ABOUT
The USS NANTUCKET (LCS 27) Commissioning Committee is a committee of the Massachusetts Bay Council of the Navy League of the United States. The Commissioning Committee members include members of the Massachusetts Bay Council, members of the Greater Boston and Nantucket business communities, and others who have a strong interest in ensuring that the events surrounding the ship's commissioning are a fitting tribute to the great maritime legacy of the Ship's namesake.
While the U.S. Navy funds the the actual formal ceremony, planning for the other events as part of the commissioning celebration is the responsibility of the committee from the host community and is funded through charitable donations from both the corporations that contributed toward the construction of the ship and members of the host city.
The commissioning ceremony is a time-honored event in the life of every U.S. Navy ship. Dignitaries, other special honored guests, and the general public are welcomed to a ceremony steeped in tradition in which the vessel becomes a United States Ship and its Commanding Officer and crew formally come aboard and bring the ship to life.
NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES
Massachusetts Bay Council
The Navy League has grown from its roots to become the foremost citizens’ organization to serve,
support, and stand with all U.S. sea services – the Navy, Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, and the
U.S. Flag Merchant Marine. Decade after decade, the Navy League has demonstrated its leadership
in advocating superior sea power to safeguard U.S. national security, protect American economic
interests, and ensure freedom of the seas.
Our Mission
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Enhance the morale of active-duty personnel and their families
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Inform Congress and the American public on the importance of strong sea services
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Support youth through programs such as the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Junior ROTC and Young Marines that expose young people to the values of our sea services
Founded in 1902, the Navy League supports a strong Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine as integral parts of a sound national defense. Through a number of programs, the Navy League educates and informs the American people about sea power in the nuclear age, works to better the conditions under which members of the sea services live and serve, supports the Reserve forces, and educates our youth in the customs and traditions of the Navy, the Marine Corps, the Coast Guard and the Merchant Marine through the means of the Naval Sea Cadet Corps.
Along with many other programs supporting the sea services, the Navy League sponsors commissioning ceremonies, aspects of which are not funded by the US defense budget. The Massachusetts Bay Council has a long history of coordinating the commissioning ceremonies for ships for both the Navy and Coast Guard. It has been directly involved in planning the commissioning ceremonies for the USS SAMUEL ELIOT MORISON (FFG 13) in 1980, USS BUNKER HILL (CG 52) in 1986, USS RAMAGE (DDG 61) in 1995, USS PREBLE (DDG 88) in 2002, USS SAMPSON (DDG 102) in 2007, USCGC JAMES (WMSL 754) in 2015, and USS THOMAS HUDNER (DDG 116) in 2018.
USS THOMAS HUDNER (DDG 116) was the last ship to be commissioned in Boston on December 1, 2018. Over 6,000 people gathered at Raymond Flynn Black Falcon Cruise Terminal to watch as the Ship was brought to life by the crew. Some of the dignitaries in attendance included Governor Charles Baker, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, Congressman Stephen Lynch, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff GEN Joseph Dunford, USMC, Mayor Martin Walsh, and Captain Hudner's widow, Georgea Hudner, and members of the Hudner and Brown families. Photograph by Joseph Kelley Photography. Courtesy of the USS THOMAS HUDNER (DDG 116) Commissioning Committee.