Photo By Chief Petty Officer Jason Graham | NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (April 21, 2022) Captain Todd Marzano, commanding officer of the...... read more read more
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., April 21, 2022 – Sailors assigned to the aircraft carrier, Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) and shipbuilders from HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division held a time capsule sealing ceremony inside flight control onboard the ship, Apr. 21.
The event was attended by Capt. Todd R. Marzano, first commanding officer of John F. Kennedy, Dave White, NNS construction director for John F. Kennedy, Sailors assigned to the John F. Kennedy, and shipbuilders working on the ship’s construction.
The time capsule contains the coins placed underneath the ship’s island during its mast-stepping, or island landing ceremony, held May 29, 2019. Additional memorabilia included a letter from Capt. Marzano to the future commanding officer and crew.
“One of the items I placed was my original wings earned in Meridian, Mississippi, back in 1995,” said Marzano. “They were placed under the island as the ship’s first CO to give the ship good luck and safe passage.”
White spoke about the significance of the event to the thousands of shipbuilders who are constructing the warship, including the welders hand selected to seal the time capsule itself.
“This was our opportunity to send a message to the future warfighters who will be onboard this ship,” said White. “As a shipbuilder, and as a project team, this entire ship is our gift to the future.”
The original mast stepping ceremonies, going all the way back to the Romans, involved sealing coins underneath the ship’s mast for good luck. Today, coins are symbolically placed underneath the mast during the island landing ceremony and then preserved inside a time capsule in flight deck control.
“I was present on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) when they opened its time capsule,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Coughlin, the first aircraft handling officer for John F. Kennedy. “To come full circle and witness the sealing of this time capsule is an honor.”
John F. Kennedy, on track for delivery in 2024, is about 85% complete. The crew is over 50% manned with 1,402 Sailors assigned.
“The last commanding officer for CVN 79 is likely not even born yet, which just highlights the amazing longevity of these aircraft carriers,” said Marzano. “That reinforces the importance of what we are doing right now—building a quality warship.”
John F. Kennedy, the second aircraft carrier in the Ford-class, is under construction at NNS, Newport News, Virginia.
For more news on John F. Kennedy, visit https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/CVN79 or follow along on social media at https://www.facebook.com/CVN79JFK on Facebook and @uss_john_f_kennedy_cvn_79 on Instagram.
| Date Taken: | 04.21.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 04.26.2022 10:20 |
| Story ID: | 419300 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS , VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 371 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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