Princeton Celebrates Navy's 242nd Birthday at Sea

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

10.13.2017

Story by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kelsey Eades    

Carrier Strike Group 11

Sailors aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59) kicked off their celebration of the Navy’s 242nd Birthday at 8 a.m. Oct. 13, as Seaman Rim Latdrik, from Majuro, Marshall Islands, came over the ship’s 1MC announcement system with these words:

"Establishment of the Navy, 13 October 1775. This resolution of the Continental Congress marked the establishment of what is now the United States Navy."

The 2017 Navy Birthday theme is, “Sea Power to promote and to protect,” which lends itself perfectly to Princeton’s current mission. Princeton is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group in support of maritime security operations designed to reassure allies and partners, and preserve the freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce in the region.

“It’s very exciting to be out here in the Arabian Gulf celebrating the Navy’s 242nd birthday,” said Quartermaster Seaman Kenneth Pacholl, from Fayetteville, North Carolina. “It gives me a lot of satisfaction knowing that we are doing something that matters out here in this area.”

The entire day birthday celebration aboard Princeton was threaded together by Sailors speaking at the top of every hour over the ship’s 1MC about key events and traditions that helped shape the Navy over the past 242 years.

“I enjoyed hearing the history facts over the 1MC,” said Operations Specialist Benjamin Rodriguez, from Miami. “I was extremely proud of being a part of such a rich history.”

At 6 p.m., personnel gathered on the ship’s mess decks for an official birthday ceremony where Command Master Chief David Jaynes, from Buhl, Idaho, spoke about the Navy’s heritage.

“Our history is rich with heroes that fought at Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and off the Surigao Strait 75 years ago,” said Jaynes. “Today, we strive to operate and fight with the same integrity, accountability, initiative, and toughness as they demonstrated. As we commemorate 242 years of the United States Navy standing the watch, we can look back on our history as a source of pride and inspiration; we can also look forward towards the future with confidence as we shape the Navy of tomorrow.”

The event concluded with a traditional cake-cutting ceremony during which the ship’s oldest and youngest Sailors cut the cake.

“I was very honored to hold the cutlass and cut the cake with my command master chief,” said Quartermaster Seaman Sebastian Arguello Riquelme, from Miami. “It’s my first actual month being out in the fleet after graduating “A” school and it felt great being a part of something so big in the Navy.”

For more information about Princeton, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/cg59/Pages/default.aspx

For more information about Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, visit http://www.nimitz.navy.mil/csg_11.html

• Date Taken: 10.13.2017
• Date Posted: 10.17.2017 07:57
• Story ID: 251920
• Location: U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY