Ship sponsor visit’s McFaul

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

10.21.2014

Courtesy Story

Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic

By ENS Ian Akisoglu
Public Affairs Officer, USS McFaul (DDG 74)

Norfolk, Va. – The guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul (DDG 74) hosted Sen. Daniel Coats (R-IN) and Marsha Coats recently at Naval Station Norfolk.

After coming aboard, the senator and his wife enjoyed breakfast in the wardroom with McFaul’s officers, accompanied the commanding officer on a tour of the ship, ate lunch with the crew on the mess decks, and conducted an all-hands call on the flight deck.

While the public eye is typically on Sen. Coats, the highlight of the visit for the McFaul crew was having Marsha Coats aboard, who served as the ship’s sponsor when it was commissioned on April 25, 1998.

“I’m just along as a husband this time,” said Sen. Coats.

The Coats were also able to witness Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Matthew Moseley’s re-enlistment ceremony on McFaul’s aft missile deck next to the Vertical Launch System.

“I was really overwhelmed having the senator and his wife present at my re-enlistment,” said Moseley. “It really reinforced how much the rest of the country supports us and our mission.”

The Coats were very moved by the event, and the senator commented how “impressed he was with the ship and her crew.”

At the conclusion of the visit, Marsha Coats presented a football autographed by the 2012 University of Notre Dame football team to the McFaul crew, expressing her strong appreciation to the crew for hosting her and her husband, giving them the opportunity to return to the ship she christened 15 years ago.

• Date Taken: 10.21.2014
• Date Posted: 10.24.2014 12:21
• Story ID: 145982
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US