Rooted in maritime history: Stennis holds mast stepping ceremony

ByMC3MaxBiesecker

USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs

NEWPORTNEWS,Va Thecrewofthe

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier

USS John C. Stennis(CVN74)andmembersofNewport News Shipbuilding marked a major milestone in the ship’s refueling, complex and overhaul(RCOH)maintenanceperiodwith amaststeppingceremonyJuly26

Theevent heldinaccordancewithalmost amillenniumofnavaltradition markedthe placement of Stennis’ new main mast, not only giving the ship a part of its identity back, but also providing a platform for new combat system capabilities and a safer way forSailorstoclimbthemast.

Speakers at the event included Capt. J Patrick Thompson, Commanding Officer of John C. Stennis, Lt Cmdr Marco Guidi Combat Systems Officer and guest speaker Ms. Jessica Gomez, Program Director for In-service Carrier Programs at Newport NewsShipbuilding.

“Thismaststeppingallowsustoacknowledge our past as we move into the future,” SaidThompson “Whilethemastofthedays ofsailrepresentedpropulsion,thenewmast you see here represents pure combat capability -the ability to guide an aircraft home on the darkest of stormy nights; the ability to communicate and share targeting data with other ships and aircraft via encrypted, jamresistantnetworks;ortheabilitytocoordinate offensive action with our Navy and Joint partners via low probability of interceptcommunications “

Thenewsquareandtaperedmast,which replaced the smaller round-shaped pole, provides a larger area to host state-of-theart defense and communications systems thatwillhelpcarrytheshipintothefuture.

“Thisteamhasputitsheartandsoulinto USS John C. Stennis, and we’ll continue to give our all to prepare her for the second half of her life,” said Gomez “When she leaves our shipyard to return to the call of duty,Stenniswillbeequippedwithupdated aircraft launch and recovery equipment to support the latest aircraft cutting edge combat systems to protect the ship and the mostadvancedcarrierITnetwork.

Thepracticeofmaststeppingisnotanew Infact,accordingtoTheSocietyforNautical Research, the tradition is likely to be as old asshipbuildingitself Datingbackmorethat 2000 years ago, the ritual has evolved over time and led to Vikings and seafarers of the north who would place coins amulets and other offerings beneath the masts of their ship for good luck. Even the USS Constitution, one of the U.S. Navy’s six original frigatesauthorizedforconstructionbytheNaval Act of 1794, had coins placed beneath her mast in conformity with this time-honored navaltradition.

The practice continued even after the advent of steel-hulled ships, commemorativetimecapsulescontainingcoinsandother remembrancesofthecurrenteraweldedto themast“step”inlieuofcoinsbeingplaced beneathawoodenmainmast

“Evenashortceremonylikethismeansa lottoourSailorsandmyself,”saidGuidi.“So manyaspectsofourjobgobackthousandsof years,andmaintainingthesemaritimetraditions and ceremonies remind us where we came from. Although I work with some of themostadvancedsystemsontheship,Istill enjoythehistorictraditions.”

Items placed in the capsule, which was welded to the Stennis’s mast step after the ceremony,includedafullrosteroftheship’s crew, a commanding officer’s coin and the ship’smid-lifecoin

Unlikeothertypesofships,moderncarriers typically undergo mast stepping twice; once during initial construction, and then againwhentheshipgoesthroughtheRCOH process

The Stennis, however, is unique that this will be the ship’s third mast stepping, the second installment taking place in 2005 during a planned maintenance availability Items retrieved from the last time capsule, placednearlytwodecadesago,willbeplaced intheStennisRoomaboardtheshipforSailorstocomeobserveandreflectuponadifferenttimeinthecarrier’shistory.

“Ihadthepleasureofservingasthisship’s executive officer during its most recent deployment and saw the capabilities of this warship,” reflected Thompson. “Today, we see the next step in its transformation into the most technologically advanced Nimitzclass carrier in the fleet. The amount of hours and dedication put into not only the mast, but revitalizing this ship as a whole istrulyremarkable-thestrengthofourU.S. carrier force is a testament to each individualwhohasplayedapartingettingthisship backinthefight.”

The John C. Stennis entered RCOH at theNewportNewsShipbuilding,May2021, for its mid-life refurbishment, preparing the aircraft carrier for an additional 25 years of service

NEWPORTNEWS,VA(July26,2023) –Anewlyplaced mast sits above the island ofthe Nimitzclass aircraft carrierUSSJohn C.Stennis (CVN 74),July26,2023 John C.Stennis is in Newport