Commissioning

James Treadway

Biddle’s commissioning took place on a bitterly cold, clear New England morning. The ceremony began with an invocation, welcoming remarks, and introductions. The commissioning directive was read, which was followed by the national anthem and the raising of the U.S. flag, the Union Jack, and the commission pennant. The highlight of the event occurred at the exact moment the ship was commissioned. As the ensign was raised and then unfurled, the apparently vacant ship exploded to life as 386 members of the crew, hidden below decks, raced to their stations along the rails on the port side. Missiles were loaded on the launcher, radars rotated, and the 3-inch and 5-inch guns were manned and turned to position. Called “Ship Alive,” it was a remarkable sight and the well-rehearsed production drew an appreciative round of applause from the audience. Biddle had come to life!

“Ship Alive!”

Captain Scott read his orders and then assumed command of the United States Ship Biddle (DLG-34).

He then directed the Executive Officer Commander Robert L. Brown, to set the first watch. The personal flag of the Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet was broken with ruffles and flourishes, the Admiral’s March, and a 17-gun salute. Captain Scott’s remarks followed, after which he introduced the principal Speaker, Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

Vice Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet

The benediction concluded the formal ceremony, which made me very happy because I was very, very cold having stood at attention or at ease for what seemed like hours. Nevertheless, it was very impressive ceremony and I was very proud to be a crewmember of the newest ship in the United States Navy, USS Biddle (DLG-34). I still am.

Other dignitaries who attended Biddle’s commissioning were two descendants of Biddle’s namesake: Brigadier General Nicholas Biddle, U.S. Army (Retired), and Mrs. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle; and 13 admirals including Admiral Thomas Moorer.The Boston Sunday Advertiser reported a lighthearted moment when Admiral Moorer stepped to the podium to deliver his speech. “As he launched into his address, a tug maneuvered a big tanker into a berth close by. Four times he opened his mouth. Four times the tug whistle gave out with: [a loud blast.] With the historic event about to be reduced to shambles, the Navy’s top ranking admiral in the eastern hemisphere ‘sank’ the tugboat by telling the audience: I didn’t think that Captain Scott was going to give me this kind of competition!” (Hickey)

Things went well for Admiral Moorer soon after attending Biddle’s commissioning. He was promoted to Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) on 3 June 1967 and to Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff on 2 July 1970. His association with Biddle continued for many years. In 2001, well into his 90s, he accepted an invitation to be principal speaker at Biddle’s first “All Hands” reunion. Unfortunately, he had to cancel at the last moment.

Officer of the Deck Lieutenant (junior grade) Harper and Petty Officer of the Watch (POW) FTM1 Belanger assumed the first forward quarterdeck watch, while Ensign Trump and RDCS Graham assumed the first aft quarterdeck watch.

USS Biddle (DLG-34)

After the formalities subsided, I learned it was my duty to give tours of the ship to visitors and, since I was the first enlisted man to report aboard Biddle, to cut the commissioning cake.

DS3 Treadway cuts the commissioning cake

The commissioning of a Navy ship is saturated with tradition. Some traditions were explained in Biddle’s commissioning brochure:

The commissioning ceremony marks the acceptance of a ship as a unit of the operating forces of the United States Navy. At the moment of breaking the commissioning pennant, USS BIDDLE (DLG-34) becomes the responsibility of the Commanding Officer, who together with the ship’s officers and men, has the duty of making and keeping her ready for any service required by our nation in peace or war.
The commission pennant is believed to date from the 17th century, when the Dutch were at war with the English. The Dutch admiral TROMP hoisted a broom at his masthead to indicate his intention to sweep the English from the sea. This gesture was answered by the English admiral who hoisted a horsewhip, indicating his intention to subdue the Dutch. The English were victorious, and ever since, the narrow “coachwhip” pennant has been adopted by all nations as the distinctive mark of a ship of war.
The modern U.S. Navy commission pennant is blue at the hoist with a Union of seven white stars, and a horizontal red and white stripe at the fly. In lieu of a commission pennant, flagships fly commodores’ or admirals’ personal flags, hence the term flagship.

Another interesting tradition that dates back to wooden ships is that crew members present at commissioning are entitled to a plank from the deck of the decommissioned ship. Thus, we are known as plankowners. The commissioning brochure also had a brief biography of Biddle’s namesake, Captain Nicholas Biddle, Continental Navy. The following excerpt explains why four U.S. Navy ships have been named Biddle:

On 7 March 1778, (Captain) Biddle in RANDOLPH, 32 guns, engaged HMS YARMOUTH, 64 guns. Despite this disadvantage of firepower and a severe wound received early in the action, Captain Biddle directed the fire of his ship. British Captain Nicholas Vincent later reported that Biddle fired three deadly accurate broadsides to his opponent’s one. After twenty minutes, fire apparently penetrated the powder magazines of RANDOLPH and the ship exploded, sinking instantly. Captain Biddle and his 315 man crew perished leaving only four survivors.
Thus ended the illustrious career of Captain Nicholas Biddle, Continental Navy. His life may have ended short of its twenty-eighth year, but his spirit lives on; in this Nation, this Navy, and this ship, which bore his name.

Biddle (DLG-34) was not the first ship to bear his name – three Navy ships preceded her. According to the commissioning booklet, the first Biddle (PT 26), a torpedo boat, was also built by Bath Iron Works as hull number 30. She was launched 18 May 1901, displaced 196 tons, had a length of 175 feet, and a beam of 17 feet. She carried a crew of only three officers and 23 enlisted men. ++++

The second Biddle, a destroyer that saw action in World Wars I and II, was launched on 3 October 1918 and commissioned on 22 April 1919. Considerably larger than her predecessor, DD-151 displaced 1,154 tons, had a length of 314 feet, and a beam of 31 feet. Her armament consisted of four 4-inch .50 caliber guns, two 3-inch .23 caliber guns, two .30 caliber guns, and twelve 21-inch torpedo tubes in triple mounts. DD-151 had a crew of six officers and 95 enlisted men. ++++

The third Biddle, DDG-5 (formerly DD-955), was commissioned five years before DLG-34 on 5 May 1962. A gorgeous ship with a length of 437 feet and a beam of 47 feet, she displaced 4,500 tons – slightly less than one half of DLG-34’s displacement at her decommissioning. DDG-5’s vital statistics also include a main armament of Tartar missiles, Anti-Submarine Rocket (ASROC), and two 5-inch/54 guns. Her crew consisted of 17 officers and 305 enlisted men. Renamed Claude V. Ricketts in 1964, she was manned by an international crew as part of the NATO Multilateral Force.

Beyond the Ceremony

The commissioning of a ship has implications far beyond the ceremony. Lieutenant Commander Howe’s account defines the spirit of the first crew:

At some level early in every sailor’s life he realizes that going to sea, into the deep water and out of sight of land, is a leap of faith. Unconsciously he expresses this faith every time he sets sail that his vessel, large or small, will withstand the elements and bring him home. More to the point, a sailor casts his lot with his shipmates on each of these occasions; a common, unspoken pledge to each other. For man-of-war’s men the pledge must perforce include the conviction that his shipmate is committed to stand beside him no matter what. ++++

At the time of her commissioning Biddle represented the state of the art in naval shipbuilding. Her combat system was the most technologically advanced and integrated sea control capability in the world. Those of us who sailed her knew intimately her power, but I don’t think we appreciated fully at the time what that first crew meant. We were too close to the situation in those days and much too busy to step back and see the big picture. Only many years and many ships and many crews later do we now realize what we were part of then.++++

Every rated crewmember ordered to Biddle “in connection with commissioning and fitting out” and every one of the two dozen officers who made up the first wardroom was a product of the best and most complete training the service could provide. Each was also a proven performer in the specific job he would have in this new ship. A few arrivals were determined to be unlikely candidates and were gone very early in the pre-com period.++++

As a consequence of these factors, the shipmates that we went to sea with following commissioning comprised one of the finest, most professionally skilled and motivated teams ever assembled. We had no superstars but what we did have was far more important to the moment; a spirit of common purpose was among us, and a palpable determination to be the best. By creating this atmosphere Biddle’s plankowners fulfilled their most critical responsibility in establishing a tradition of superior performance that would serve the ship throughout her life.
No one who has spent long at sea would dispute the fact that every ship has its own personality and that, at bottom, “the ship” is really the crew. Nothing could provide stronger evidence of this than the fact that among those of us who served in that first crew, Biddle lives in our memory and in the faces of our shipmates long after the ship itself belongs to the ages.

Commissioning Photos