THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 8, 1996 TAG: 9609080043
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARC DAVIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: 104 lines
Amid falling parachutists and exploding fireworks, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier was christened Saturday in honor of the president who started America's cold war against communism.
Under the carrier's hulking gray bow, speaker after speaker recalled the common-sense wisdom and military foresight of Harry S. Truman, for whom the ship is named.
More than 4,000 people gathered to watch the festivities at Newport News Shipbuilding. The shipyard and Navy had expected more, but that was before President Clinton pulled out Thursday as the main speaker.
Navy Secretary John H. Dalton, standing in for the president, expressed Clinton's ``deep regret'' at not being able to attend. He said Clinton ``had no choice but to cancel his participation'' when his advisers and lawyers said that his appearance would make the christening a campaign event.
That might have thrown the whole event into question, since military personnel are supposed to be nonpartisan and do not participate in political events.
The pier was awash in white uniforms, including that of Adm. Jay Johnson, chief of naval operations. Other dignitaries included Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary, four area congressmen and Virginia's two U.S. senators.
Shipyard President William P. Fricks welcomed the crowd by alluding to Hurricane Fran: ``That we're here at all is quite amazing to me.''
His boss, Tenneco Chairman Dana Mead, assured the crowd that the 110-year-old shipyard will continue to thrive when it becomes an independent business at the end of the year.
Some analysts have expressed concern over the shipyard's financial situation, but Mead said the yard is in good health. He and Fricks pointed to the Truman and the ship being built directly behind it in drydock - the tanker Despotico - as symbols of the yard's future.
The Despotico is the first commercial ship to be built in an American shipyard for a foreign customer in 40 years.
``I have no doubt history will continue to be made here,'' Mead declared.
But the day belonged mainly to Harry Truman and his admirers.
Huge red-white-and-blue bunting bearing Truman's name hung over the side of the ship facing spectators. A large oval seal bearing Truman's likeness and name hung at the bow.
The carrier's sponsor is Truman's daughter, Margaret Truman Daniel, who was too ill to attend. In her place, family friend Drucie Snyder Horton - daughter of Harry Truman's treasury secretary, John W. Snyder - smashed a ceremonial champagne bottle over the carrier's bow.
Just before the bottle exploded, a tape of Daniel's voice declared, ``I christen thee United States Ship Harry S. Truman. God bless all who sail in her.'' A Navy band played ``Anchors Aweigh'' and children gleefully waved small American flags.
At the lectern, speaker after speaker praised the ship, the shipyard and Truman.
Sen. John W. Warner compared Truman to former president Ronald Reagan, for whom the next carrier will be named.
``I can think of no two men since World War II who have done more to turn back the tide of communism,'' said Warner, who served in the military under President Truman during World War II and the Korean War, and later served in the U.S. Senate while Reagan was president.
A family friend from Truman's home state of Missouri, U.S. Rep. Ike Skelton, reminisced about Truman's legacy of plain speaking and rising from ordinary beginnings.
But, Skelton said, Truman was also the man who helped contain the spread of communism just after World War II. ``He was anything but ordinary or common. . Truman,'' Skelton said.
Navy Secretary Dalton said Truman ``embodied values that make America great,'' among them love of family, devotion to country, taking responsibility and doing your best.
He said the new carrier and its crew ``are ready to defend America and the values we cherish.'' He said the christening of a new carrier sends a strong message to the world from the United States: ``hope for the oppressed, fear for the oppressors and liberty and justice for all.''
Dalton injected politics into the christening by praising the president's military and foreign affairs record at length. The crowd clapped politely, but without enthusiasm.
Dalton earned bigger applause when he declared that America must maintain its global presence.
``The single most effective means to project that presence is to have a strong Navy,'' Dalton said. The audience applauded loudly. ``And no ship has ever projected more power and greater presence than a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.''
After the speeches and bottle-breaking, 12 Navy planes flew in formation over the carrier, then fireworks exploded from a barge in the James River near the drydock.
Christening aside, the carrier is not yet ready for service. It will move next weekend to a new berth, where it will be outfitted inside. That will take two years.
It is scheduled to be commissioned and delivered to the Navy in 1998. ILLUSTRATION: L.TODD SPENCER color photos
Above: Prior to the ceremony, a guest crosses in front of the bow
of the nearly 20 story high carrier Truman. At right: Drucie Snyder
Horton smashes a thin champagne bottle from Missouri over the
carrier's bow.
Photo
L. TODD SPENCER
Navy Secretary John H. Dalton and William P. Fricks, president and
CEO of Newport News Shipbuilding, leave the platform after the
christening of the Navy's newest carrier, Harry S. Truman. by CNB