THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512100042
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KERRY DEROCHI, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
They came to the pier carrying sleeping bags, wool blankets and cardboard trays filled with cups of steaming coffee.
They rubbed their hands together over and over as they took their seats and stamped their feet on the concrete, hoping the movement would, somehow, stop the wind.
But moments later, when the carrier John C. Stennis was ordered to ``come alive,'' the cold and the wind were forgotten.
The audience of 17,000 stood and applauded as guns exploded and whistled blared for the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, CVN-74. Crew members ran along the decks of the massive ship, hoisting flags and flashing signal lights down on the cheering crowd.
Suddenly, it was a good day to be Navy.
``The John C. Stennis is proof, proof positive that our country's commitment to defense is alive and well,'' said Adm. Mike Boorda, chief of naval operations.
``She is truly a valuable asset. Our nation, other nations in the world will be more secure, more stable because she is part of the most powerful Navy in the world.''
Defense Secretary William J. Perry led the string of dignitaries on hand to oversee the commissioning of the $3.5 billion Stennis, the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier built by the Navy.
The Stennis will join the rotation of carriers that deploy to the Mediterranean from Norfolk.
Perry, the principal speaker, praised the crews of the Stennis and the other ships in the Atlantic Fleet, saying no matter how technologically advanced or sophisticated a ship is, there is no substitute for good sailors.
``This carrier is only as good as the men and women who operate it,'' he said.
Perry cited the recent deployment of the carrier Theodore Roosevelt as an example of the role the Navy and its carriers play in world affairs. He referred to flight operations flown from the Roosevelt over Bosnia-Herzegovina this year, crediting the carrier's presence with helping bring peace to the region.
His comments underscored the theme of the hourlong commissioning ceremony, where speaker after speaker cited the need for the United States and the Navy to stand ready to deploy to any part of the world.
The speakers, including Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and Navy Secretary John H. Dalton, pointed to a banner that stated, ``Look Ahead,'' the motto of the carrier's namesake, the late U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis of Mississippi.
It was Stennis' daughter, Margaret S. Womble, who ordered the crew to ``make the ship come alive,'' the traditional call for sailors to run onto the carrier and show off its equipment.
Within minutes, an F/A-18 Hornet and an F-14 Tomcat were rolled onto the flight deck as the lights outlining the number 74 were turned on.
The crowd cheered.
``I was born and raised around the Navy,'' said Les Kreger, a former aviation machinist's mate who fought in World War II. ``I was in the Navy. I go to all these ship commissionings. Why? I can't forget.''
Kris Bunton waited with her son, Tyler, hoping to catch a glimpse of her husband on board the Stennis.
``I'm cold, but excited,'' Bunton said. ``We wanted to come out. It's our first commissioning. It's my husband's first. We wanted to be here for him.''
Before the ceremony, as the crowd straggled into the rows of plastic seats, the 3,000 Stennis crew members stood at attention next to the ship. The color guard prepared to march as Miss Mississippi, Monica Louwerens, sang the national anthem.
In the middle of the crowd walked two protesters. They unfurled a banner that read, ``Prepare the way for the Lord, disarm.'' The protesters, a man and a woman, were led away from the pier and removed from the base.
``It's a shame someone had to ruin this for all the families who came so far,'' remarked Cmdr. Kevin Wensing, public affairs officer for the Atlantic Fleet Air Forces.
``But that's freedom of speech. That's why we built that ship in the first place.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
TAMARA VONINSKI/The Virginian-Pilot
Sailors on the carrier Stennis ``make the ship come alive'' during
Saturday's commissioning ceremony. That's the traditional call for
them to run onto the carrier and show off its equipment.
Photo
TAMARA VONINSKI/The Virginian-Pilot
About 17,000 people fought off the cold Saturday morning to attend
the commissioning ceremony for the John C. Stennis.
by CNB