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USS Gravely Christened in Pascagoula
PASCAGOULA The late Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely Jr. was honored during a Saturday christening ceremony as a pioneer in breaking down racial barriers in the U.S. Navy. The guided missile destroyer, DDG 107, is named after Gravely.Gravely's wife, Alma, broke a bottle of champagne across the bow of the 509-foot long, 9,200-ton destroyer as about 2,000 people watched at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding shipyard in Pascagoula. The crowd was among the largest for a christening at the shipyard, said Bill Glenn, a company spokesman. The ceremonies typically have about 1,000 participants, he said. Gravely enlisted in 1942 and served 38 years in the Navy. He served during World War II and in 1944 was commissioned an officer. In 1946, he was released from service but was recalled in 1949 and built a career of firsts in the Navy. He was the first African-Ameri can to command a warship and the first to command a warship in combat, according to information released by Northrop Grumman. Gravely was the first black admiral and the first African-American to command a U.S. Fleet. Gravely opened many doors, said Rear Admiral Victor Guillory. "I don't think he ever intended to do that," said Guillory, who was one of six speakers. "He opened doors not only for minority officers, but really for anyone who wants to dream they can be more than perhaps people would assess them to be able to do. "This ship will be around well into the middle of the century with the Navy. That's huge." The Gravely is the 57th Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) Class of Aegis guided missile destroyers. It is the 27th in the class to be launched and christened at Northrop Grumman Ship building-Gulf Coast, according to the company.
Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-18 |
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