The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1944-08-24

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christen tbee Antietam: Go get
'em Antietamp' These ringing
words, spoken by Mrs. Willard E.
Tydings, wife of Maryland's senior
Senator, as she broke the traditional
bottle of champagne across the
our Navy's fighting ships an air
bow of the huge "fiat top" added to
craft carrier of the Essex class,
named for one of the great battles
of another war-the Battle of An
| tietam.
Thus an idea, born of couple Of
newspapermen almost two years
ago and taken hold of by the Wash
ington County Historical Society,
became reality.
The christening ceremonies, held
at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on
Sunday afternoon, were simple, but
tremendously impressive. The oc-
casion was not only a memorable
one for Washington County, but al
so for the United States Navy and
the Philadelphia Navy Yard, for it
marked, not only the first time that
an aircraft carrier had been built
in this yard, but also the first time
in American naval history that
three ships of war, with total of
$4,000 displacement tons, had been
christened at the same time-the
Antietam, $4,000 tons, and the cruis-
ers Chicago" and clos Angeles"
$4,000 tons EACH
Washington County's main inter
est, Of course. was in the Christening
of the Antietam, which brought
the ceremonies to a close.
Under clear sky and before an
assembled audience of more than
fifty thousand people, most of them
workers at the shipyard and their
families, Mrs. Tydings and her dis
tinguished husband were driven in
jeep to special Bridge" erected
at the bow of the fiat top, where
she was greeted by Mrs. Frank
Mish, Jr., president of the Washing
ton County Historical Society, and
other guests assembled there for
the occasion.
care you ready Antietam?" asked
Rear Admiral Milo F. Draemel,
USN, Commandant of the Navy
Yard "All ready SIR" answered
Mrs. Tyding's naval escort, and then,
as a sudden hush came over the
huge crowd. as if they realized the
tremendous importance of this ship
as unit in the fleet that will play
such vital part in the final defeat
of Japan, Mrs. Tydings christened
the ship, closing with that challeng-
ing declaration, previously used by
Senator Tydings in his talk from
the speakers stand-"Go Get 'em
Antietam."
1 AS Mrs. Tydings' words died
away, I glanced around at the
Washington County delegation,
seated in a reserved section of the
grand stand, and it was easy to
read in their faces, not only a great
pride, but also an understanding of
the part the Antietam will probably
play in the a1l-out drive to
crush our enemies, once and for all.
Before the ceremonies got under
way, I walked around the huge
yard, stopping now and then to talk
to some of the men who helped to
build the Antietam, and 1t was OBJ
vious that these workers were ire
mendously proud of their part of
building our fighting ships and were
also fully aware of their response
bility. Noticing a ship being lowed
from one dock to another. I'M
thinkingly asked worker what was
going on. Looking at me, as if 1
was child who didn't know better,
ne politely answered: eve don't
talk about those things here Sir"
While l was very much impressed
with the whole occasion. my real
thrill came when was permitted
to go aboard the Antietam with a
naval escort.
Walking along the main and fight
decks of the carrier, one got an idea
of the tremendous size of the Ante
tam, that could not be gained from
ashore. and it was easy to visualize
this great ship, few months from
now, ploughing her way through
the waters of the Pacific, her fight
deck alive with fighting planes and
their officers and crews. her gun
turrets manned by men of the Navy
Il hope many Washington County
boys are among them); on her way
to finally avenge the men and wo-
men of Pearl Harbor, Guam and the