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http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=91869
Seems the USS North Carolina skipper needs a bit of education.
Current CO grew up in Durham, went to USNA. Surely he knows the background. I checked out the sub’s Facebook page and almost puked. Lots of *NC gear flaunted. What really made me ill is the fact that they appear to have adopted the *NC flag as their own instead of the official flag of the state of NC.
I was curious about this, and found some info. Turns out that you can blame the “sponsor”, Linda Bowman, wife of Adm. Frank Bowman, director of Naval Reactors. I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt since there does not appear to be any bias related to universities, so I’m assuming that it was merely referencing the “Tarheel state”. You can blame the crew for the uNX gear though.
“The Keel Ceremony and a Ship’s (Boat’s) Sponsor
A ship (or boat, as we’re discussing a future submarine here) has no crew or Commanding Officer at this point, so she her keel ceremony is overseen by her “sponsor”.
This sponsor is a civilian who acts as a “godmother” to the ship or submarine whose keel is being laid. Sometimes the sponsor is the wife, mother, or daughter of a submarine dignitary, or congressional personnel, and this person will return for her Launch, and commissioning. According to Don’t Shoot the Albatross!: Nautical Myths and Superstitions by Jonathan Eyers, the ship’s sponsor is “…a sort of ship’s mascot—even if most of her crewmates probably wouldn’t want her to join them on board.””
http://www.ussflierproject.com/2015/05/the-newest-indiana-in-the-fleet-welcome-pcu-indiana-ssn-789/
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