can only restrain or destroy: That only intellectual and spiritual power can create the good will and understanding essential to peace and justice in the world.
As we christen this ship, let us pray that it may always serve a wise, strong, and compassionate nation.
Let us rededicate ourselves, as President Johnson has asked us, to the task of continuing the work which President Kennedy began.
Let us take up this task in the spirit of a moving tribute which was paid to President Kennedy this week: "It can be said of him, as of few men in a like position, that he did not fear the weather, and did not trim his sails, but instead challenged the wind itself, to improve its direction and to cause it to blow more softly and more kindly over the world and its people."
(At this point, the U.S.S. Josephus Daniels was christened by Mrs. Robert M. Woronoff of Larchmont, N.Y., formerly Miss Patricia Daniels, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs, Frank L. Daniels of Raleigh, N.C., and the granddaughter of the late Honorable and Mrs. Josephus Daniels.)
WASHINGTON, D.C.,
November 26, 1963.
Capt. WALTER E. BARANOWSKI, Supervisor of Shipbuilding, U.S. Navy,
Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine
Mrs. Hill and I deeply regret that due to longstanding engagements in Alabama it is not possible for us to be with you for the launching of the U.S.S. Josephus Daniels.
Secretary Daniels was our dear and cherished friend and we rejoice to see honor done his memory. He was the father of our two ocean navy that contributed so mightily to our winning of World War I. The late great Admiral Dewey declared that he had served in the Navy 62 years and had served under many Secretaries of the Navy but that secretary Daniels was the best Secretary we had ever had and had done more for the Navy than any other. Secretary Daniels who served our Nation with such brilliance and dedication was more than a great American; he was a great American institution. Again may Mrs. Hill and I express our regret that we cannot be with you.
LISTER HILL,
U.S. Senator.