THE USS WAYNE E. MEYER
"Man the ship and bring her to life."
In June 2009, I attended the reunion for the USS HERMITAGE (LSD 34), on which I had served. At the closing event, a former commanding officer spoke about the decommissioning ceremony on 2 October 1989. He said that "the colors were lowered and the crew marched off the ship" leaving it to the Brazilian Navy as the CEARA (C-30).
The image of the decommissioning has stayed with me
On 10 October 2009, I witnessed the reverse image. I attended the commissioning of the USS WAYNE E. MEYER (DDG 108) at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia. Rear Admiral Meyer was father of the AEGIS weapons system. He died on September 1, 2009 at the age of 83. It is rare for a person to be alive when a ship is under construction and named after him.
Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer
The ceremony drew young and old, veterans and their families, and lots of brass. I shook hands with two admirals of the Australian Navy.
The commissioning pennant and national ensign are raised.
After the speeches, the national ensign and the commissioning pennant were raised. The Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations were present. The four star flag of a full admiral was raised.
The crew takes its positions on board.
Anna Mae Meyer, wife of Rear Admiral Meyer, announced, "Man the ship and bring her to life." The crew marched on board and took its positions on each deck. The guns were activated, rotated and "whirred." The ship's horn blasted. A five inch 38 caliber gun on the USS NEW JERSEY (BB 62 ), now a museum across the Delaware River, fired a salute.
History came full circle. I imagined the closing of the HERMITAGE and witnessed the birth of the WAYNE E. MEYER.
Website of USS WAYNE E. MEYER (DDG 108)
Obituary of Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer
Philadelphia Inquirer report