Christening Sequence of Events

The christening weekend typically begins on a Friday—at least at Bath Iron Works—with the mast stepping ceremony (a list of items that the sponsor and namesake might include in the mast stepping box is on this Resources page.) After that, the shipyard conducts a rehearsal for the bottle‑breaking portion of the next day’s ceremony. They provide a wooden practice bottle, and I practiced striking the stanchion that extends from the bow.

That Friday evening, the shipyard hosted a Sponsor’s Dinner to honor me as the sponsor and present me with gifts. In my case, I received a beautiful drawing of my husband’s ship, DDG 124, by Peter Tsu along with a lovely crystal etched with a 3-d image of the ship. I offered a few brief remarks—a heartfelt thank‑you for the honor of being a sponsor and for the thoughtful gifts. The dinner includes close friends and family, members of the ship’s crew, and senior shipyard and Navy officials.

The next morning is the actual christening ceremony. Ours was held in the dry dock, and it was extremely hot—the metal surrounding the seating area had absorbed the heat long before we arrived, and the day itself was already warm.

Our ceremony had more than 2,000 attendees including invited guests, shipyard workers, and dignitaries. Several local officials offered remarks, as did the Secretary of the Navy. My husband, as the ship’s namesake, also spoke. I followed with brief remarks of my own—about three to four minutes—thanking the shipyard workers, our crew and providing comments regarding my husband’s life. (A sample of christening remarks is available under this Resources page.)

After the remarks, our granddaughter—who has a beautiful voice—sang America the Beautiful as we walked to the bow for the christening moment. The shipyard provided the ceremonial bottle, encased in a metal safety covering to contain any glass shards. After three attempts, I finally succeeded. In the process, I managed to christen not only the ship but also myself, my husband, and Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro. I told him, “Since you’re new in office, you need to be christened too,” which he took in good humor. Afterward, I spoke the traditional christening words—”In the name of the United States, I christen thee the Harvey C. Barnum Jr.”

That concludes the formal ceremony. Bath Iron Works also held a brief reception immediately following the ceremony, featuring memorabilia displays and plenty of food—including lobster rolls, which are essential in Maine. Afterward, my husband and I hosted an optional reception at a hotel in Portland for our friends, family, and members of the crew.

All in all, it is an exciting and memorable weekend. Enjoy your christening.

submitted by Martha Hill, 3/2026

Author: Martha Hill

website admin & member