WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is the principal speaker this morning at a christening ceremony for Sampson, the 28th Arleigh Burke AEGIS class destroyer built at Bath Iron Works. Senator Collins’ address comes one day after she was was pleased to announce that Congressional negotiators have reached a final compromise agreement on the fiscal year 2007 Defense Authorization bill that secures full funding of $3.4 billion for the DD(X) program, the amount for which she fought to secure. This bill authorizes the simultaneous construction of two DD(X) ships in FY 2007-08, one of which will be built at Bath Iron Works.
“Maintaining the DD(X) dual lead ship strategy is critical to our national security, which requires that a high priority be placed upon building up our naval fleet to counter existing and emerging threats,” said Senator Collins. “This agreement will maintain the DD(X) program schedule and the planned workload at Bath Iron Works. BIW’s future is tied to the construction of the DD(X) and that is why I am so pleased that the Senate’s position prevailed in these conference negotiations.”
The following is the full text of Senator Collins’ remarks at today’s ceremony.
Governor Baldacci, Senator Snowe, Congressman Allen, Congressman Michaud, Deputy Secretary Stiller, Admiral Hamilton, Commander Roos, President Shipway, Ms. Parsons, officers and crew of the USS Sampson, men and women of Bath Iron Works, distinguished guests, and friends: it is a great honor to join you today to celebrate the christening of this great ship at this great shipyard.
We gather today to celebrate the new, the cutting edge. This is most advanced warship in the world, built in a modern facility by the industry’s most skilled hands, manned by officers and crew with the highest level of training and expertise, all combining to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
This also is a celebration of history, a noble, inspiring, and heroic history. It begins with this ship’s namesake, Admiral William Thomas Sampson.
William Sampson entered the United States Naval Academy at the age of 17. He graduated four years later, at the top of his class, while the Civil War was raging. He served with great distinction and valor as executive officer of that strange and perilous new breed of ship, the Ironclad. After the war, he stuck with his Navy through its years of decline and was a leading force in the creation of the robust New Navy that emerged in the later decades of that century. He helped take the United States Navy from sail to steam and from wood to steel.
Admiral Sampson is best remembered for his leadership at the Battle of Santiago in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. That battle, on the morning of July 3rd, 1898, was one of the greatest naval engagements in history. Under Admiral Sampson’s steadfast command, it became one of history’s most resounding victories. His famous message following that triumph speaks to his sense of purpose and devotion to his country: “The Fleet under my command offers the nation as a Fourth of July present, the whole of Cervera's Fleet!”
So great was the mark Admiral Sampson left upon our Navy that the ship we christen today is the fourth to bear his name. The first served with distinction during the First World War, combating that new and terrifying weapon, the U-Boat. The second was one of the most decorated ships of the Second World War, keeping the sea lanes of the North Atlantic open, suppressing submarine attacks at the Panama Canal, battling kamikaze assaults in the Pacific and supporting the landings that led to victory.
DDG-10 was a vital part of freedom’s shield during the Cold War, and helped advance the cause of freedom during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield. Among the class of ships known as the “greyhounds of the sea,” the destroyers named Sampson have always led the way. Whatever challenges the future may bring, I know that DDG-102 will add to this inspiring record.
The thread of history runs through this celebration. At each of the four Sampson christenings, a member of Admiral Sampson’s family has stood as sponsor, and we are greatly honored to have his great-granddaughter, Clare Parsons, serve in that capacity today. She is also the daughter and granddaughter of Admirals. But Ms. Parsons is more than the descendant of great Naval leaders, she is Navy all the way – she, too, served in uniform and retired as a Commander in the Navy Reserves. This great family exemplifies patriotism and duty, and we salute them.
The thread of history also runs through this shipyard – DDG-102 is the third Sampson built here at Bath Iron Works. As an example of how this event brings together past, present, and future, consider that this is hull number 500 laid here at BIW – a sequence that began with the passenger steamer Cottage City back in 1890 – and this is the first christening to take place at BIW’s new, state-of-the-art Land Level Transfer Facility. Throughout all the years, through all the changes in ship design and in the shipyard itself, one thing has remained constant – the dedication, innovation, and hard work of the men and women who pass through these gates.
But the history we celebrate today did not just happen, it was made. It was made by great leaders like Admiral Sampson, and by great families like his. It was made by generations of Americans who have stepped forward to defend our nation, and it was made by workers who strive to build the best for those who defend us.
This tradition must continue. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I have seen first-hand that seapower is crucial to defend our freedom and to extend the blessings of freedom to others. I have fought for shipbuilding and acquisition policies that will keep the United States Navy pre-eminent, our shipyards strong, and our skilled workers building the best ships in the world. Ships such as this and the next generation of destroyers to come, the DDG-1000, are essential if America is to continue to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.
The New Navy that won that great victory at Santiago was built by the skilled and dedicated shipbuilders of a century ago. The skilled and dedicated shipbuilders of Bath Iron Works today have inherited that proud legacy. Like those they follow, they live in a time when American seapower is in danger of not being able to meet the challenges and threats of the day. Like those who fought against the decline of American seapower in that earlier time, we must provide our Navy, and our shipbuilders, with the support and resources they need to meet the challenges and to protect our nation against all threats. And, I’m pleased to report that the Defense Authorization bill that we just finished negotiating will help keep our Navy and Bath Iron Works strong.
The spirit of those who manned those uncertain and untried ironclads, who faced down the U-Boats, who knocked the kamikaze pilots from the skies, and who stood up to the Iron Curtain lives on in the officers and crew of this new USS Sampson. As we honor those who served in the past, we honor you who serve today. You inherit a proud legacy, and whatever challenges the future may bring, we are confident that you will enhance it; you will write inspiring new chapters in our nation’s naval history. Wherever you sail, the prayers of a grateful nation will go with you. All Americans wish you fair winds and following seas, and that God may always speed you safely home.
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