UK Royal Navy holds ceremony aboard the USS Wisconsin

Photo By Max Lonzanida | Service members with the UK Royal Navy are pictured in-front of turret #1 aboard the USS Wisconsin during a promotion ceremony. They are assigned to the Naval Ocean Processing Facility, Dam Neck; located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. (US Navy Photo by Civilian Public Affairs Officer Max Lonzanida/Released)  

NORFOLK, VA, UNITED STATES

07.24.2018

Story by Max Lonzanida  

Naval History and Heritage Command

It was a wet day outside, and the rain stopped just long enough for a very unique ceremony aboard the U.S.S Wisconsin (BB-64). Service members from the UK Royal Navy were aboard for a promotion ceremony for Warrant Officer Justin Lee, an underwater warfare specialist. He is assigned to the UK Royal Navy contingent at the Naval Ocean Processing Facility, Dam Neck; located in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Commodore Tom Guy of the UK Royal Navy presented the Warrant, and provided some congratulatory remarks during the brief ceremony. After the ceremony, service members were treated to a tour of the U.S.S Wisconsin given by Tom Dandes, Special Events Coordinator with the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.

According to the NOPF Command’s Website, the Naval Ocean Processing Facility (NOPF) Dam Neck was commissioned in September 1979 and is a tenant command of Commander, Undersea Surveillance, a unit of Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. The Command is one of the few remaining Integrated Undersea Surveillance (IUSS) facilities. In May 2009, NOPF Dam Neck officially became a Joint Command welcoming the United Kingdom Detachment and an increased area of responsibility. This expansion also made NOPF DN the largest contingent of United Kingdom personnel in the United States. The Command is comprised of approximately 300 Enlisted, Officers, and civilians from the US Navy, UK Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.

About the Museum and the U.S.S Wisconsin:

The U.S.S Wisconsin (BB-64) is an Iowa-class Battleship that was first commissioned in 1944, and finally decommissioned in 1991 after 14 years of service to the fleet. She is preserved as a museum ship, and moored next to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is one of ten Navy museums that are operated by the Naval History & Heritage Command. It celebrates the long history of the U.S. Navy in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia and is co-located with Nauticus in downtown Norfolk, Virginia. Admission to the Museum is free, simply by-pass the ticket line downstairs at Nauticus and take the stairs or elevator to the museum on the second floor. The Museum proudly hosts military ceremonies aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin and in its galleries for area commands. To inquire, contact their Special Events Coordinator, Tom Dandes at [e-mail] or at [phone].

• Date Taken: 07.24.2018
• Date Posted: 07.24.2018 13:30
• Story ID: 285517
• Location: NORFOLK, VA, US