Editing Ceremonial ship launching (section)

==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>