View source for Ceremonial ship launching

{{short description|Ceremonial process of transferring a newly built vessel to the water}}
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{{shipbuilding}}
[[Image:Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes being launched 1.jpg|thumb|1908 launch of the Brazilian battleship [[Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes|''Minas Geraes'']]]]
[[File:Aerial Video of LCS 15 Launch.webm|thumb|The U.S. Navy's {{USS|Billings}} is launched sideways into the [[Menominee River]] in [[Marinette, Wisconsin]], 2017]]

'''Ceremonial ship launching''' involves the performing of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back millennia, to accompany the physical process with ceremonies which have been observed as public celebration and a solemn blessing, usually but not always, in association with the launch itself.

Ship launching imposes stresses on the ship not met during normal operation and in addition to the size and weight of the vessel represents a considerable engineering challenge as well as a public spectacle. The process also involves [[Sailors' superstitions|many traditions intended to invite good luck]], such as [[baptism#Boats and ships|christening]] by breaking a sacrificial bottle of [[champagne]] over the [[bow (ship)|bow]] as the ship is named aloud and launched.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://history1800s.about.com/od/transportation/a/shipchampagne.htm|title=History of Ship Christenings With Champagne|author=Robert McNamara|work=About.com Education|access-date=23 September 2013|archive-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914160532/http://history1800s.about.com/od/transportation/a/shipchampagne.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Methods==
There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching". The oldest, most familiar, and most widely used is the end-on launch, in which the vessel slides down an inclined [[slipway]], usually [[stern]] first. With the side launch, the ship enters the water broadside. This method came into use in the 19th century on inland waters, rivers, and lakes, and was more widely adopted during World War II. The third method is [[float-out]], used for ships that are built in basins or [[dry dock]]s and then floated by admitting water into the dock.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

If launched in a restrictive waterway, drag chains are used to slow the ship speed to prevent it striking the opposite bank.<ref>Basic Ship Theory Volume 1, Fifth Edition

Butterworth-Heinemann; 5 edition | November 21, 2001 | {{ISBN|0750653965}}</ref>

===Stern-first===
[[File:USS Johnston (DD-557) sliding down the building ways at the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard, Seattle, Washington, 25 March 1943 - Original.tif|thumb|Destroyer {{USS|Johnston|DD-557}} slipping into the water stern-first during her launch from the [[Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation]] shipyard on 25 March 1943]]
[[File:Arizona launch party.jpg|thumb|right|Stern-first launch of the battleship {{USS|Arizona|BB-39}} in 1915 at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard]]]]

Normally, [[slipway|ways]] are arranged perpendicular to the shore line (or as nearly so as the water and maximum length of vessel allows) and the ship is built with its [[stern]] facing the water. Where the launch takes place into a narrow river, the building slips may be at a shallow angle rather than perpendicular, even though this requires a longer slipway when launching.{{efn-lr|The [[National Shipyard]]s at [[Chepstow]] are an example.}} Modern slipways take the form of a reinforced concrete mat of sufficient strength to support the vessel, with two "barricades" that extend well below the water level taking into account [[tide|tidal]] variations. The barricades support the two launch ways. The vessel is built upon temporary cribbing that is arranged to give access to the hull's outer bottom and to allow the launchways to be erected under the complete hull. When it is time to prepare for launching, a pair of standing ways is erected under the hull and out onto the barricades. The surface of the ways is greased. ([[Tallow]] and [[whale oil]] were used as grease in sailing ship days.)<ref name="statestreet">{{Cite book| author-link = State Street Corporation – State Street Trust Company| author = Walton Advertising and Printing Company, Boston.| title = Some ships of the clipper ship era, Their builders, owners, and captains| publisher = Printed for the State Street Trust Company| year = 1913| location = Boston, MA| page = 18}}</ref> 
A pair of sliding ways is placed on top, under the hull, and a launch cradle with bow and stern poppets is erected on these sliding ways. The weight of the hull is then transferred from the build cribbing onto the launch cradle. Provision is made to hold the vessel in place and then release it at the appropriate moment in the launching ceremony; common mechanisms include weak links designed to be cut at a signal and mechanical triggers controlled by a switch from the ceremonial platform.

On launching, the vessel slides backwards down the slipway on the ways until it floats by itself.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=pigDAAAAMBAJ&q=Popular+Science+1931+planeHowBiggest&pg=PA36 Ship Was Safely Launched, February 1933, Popular Science] slipway and launching of French passenger liner Normandie in 1933 – excellent drawing and illustrations showing basics of process</ref>

===Sideways===
[[File:Launch of USS St. Louis at Marinette Marine, Wisconsin (USA), on 15 December 2018 (181215-N-N0101-198).JPG|alt=|thumb|Sideways launch of littoral combat ship {{USS|St. Louis|LCS-19}} in 2018]]
Some slipways are built so that the vessel is side-on to the water and is launched sideways. This is done where the limitations of the water channel would not allow lengthwise launching, but occupies a much greater length of shore. ''[[SS Great Eastern|The Great Eastern]]'' designed by [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel|Brunel]] was built this way, as were many [[landing craft]] during [[World War II]]. This method requires many more sets of ways to support the weight of the ship.

===Air-bag===
{{main article |Airbag launching}}
Sometimes ships are launched using a series of inflated tubes underneath the hull, which deflate to cause a downward slope into the water. This procedure has the advantages of requiring less permanent infrastructure, risk, and cost. The airbags provide support to the hull of the ship and aid its launching motion into the water, thus this method is arguably safer than other options such as sideways launching.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://max-groups.com/ship-launching-airbags-best-ship-launching-method/|title=Ship Launching Airbags, the best ship launching method?|work=Max Groups Marine|date=25 October 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230417091651/https://max-groups.com/ship-launching-airbags-best-ship-launching-method/ |archive-date= Apr 17, 2023 }}</ref> These airbags are usually cylindrical in shape with hemispherical heads at both ends.

==Traditions==
===Ancient===
[[File:Van Bree-Le Friedland.jpg|thumb|French ship of the line [[French ship Friedland (1810)|''Friedland'']] being launched stern first on 2 May 1810 in [[Antwerp]]]] 
A [[Babylon]]ian narrative dating from the 3rd millennium BC describes the completion of a ship:<ref name="FAQ108"/>

<blockquote>
Openings to the water I stopped;<br>
I searched for cracks and the wanting parts I fixed:<br>
Three ''sari'' of bitumen I poured over the outside;<br>
To the gods I caused oxen to be sacrificed.<ref name="FAQ108"/>
</blockquote>

It is believed that ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans called on their gods to protect seamen.<ref name="frame01">{{cite news |last=Frame |first=Chris |date=17 April 2024 |title=Why are ships christened?|url=https://chrisframe.com.au/post/748097559812276224/why-are-ships-christened |work=Chris Frame Official (Maritime Historian) |location= |access-date=17 June 2024}}</ref> Favor was evoked from the monarch of the seas—[[Poseidon]] in [[Greek mythology]], [[Neptune (mythology)|Neptune]] in [[Roman mythology]]. Ship launching participants in ancient Greece wreathed their heads with olive branches, drank wine to honor the gods, and poured water on the new vessel as a symbol of blessing. Shrines were carried on board Greek and Roman ships, and this practice extended into the Middle Ages. The shrine was usually placed at the [[quarterdeck]], an area which continues to have special ceremonial significance.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

Different peoples and cultures shaped the religious ceremonies surrounding a ship launching. [[Jew]]s and [[Christianity|Christians]] customarily used wine and water as they called upon God to safeguard them at sea. Intercession of the saints and the blessing of the church were asked by Christians. Ship launchings in the [[Ottoman Empire]] were accompanied by prayers to [[Allah]], the sacrifice of sheep, and appropriate feasting.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

Chaplain Henry Teonge of Britain's [[Royal Navy]] left an interesting account of a warship launch, a "briganteen of 23 oars," by the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of Malta]] in 1675:<ref name="FAQ108"/>
<blockquote>
Two fryers and an attendant went into the vessel, and kneeling down prayed halfe an houre, and layd their hands on every mast, and other places of the vessel, and sprinkled her all over with holy water. Then they came out and hoysted a pendent to signify she was a man of war; then at once thrust her into the water.<ref name="FAQ108"/>
</blockquote>

===Early Modern Age===
[[File:Vue du Vaisseau du Roy le duc de Bourgogne btv1b8409221q.jpg|thumb|right|The side launch of French ship [[French ship Duc de Bourgogne (1751)|''Duc de Bourgogne'']] at [[Rochefort, Charente-Maritime|Rochefort]] on 20 October 1751.]]

The liturgical aspects of ship christenings, or baptisms, continued in [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] countries, while the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]] seems to have put a stop to them for a time in [[Protestantism|Protestant]] Europe. By the 17th century, for example, English launchings were secular affairs.  The christening party for the launch of the 64-gun ship of the line {{ship|English ship|Prince Royal|1610|2}} in 1610 included the [[Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales|Prince of Wales]] and famed naval constructor [[Phineas Pett]], who was master shipwright at the Woolwich yard. Pett described the proceedings:<ref name="FAQ108"/>

{{blockquote|
The noble Prince… accompanied with the Lord Admiral and the great lords, were on the [[poop deck|poop]], where the standing great gilt cup was ready filled with wine to name the ship SO soon as she had been afloat, according to ancient custom and ceremony performed at such times, and heaving the standing cup overboard.  His Highness then standing upon the poop with a selected company only, besides the trumpeters, with a great deal of expression of princely joy, and with the ceremony of drinking in the standing cup, threw all the wine forwards towards the half-deck, and solemnly calling her by name of the Prince Royal, the trumpets sounding the while, with many gracious words to me, gave the standing cup into my hands.<ref name="FAQ108"/>
}}

The "standing cup" was a large cup fashioned of precious metal. When the ship began to slide down the ways, the presiding official took a ceremonial sip of wine from the cup, and poured the rest on the deck or over the bow. Usually the cup was thrown overboard and belonged to the lucky retriever. As navies grew larger and launchings more frequent, economy dictated that the costly cup be caught in a net for reuse at other launchings. Late in 17th century Britain, the standing-cup ceremony was replaced by the practice of breaking a bottle across the bow.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

==By country==
[[File:DF.CLR-8-29 The Launch of the Minas Geraes.tif|thumb|right|The launch of Brazilian Navy battleship [[Brazilian battleship Minas Geraes|''Minas Geraes'']] at Elswick on 10 September 1908]]
Launching could be said to mark the birth of a vessel; and people throughout history have performed launching ceremonies, in part to appeal for good fortune and the safety of each new vessel.<ref name="Au_axe">{{cite periodical |url-status=dead |url=http://www.nykline.co.jp/english/seascope/200501/index.htm |title=Ripples in Time [ The Launching Ceremony and the Silver Axe ] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051105084732/http://www.nykline.co.jp/english/seascope/200501/index.htm |archive-date=November 5, 2005 |periodical =Seascope |publisher=NYK Line |issue=211 |date=January 2005}}</ref>

===Canada===
In Canada, [[Aboriginal peoples in Canada|Aboriginal peoples]] will perform ceremonies at the launching of vessels along with other methods of launching.

===France===
French ship launchings and christenings in the 18th and early 19th centuries were accompanied by unique rites closely resembling marriage and baptismal ceremonies. A godfather for the new ship presented a godmother with a bouquet of flowers as both said the ship's name. No bottle was broken, but a priest pronounced the vessel's name and blessed it with holy water.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

===India===
In [[India]], ships have historically been launched with a [[Puja (Hinduism)|Puja]] ceremony that dedicates the ship to a Hindu god or goddess, and seeks blessings for her and her sailors. Historically, [[Hindu]] priests would perform the ''puja'' ceremony at launch. In the 20th century, ships were launched with a lady breaking a [[coconut]] on the bow of the vessel, which is sometimes followed by a small [[Puja (Hinduism)|Puja]].<ref name =ei-sahyadri>{{Cite web|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=131272|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130531105929/http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=131272|archive-date = 2013-05-31|title = City News, Indian City Headlines, Latest City News, Metro City News}}</ref>

===Japan===
Japanese ship launchings incorporate silver axes which are thought to bring good luck and scare away evil. Japanese shipbuilders traditionally order the crafting of a special axe for each new vessel; and after the launching ceremony, they present the axe to the vessel's owner as a commemorative gift.<ref name="Au_axe"/>  The axe is used to cut the rope which tethers the ship to the place where she was built.<ref>The Japanese were not the only ones to use an axe in launch ceremonies – ''see'' (a) British use of axe: {{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.rnsubmusfriends.org.uk/12.html |title=Recent Museum Acquisitions: Axe |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090713064522/http://www.rnsubmusfriends.org.uk/12.html |archive-date=July 13, 2009 |website=Friends of the RN Submarine Museum|postscript= ;}} (b) Dutch use of axe: {{cite web |url-status=dead |url=http://www.dehoopuitgeest.nl/engels/newsuk.html  |title=Christening of the working boat ''Velsen'' built on the heritage centre |date=30 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720010430/http://www.dehoopuitgeest.nl/engels/newsuk.html |archive-date=July 20, 2011 |website=De Hoop Heritage Park, Uitgeest }}</ref>

===United Kingdom===
[[File:Eidsvold launch card June 14th 1900.jpg|thumb|upright|''Eidsvold'' launch card in [[Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums]] collection item 450/1, launched at [[Elswick, Tyne and Wear|Elswick]] 14 June 1900 for the Royal Norwegian Navy.]]

[[Ship sponsor|Sponsor]]s of British warships were customarily members of the royal family, senior naval officers, or Admiralty officials. A few civilians were invited to sponsor Royal Navy ships during the nineteenth century, and women became sponsors for the first time. In 1875, a religious element was returned to naval christenings by [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess Alexandra]], wife of the [[Edward VII|Prince of Wales]], when she introduced an Anglican choral service in the launching ceremony for battleship {{HMS|Alexandra|1875|2}}. The usage continues with the singing of [[Psalm 107]] with its special meaning to mariners:<ref name="FAQ108"/>

<blockquote>
They that go down to the sea in ships;<br>
That do business in great waters;<br>
These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.<ref name="FAQ108"/>
</blockquote>

In 1969, [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] named the ocean liner ''[[Queen Elizabeth 2]]'' after herself, instead of the older liner {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth}}, by saying, "I name this ship ''Queen Elizabeth the Second''. May God bless her and all who sail in her." On 4 July 2014, the Queen named the Royal Navy's new aircraft carrier {{HMS|Queen Elizabeth|R08|6}} with a bottle of [[single malt Scotch whisky]] from the Bowmore distillery on the island of [[Islay]] instead of champagne because the ship had been built and launched in Scotland. The [[Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall|Duchess of Rothesay]] similarly launched {{HMS|Prince of Wales|R09|6}} by pulling a lever which smashed a bottle of single malt Scotch whisky at the side of the ship.

[[File:240409h MV Glen Rosa launch.webm|thumb|right|CalMac ferry ''Glen Rosa'' launching at [[Ferguson Marine]] shipyard on 9 April 2024.<ref name="BBC 2024O4O8">{{cite web | last=Watson | first=Calum | title=New CalMac ferry Glen Rosa launches into River Clyde | website=BBC News | date=8 April 2024 | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1w5e2vg8wzo | access-date=12 April 2024}}</ref>]]
At the 2024 launching of [[Caledonian MacBrayne|CalMac]] ferry [[MV Glen Rosa|''Glen Rosa'']], newly-qualified welder Beth Atkinson named the ship and pulled a lever to similarly smash a bottle, of single malt from the Ardgowan distillery at nearby [[Inverkip]].<ref name="BBC 2024O4O8" />

Shipyard ephemera is a rich source of detail concerning a launch and this was often material produced for the audience of the day and then thrown away. [[Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums]] has many of these items from Tyne and Wear shipyards. A number can be seen in [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:ListFiles/TWAMWIR Commons]. The 1900 piece for {{HNoMS|Eidsvold||2}} reproduced in this article lists a woman performing the launch.

===United States===
[[File:Launching of the John W. Boardman cargo ship - DPLA - 5670c1a5452f4e14f2f7a318b18aa656.jpg|thumb|right|Launching of the ''John W. Boardman'' cargo ship from the Toledo Shipyard, Toledo, Ohio, 1916]]
Ceremonial practices for christening and launching ships in the [[United States]] have their roots in Europe. Descriptions are not plentiful for launching [[American Revolutionary War]] naval vessels, but a local newspaper detailed the launch of Continental frigate {{USS|Raleigh|1776|2}} at [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], in May 1776:<ref name="FAQ108"/>

{{blockquote|
On Tuesday the 21st inst. the Continental Frigate of thirty-two guns, built at this place... was Launched amidst the acclamation of many thousand spectators. She is esteemed by all those who are judges that have seen her, to be one of the compleatest ships ever built in America. The unwearied diligence and care of the three Master-Builders... and the good order and industry of the Carpenters, deserve particular notice; scarcely a single instance of a person's being in liquor, or any difference among the men in the yard during the time of her building, every man with pleasure exerting himself to the utmost: and altho' the greatest care was taken that only the best of timber was used, and the work perform'd in a most masterly manner, the whole time from her raising to the day she launched did not exceed sixty working days, and what afforded a most pleasing view (which was manifest in the countenances of the Spectators) this noble fabrick was completely to her anchors in the main channel, in less than six minutes from the time she run, without the least hurt; and what is truly remarkable, not a single person met with the least accident in launching, tho' near five hundred men were employed in and about her when run off.<ref name="FAQ108"/>
}}

It was customary for the builders to celebrate a ship launching. [[Rhode Island]] authorities were charged with overseeing construction of frigates {{USS|Warren|1776|2}} and {{USS|Providence|1776 frigate|2}}. They voted the sum of fifty dollars ({{Inflation|US|50|1776|fmt=eq|r=-2}}) to the master builder of each yard "to be expended in providing an entertainment for the carpenters that worked on the ships." Five pounds ({{Inflation|US|5|1776|fmt=eq|r=-2}}) was spent for lime juice for the launching festivities of frigate {{USS|Delaware|1776|2}} at [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], suggesting that the "entertainment" included a potent punch with lime juice as an ingredient.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

No mention has come to light of christening a Continental Navy ship during the American Revolution. The first ships of the Continental Navy were {{USS|Alfred|1774|2}}, {{USS|Cabot|1775|2}}, {{USS|Andrew Doria|1775|2}}, and {{USS|Columbus|1774|2}}. These were former merchantmen, and their names were assigned during conversion and outfitting. Later, [[United States Congress|Congress]] authorized the construction of thirteen frigates, and no names were assigned until after four had launched.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

The first description that we have of an American warship christening is that of {{USS|Constitution||2}} at Boston, October 21, 1797, famous as "Old Ironsides." Her sponsor was Captain James Sever, USN, who stood on the weather deck at the bow.  "At fifteen minutes after twelve she commenced a movement into the water with such steadiness, majesty and exactness as to fill every heart with sensations of joy and delight." As ''Constitution'' ran out, Captain Sever broke a bottle of fine old [[Madeira wine|Madeira]] over the heel of the [[bowsprit]].<ref name="FAQ108"/>

Frigate {{USS|President|1800|2}} had an interesting launching on April 10, 1800, at New York:<ref name="FAQ108"/>

{{blockquote|
Was launched yesterday morning, at ten o'clock, in the presence of perhaps as great a concourse of people as ever assembled in this city on any occasion. At nine, captain Ten-Eyck's company of artillery..., accompanied by the uniform volunteer companies of the sixth regiment and the corps of riflemen, marched in procession... and took their station alongside the frigate. Everything being prepared, and the most profound silence prevailing,...  At a given signal she glided into the waters, a sublime spectacle of gracefulnes and grandeur. Immediately on touching the water federal salutes were fired from the sloop of war ''[[USS Portsmouth (1798)|Portsmouth]]'', the revenue cutter ''Jay'' and the ''Aspasia'', Indiaman. These were returned by the uniform companies on shore, who fired a [[Feu de joie|feu-de-joye]], and marched off the ground to the battery... and were dismissed.<ref name="FAQ108"/>
}}

As the 19th century progressed, American ship launchings continued to be festive occasions, but with no set ritual except that the sponsor(s) used some "christening fluid" as the ship received her name.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

Sloop of war {{USS|Concord|1828|2}} was launched in 1828 and was "christened by a young lady of Portsmouth." This is the first known instance of a woman sponsoring a United States Navy vessel. The contemporaneous account does not name her.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/christening-launching-and-commissioning-of-u-s-navy-ships.html |title=Christening, Launching, and Commissioning of U.S. Navy Ships |website=history.navy.mil |first=John C. |last=Reilly |date=5 January 2021 |access-date=2016-04-18}}</ref> The first ''identified'' woman sponsor was Lavinia Fanning Watson, daughter of a prominent Philadelphian. She broke a bottle of wine and water over the bow of [[sloop-of-war]] {{USS|Germantown|1846|2}} at [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard|Philadelphia Navy Yard]] on August 22, 1846.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

[[File:Sponsor of USS Wichita (LCS-13) smashes champagne bottle over bow of ship during christening ceremony US Navy 160917-N-N0101-100.jpg|thumb|Kate Lehrer, sponsor of the future USS ''Wichita'' (LCS 13), breaks a bottle of champagne across LCS-13's bow during the ship's christening ceremony.]]

Women as sponsors became increasingly the rule, but not universally so. As sloop-of-war {{USS|Plymouth|1844|2}} "glided along the inclined plane" in 1846<!--1844?-->, "two young sailors, one stationed at each side of her head, anointed her with bottles, and named her as she left her cradle for the deep."  As late as 1898, the torpedo boat {{USS|MacKenzie|TB-17|2}} was christened by the son of the builder.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

Wine is the traditional christening fluid, although numerous other liquids have been used. {{USS|Princeton|1843|2}} and {{USS|Raritan|1843|2}} were sent on their way in 1843 with [[whisky]]. Seven years later, "a bottle of best [[brandy]] was broken over the bow of steam sloop {{USS|San Jacinto|1850|2}}." Steam frigate {{USS|Merrimack|1855|2}} earned her place in naval history as [[Confederate States of America]] ironclad {{ship|CSS|Virginia||2}}, and she was baptized with water from the [[Merrimack River]]. Admiral [[David Farragut]]'s famous [[American Civil War]] [[flagship]] steam sloop {{USS|Hartford|1858|2}} was christened by three sponsors; two young ladies broke bottles of [[Connecticut River]] water and [[Hartford, Connecticut]] spring water, while a naval lieutenant completed the ceremony with a bottle of sea water.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

[[Champagne (wine)|Champagne]] came into popular use as a christening fluid as the 19th century closed. A granddaughter of [[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]] [[Benjamin F. Tracy]] wet the bow of {{USS|Maine|ACR-1|2}}, the Navy's first steel battleship, with champagne at the [[Brooklyn Navy Yard|New York Navy Yard]] on November 18, 1890. The effects of national [[prohibition]] on alcoholic beverages were reflected to some extent in ship christenings. [[Cruiser]]s {{USS|Pensacola|CA-24|2}} and {{USS|Houston|CA-30|2}}, for example, were christened with water; the [[submarine]] [[USS Nautilus (SS-168)|''V-6'']] with cider.  However, battleship {{USS|California|BB-44|2}} appropriately received her name with California wine in 1919. Champagne returned in 1922, but only for the launch of light cruiser {{USS|Trenton|CL-11|2}}.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

[[Image:NRCHRISTEN.jpg|thumb|right|First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] christens the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier {{USS|Ronald Reagan|CVN-76}} on 4 March 2001]]
Rigid naval [[airship]]s {{USS|Los Angeles|ZR-3|2}}, {{USS|Shenandoah|ZR-1|2}}, {{USS|Akron|ZRS-4|2}}, and {{USS|Macon|ZRS-5|2}} were built during the 1920s and early 1930s, carried on the [[Naval Vessel Register]], and each was formally [[ship commissioning|commissioned]].  The earliest [[First Lady of the United States]] to act as sponsor was [[Grace Coolidge]] who christened the airship ''Los Angeles''. [[Lou Henry Hoover]] christened ''Akron'' in 1931, but the customary bottle was not used. Instead, the First Lady pulled a cord which opened a hatch in the airship's towering nose to release a flock of pigeons.<ref name="FAQ108"/>

Thousands of ships of every description came off the ways during [[World War II]], the concerted effort of a mobilized American industry. The historic christening and launching ceremonies continued, but travel restrictions, other wartime considerations, and sheer numbers dictated that such occasions be less elaborate than those in the years before the war.<ref name="FAQ108">''(This article includes material from "Ships of the United States Navy: Christening, Launching and Commissioning, Second Edition," which was prepared for and published by the [[Naval Historical Center|Naval History Division]] of the [[United States Department of the Navy|Department of the Navy]], [[Washington, D.C.]], 1975, and therefore is in the public domain as federal government work).'' {{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq108.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010611070328/http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq108.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 June 2001 |title=Christening, Launching, and Naming of U.S. Navy Ships |access-date=2013-06-05 |last=Reilly |first=John C. |date=31 May 2001 |publisher=Naval History and Heritage Command }}</ref> 
[[File:USS Pivot (AM-276) is launched at the Gulf Shipbuilding Corporation, Chickasaw, Alabama (USA), on 11 November 1943.jpg|thumb|Minesweeper {{USS|Pivot|AM-276}} launched at the Gulf Shipbuilding Company, [[Chickasaw, Alabama]] in 1943.]]
On 15 December 1941, the [[United States Maritime Commission]] announced that all formal launching ceremonies would be discontinued for merchant ships being constructed under its authority, though simple informal ceremonies could continue without reimbursement to builders.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Pacific Marine Review |year=1942 |title=On the Ways: Launching Ceremonies to be Discontinued |issue=January 1942 |page=99  |url=https://archive.org/stream/pacificmarinerev3942paci#page/n58/mode/1up |access-date=9 August 2014}}</ref>

In recent history, all U.S. Navy sponsors have been female. In addition to the ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle on the bow, the sponsor remains in contact with the ship's crew and is involved in special events such as homecomings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dcmilitary.com/navy/trident/8_36/national_news/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20050323033234/http://www.dcmilitary.com/navy/trident/8_36/national_news/|url-status=dead|archive-date=2005-03-23|title=Navy sponsors lift morale of Sailors, Marines|work=dcmilitary.com}}</ref>

==Incidents==

* {{SS|Daphne|1883|6}} sank moments after her launching at a [[shipyard]] in [[Govan]], Glasgow, Scotland on 3 July 1883. As ''Daphne'' moved into the river, the anchors failed to stop the ship's forward progress. The [[starboard]] anchor moved only {{convert|6|-|7|yd|m}}, but the port anchor was dragged {{convert|60|yd}}. The current of the river caught ''Daphne'' and flipped it onto its [[port (nautical)|port]] side, sinking it in deep water.<ref name="scotsman">{{cite web |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/sudden-sinking-of-a-steamship-1-466504 |title=Sudden sinking of a steamship |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=15 May 2006|access-date=18 March 2013}}</ref> 124 died including many young boys, some of whose relatives were there on shore.
* {{HMS|Albion|1898|6}} launched on 21 June 1898.<ref>Burt, p. 141</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=April 2023}} ''Albion'' created a wave with her entry into the water after the [[Mary of Teck|Duchess of York]] christened her. The wave caused a stage to collapse on which 200 people were watching; it slid into a side creek, and 34 people drowned, mostly women and children.<ref name="Burt, p. 159">Burt, p. 159</ref>{{Full citation needed|date=April 2023}} This was probably one of the first-ever ship launchings to be filmed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/content/id/73551/tales-from-the-shipyard.html |title=Tales from the Shipyard |website=The Digital Fix |date=7 February 2011 |access-date=7 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811163310/http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/content/id/73551/tales-from-the-shipyard.html |archive-date=11 August 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* In 1907, the Italian ocean liner {{SS|Principessa Jolanda|1907|2}} capsized and sank upon launch.
* In 2011, the luxury boat SS ''Jiugang'' sank at launch in [[Lanzhou, China]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maritimeprofessional.com/Blogs/Eversafe-Marine/October-2011/Luxury-boat--SS-Jiugang%E2%80%9D-launch-failure.aspx |title=Luxury boat "SS Jiugang" launch failure |website=Maritime Logistics Professional |date=12 October 2011 |access-date=7 December 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920015827/http://www.maritimeprofessional.com/Blogs/Eversafe-Marine/October-2011/Luxury-boat--SS-Jiugang%E2%80%9D-launch-failure.aspx |archive-date=20 September 2014 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Ship class#Naval ship class naming conventions|Ship class naming conventions]]
* [[United States ship naming conventions]]
* [[Russian ship naming conventions]]
* [[Japanese ship-naming conventions]]
* [[Hull classification symbol]]
* [[Ship commissioning]]
* [[Ship sponsor]]
* [[Lists of ship launches]]

== References ==
{{Notelist-lr}}
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==

* [[Silvia Rodgers|Rodgers, Silvia]] ''The symbolism of ship launching in the Royal Navy'' (1983) (PhD thesis)

==External links==
{{Spoken Wikipedia|ShipNamingLaunching.ogg|date=2005-05-05}}
{{Commons category|Ship launchings}}
* [http://www.navybook.com/nohigherhonor/pic-ffg58launch.shtml Photos of the 8 Dec 1984 launching ceremony of the USS ''Samuel B. Roberts'' (FFsG 58)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20151219015021/http://www.phillyseaport.org/web_exhibits/ladies_who_launch/ An online exhibit of ship launching ceremonies from the first half of the 20th Century]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120820004729/http://www.sciencedump.com/content/putting-massive-ships-water Short video of ships being launched sideways]

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[[Category:Beginnings]]
[[Category:Naval ceremonies|Ship launching]]
[[Category:Nautical terminology]]
[[Category:Rituals attending construction]]