Launching of USS Los Angeles (SSN-688)
The Hon. Ann Armstrong during the Cristening and Launching Ceremonies.
The Naming and Launching Ceremony is a custom deep in tradition in the U.S. Navy since its earliest beginnings, for it marks the formal cristening of this man-of-war. It is a significant event in the triad that brings a ship to life; from its keel laying, christening, and sea trials, to its commissioning; carring the ship from an idea to a reality.
It is believed that when a woman accepts the Secretary of the Navy's inviation to sponsor a new ship, the ship takes on the personality and spirit of the sponsor.
The Hon. Ann Armstrong
Comming Soon
Cristening and Launching of
USS LOS ANGELES (SSN-688)
About the Ship's Sponsor
The Hon. Anne L. Armstrong, Ambassador to Great Britian, was born in New Orleans and greaduated from Vassar College. In 1972 she became a Counselor to the President, serving on the President's Domestic Council, the Council on Wage and Price Stability, and Commision on the Organization of Government for the Conduct of Foreign Policy. In 1976 she was appointed U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain. She served as chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board from 1981 to 1990, and the Secretary of State's Advisory Panel on Overseas Security and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Sfhe received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Reagan in 1987.
After several attempts, the Hon. Anne L. Armstrong was unable to break the traditional bottle of champaign. Finally, she was given a second bottle of champaign abd was able to finally christen Los Angeles as the ship slid down the shipway, "The second bottle was to christen the USS Los Angeles: the first was to show that the ship and her crew are stauch and strong and unyielding."
Related Educational Pages
The earliest First Lady of the United States to act as a ship's sponsor was Mrs. Calvin Coolidge who christened the airship USS LOS ANGELES (ZR-3).
