[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 156 (Sunday, September 28, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2134]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            USS ``MISSOURI''

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Saturday, September 27, 2008

  Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, today I was honored to deliver the 
keynote address at the keel laying ceremony for the new USS Missouri 
(SSN-780), a Virginia class attack submarine. The ceremony was held at 
the General Dynamics Electric Boat facility in Quonset Point, Rhode 
Island.
  In Navy tradition, the keel laying ceremony is the first major 
milestone in the construction of a ship. I ask unanimous consent that a 
copy of my remarks be included in the record. Thank you, Madam Speaker.

 Remarks of Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO), USS ``Missouri'' (SSN-780) 
Keel Laying Ceremony, General Dynamics Electric Boat Facility--Quonset 
               Point, R.I., Saturday, September 27, 2008

       I am absolutely honored and thrilled to witness the latest 
     chapter in the State of Missouri's historic association with 
     the U.S. Navy.
       I want to thank Navy Secretary Donald Winter for his 
     decision to name the newest Virginia class submarine USS 
     Missouri. All Missourians can take pride that a namesake to 
     the ``Mighty Mo'' will soon be joining the Navy's fleet, this 
     time in the silent service.
       A submarine, or any Navy ship, is really just steel and 
     equipment. Very highly engineered and crafted steel and 
     equipment, but in the end just metal. It is the crew which 
     gives a ship life, it is the crew who craft the legacy of the 
     vessel. One Virginia class submarine is indistinguishable 
     from the next--save the crew. The attitude of the crew, the 
     dedication of the crew, the bravery of the crew, that will 
     distinguish this ship. The first crew of this vessel will set 
     the tone for all the crews to follow, and the first crew will 
     take their lead from their sponsor.
       So I especially want to congratulate and publicly thank 
     Mrs. Gates on accepting the role of sponsor of the new USS 
     Missouri. This is not the first connection the Gates Family 
     has had to our great state. I recall that Secretary Gates' 
     first duty station as an Air Force second lieutenant was 
     Whiteman Air Force Base near Knob Noster, Missouri.
       Being a sponsor is not a one or two ceremony job--this is 
     your ship, these are your sailors. A sponsor may stay as 
     involved as she wishes with her ship, and I hope that you do. 
     My late wife Susie had the honor to serve as sponsor of the 
     USS Jefferson City, a Los Angeles class submarine. I know how 
     much she treasured keeping up with the activities of ``her'' 
     submarine and she enjoyed every opportunity she had to visit 
     and keep in touch with the crew and their families. I know 
     that you will enjoy the same close relationship with the 
     sailors who will bring this submarine to life. And may I 
     remind everyone, most of the sailors that finally haul down 
     the commissioning pennant of this vessel three decades from 
     now won't be born for another 5 to 10 years. Mrs. Gates, good 
     luck to you and thank you for your service to the nation.
       The name Missouri has a distinguished naval history.
       The first USS Missouri was a steam/sail vessel commissioned 
     in 1842, only 21 years after Missouri was admitted to 
     statehood. This frigate had an unfortunate fire which burned 
     her to the waterline in the Port of Gibraltar.
       The second Missouri--which a retired Navy Captain on my 
     staff advises me not to count--was a Confederate side-wheel 
     steamer used to ferry supplies on the Mississippi during the 
     Civil War. This ship was turned over to the U.S. Navy at the 
     end of the Civil War, but then scrapped because she was built 
     from green timber and leaked excessively.
       The third USS Missouri, a battleship commissioned in 1903, 
     was part of the famous ``Great White Fleet'' that sailed 
     around the world in the first decade of the 20th century. The 
     cruise of that fleet marked the beginning of the United 
     States as a world power. It proved the point that American 
     naval might could penetrate any waters and reach any foreign 
     soil. That ship was still in active service during World War 
     I, with my father serving on that ship as a coal-shoveling 
     fireman in 1918.
       The last USS Missouri, and the most famous, was 
     commissioned in 1944 and earned the nickname ``Mighty Mo'' 
     for essentially continuous combat action from arrival in the 
     Pacific theater to hosting the Japanese surrender ceremony in 
     Tokyo Bay that ended World War II. The ``Mighty Mo'' also saw 
     action during the Korean conflict. Decommissioned in 1955, 
     she returned to the active rolls following a major upgrade in 
     1986. The ``Mighty Mo'' fired some of the first strikes 
     during the first Persian Gulf War and the liberation of 
     Kuwait. This fine ship gave our country many years of service 
     until her final decommissioning in 1992. In fact, I 
     participated in the recommissioning and the second 
     decommissioning ceremonies for this, the most celebrated USS 
     Missouri. The historic vessel is now open to the public as a 
     floating museum in Pearl Harbor, near the final resting place 
     of the USS Arizona.
       So, as the keel is laid for the latest USS Missouri, 
     shipbuilders and sailors alike should remember the legacy 
     represented by the ships that previously held this proud 
     name. This modern submarine will add to our nation's 
     seafaring capabilities and project U.S. power wherever 
     necessary to protect U.S. interests.
       I commend the remarkable craftsmanship of the workers of 
     both the Electric Boat Company and Newport News Shipbuilding. 
     It is truly extraordinary how you start with steel plate, 
     pipe, and rolls of cable and deliver the most complicated 
     warships on the face of the earth in just a few short years. 
     Your service to the country sometimes goes unheralded, so I 
     wish to publicly thank you for your dedication and sacrifice 
     as you make these ships for our warfighters.
       I know that when this new submarine is christened and 
     commissioned, many Missourians will attend the ceremonies to 
     pay tribute to the fifth American warship named after the 
     Show-Me State. I am confident that the sailors who will serve 
     on the submarine USS Missouri will make us proud as they 
     write a new chapter in naval history.
       God bless.

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