Ship naming and launching The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old . The related ship ' s christening involves breaking a bottle of liquid , normally wine ( and often champagne ) , over the bow . According to some superstitions , a bottle failing to break could mean bad luck . Methods of launch . There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water , only two of which are called " launching . " The oldest , most familiar , and most widely used is the end - on launch , in which the vessel slides , usually stern first , down an inclined slipway . The side launch , whereby the ship enters the water broadside , came into 19th - century use on inland waters , rivers , and lakes , and was more widely adopted during World War II . The third method is float - out , used for ships that are built in basins or dry docks and then floated by admitting water into the dock . History of ship naming . Ancient . A Babylonian narrative dating from the 3rd millennium BC describes the completion of a ship : Openings to the water I stopped ; < br > I searched for cracks and the wanting parts I fixed : < br > Three " sari " of bitumen I poured over the outside ; < br > To the gods I caused oxen to be sacrificed . Egyptians , Greeks , and Romans called on their gods to protect seamen . The favor of the monarch of the seas — Poseidon in Greek mythology , the Roman Neptune — was evoked . Ship launching participants in ancient Greece wreathed their heads with olive branches , drank wine to honor the gods , and poured water on the new vessel as a symbol of blessing . Shrines were carried on board Greek and Roman ships , and this practice extended into the Middle Ages . The shrine was usually placed at the quarterdeck , an area which continues to have special , ceremonial , significance . Different peoples and cultures shaped the religious ceremonies surrounding a ship launching . Jews and Christians customarily used wine and water as they called upon God to safeguard them at sea . Intercession of the saints and the blessing of the church were asked by Christians . Ship launchings in the Ottoman Empire were accompanied by prayers to Allah , the sacrifice of sheep , and appropriate feasting . Chaplain Henry Teonge of Britain ' s Royal Navy left an interesting account of a warship launch , a " briganteen of 23 oars , " by the Knights of Malta in 1675 : Two fryers and an attendant went into the vessel , and kneeling down prayed halfe an houre , and layd their hands on every mast , and other places of the vessel , and sprinkled her all over with holy water . Then they came out and hoysted a pendent to signify she was a man of war ; then at once thrust her into the water . Early Modern Age . While the liturgical aspects of ship christenings , or baptisms , continued in Catholic countries , the Reformation seems , for a time , to have put a stop to them in Protestant Europe . By the 17th century , for example , English launchings were secular affairs . The christening party for the launch of the 64 - gun ship - of - the - line " Prince Royal " in 1610 included the Prince of Wales and famed naval constructor Phineas Pett , who was master shipwright at the Woolwich yard . Pett described the proceedings : The " standing cup " was a large cup fashioned of precious metal . When the ship began to slide down the ways , the presiding official took a ceremonial sip of wine from the cup , and poured the rest on the deck or over the bow . Usually the cup was thrown overboard and belonged to the lucky retriever . As navies grew larger and launchings more frequent , economy dictated that the costly cup be caught in a net for reuse at other launchings . Late in 17th century Britain , the standing - cup ceremony was replaced by the practice of breaking a bottle across the bow . Country specific . Launching could be said to mark the birth of a vessel ; and people throughout history have performed launching ceremonies , in part to appeal for good fortune and the safety of each new vessel . Canada . In Canada the Aboriginal peoples will perform ceremonies at the launching of vessels along with other methods of launching . France . French ship launchings and christenings in the 18th and early 19th centuries were accompanied by unique rites closely resembling marriage and baptismal ceremonies . A godfather for the new ship presented a godmother with a bouquet of flowers as both said the ship ' s name . No bottle was broken , but a priest pronounced the vessel named and blessed it with holy water . India . In India , ships have historically been launched with a Puja ceremony that dedicates the ship to a god , and seeks blessings for her and her sailors . Historically , Hindu priests would perform the " puja " ceremony at launch . In the 20th century , ship are launched with a lady breaking a coconut on the bow of the vessel , which is sometimes followed by a small Puja . Japan . Japanese ship launchings incorporate silver axes which are thought to bring good luck and scare away evil . Japanese shipbuilders traditionally order the crafting of a special axe for each new vessel ; and after the launching ceremony , they present the axe to the vessel ' s owner as a commemorative gift . The axe is used to cut the rope which tethers the ship to the place where she was built . United Kingdom . Sponsors of British warships were customarily members of the royal family , senior naval officers , or Admiralty officials . A few civilians were invited to sponsor Royal Navy ships during the nineteenth century , and women became sponsors for the first time . In 1875 , a religious element was returned to naval christenings by Princess Alexandra , wife of the Prince of Wales , when she introduced an Anglican choral service in the launching ceremony for battleship " Alexandra " . The usage continues with the singing of Psalm 107 with its special meaning to mariners : They that go down to the sea in ships ; < br > That do business in great waters ; < br > These see the works of the Lord , and His wonders in the deep . In 1969 , the British monarch Queen Elizabeth II named the ocean liner RMS " Queen Elizabeth 2 " after herself , instead of the older liner RMS " Queen Elizabeth " , by saying " I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second . May God bless her and all who sail in her . " Ship yard ephemera is a rich source of detail concerning a launch and this was often material produced for the audience of the day and then thrown away . Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums has many of these items from Tyne and Wear shipywards . A number can be seen in Commons . The 1900 piece for the " Eidsvold " reproduced in this article evidences a lady performing the launch . United States . Ceremonial practices for christening and launching in the United States had their roots in Europe . Descriptions of launching American Revolutionary War naval vessels are not plentiful , but a local newspaper detailed the launch of Continental frigate " Raleigh " at Portsmouth , New Hampshire , in May 1776 : It was customary for the builders to celebrate a ship launching . Rhode Island authorities , charged with overseeing construction of frigates " Warren " and " Providence " , voted the sum of fifty dollars to the master builder of each yard " to be expended in providing an entertainment for the carpenters that worked on the ships . " Five pounds was spent for lime juice for the launching festivities of frigate " Delaware " at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , suggesting that the " entertainment " included a potent punch with lime juice as an ingredient . No mention of christening a Continental Navy ship during the American Revolution has come to light . The first ships of the Continental Navy , " Alfred " , " Cabot " , " Andrew Doria " , and " Columbus " , were former merchantmen and their names were assigned during conversion and outfitting . Later , when Congress authorized the construction of thirteen frigates , no names were assigned until after four had launched . The first description we have of an American warship christening is that of " Constitution " , famous " Old Ironsides " , at Boston , October 21 , 1797 . Her sponsor , Captain James Sever , USN , stood on the weather deck at the bow . " At fifteen minutes after twelve she commenced a movement into the water with such steadiness , majesty and exactness as to fill every heart with sensations of joy and delight . " As " Constitution " ran out , Captain Sever broke a bottle of fine old Madeira over the heel of the bowsprit . Frigate " President " had an interesting launching , April 10 , 1800 , at New York : As the 19th century progressed , American ship launchings continued to be festive occasions , but with no set ritual except that the sponsor ( s ) used some " christening fluid " as the ship received her name . Sloop - of - war " Concord " , launched in 1827 , was " christened by a young lady of Portsmouth . " This is the first known instance of a woman sponsoring a United States Navy vessel . Unfortunately , the contemporary account does not name this pioneer female sponsor . The first identified woman sponsor was Miss Lavinia Fanning Watson , daughter of a prominent Philadelphian . She broke a bottle of wine and water over the bow of sloop - of - war " Germantown " at Philadelphia Navy Yard on August 22 , 1846 . Women as sponsors became increasingly the rule , but not universally so . As sloop - of - war " Plymouth " " glided along the inclined plane , " in 1846 , " two young sailors , one stationed at each side of her head , anointed her with bottles , and named her as she left her cradle for the deep . " As late as 1898 , the torpedo boat " MacKenzie " was christened by the son of the builder . Although wine is the traditional " christening fluid , " numerous other liquids have been used . " Princeton " and " Raritan " were sent on their way in 1843 with whisky . Seven years later , " a bottle of best brandy was broken over the bow of steam sloop " San Jacinto " . " Steam frigate " Merrimack " , who would earn her place in naval history as Confederate States of America ironclad " Virginia " , was baptized with water from the Merrimack River . Admiral David Farragut ' s famous American Civil War flagship , steam sloop " Hartford " , was christened by three sponsors — two young ladies broke bottles of Connecticut River and Hartford , Connecticut spring water , while the third sponsor , a naval lieutenant , completed the ceremony with a bottle of sea water . Champagne , perhaps because of its elegance as the aristocrat of wines , came into popular use as a " christening fluid " as the 19th century closed . A granddaughter of Secretary of the Navy Benjamin F . Tracy wet the bow of " Maine " , the Navy ' s first steel battleship , with champagne at the New York Navy Yard , November 18 , 1890 . The effects of national prohibition on alcoholic beverages were reflected to some extent in ship christenings . Cruiser s " Pensacola " and " Houston " , for example , were christened with water ; the submarine " V - 6 " with cider . However , battleship " California " appropriately received her name with California wine in 1919 . Champagne returned , but for the occasion only , in 1922 for the launch of light cruiser " Trenton " . Rigid naval airship s " Los Angeles " , " Shenandoah " , " Akron " , and " Macon " , built during the 1920s and early 1930s , were carried on the Naval Vessel Register , and each was formally commissioned . The earliest First Lady of the United States to act as sponsor was Grace Coolidge who christened the airship " Los Angeles " . When Lou Henry Hoover christened " Akron " in 1931 , the customary bottle was not used . Instead , the First Lady pulled a cord which opened a hatch in the airship ' s towering nose to release a flock of pigeons . Thousands of ships of every description , the concerted effort of a mobilized American industry , came off the ways during World War II . The historic christening - launching ceremonies continued , but travel restrictions , other wartime considerations , and sheer numbers dictated that such occasions be less elaborate than those in the years before the nation was engaged in desperate worldwide combat . In recent history , all U . S . Navy sponsors have been female . In addition to the ceremonial breaking of a champagne bottle on the bow , the sponsor remains in contact with the ship ' s crew and is involved in special events such as homecomings .