A capacity audience filled the Navy Memorial Plaza as a cadre of U.S. Navy Ceremonial guardsmen marched in lockstep unison across Navy Memorial’s Granite Sea Plaza toward four large glass cylinders filled with water as the U.S. Navy Band played.
The solemn ceremony was the beginning of the Navy Memorial’s 27th Annual Blessing of the Fleet in Washington, D.C., Apr. 14.
Four Navy ceremonial guardsmen each carried a large glass cylinder filled with water from the seven seas around the world and the Great Lakes to be would be poured simultaneously into the Navy Memorial Plaza’s four fountains to ceremoniously bless and recharge the water, bringing the fountains back to life in time for the spring season.
The Navy refers to the ceremony as “salting,” a ritual that’s been performed since the Navy Memorial’s inception in 1987.
The Blessing of the Fleet, a popular attraction during the National Cherry Blossom Festival, is intended to safeguard crews and ships from the danger of the seas through a blessing given by a clergyman at the water’s edge.
According to Retired Rear Adm. Frank Thorpe IV, President and Chief Executive Officer U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation, the “Blessing of the Fleet” nautical ritual goes back centuries.
“It’s a European tradition to send ships whether they are merchant, fishing or military ships off to sea at the beginning of the season with the blessings of the Lord and the blessing of the village,”Thorp stated.
“Many U.S. Navy traditions come from Europe, specifically England. The Navy has been [performing the] Blessing of the Fleet for hundreds of years. If you go to home ports around the country you’ll see events like today starting off the spring season and wishing the sailors off for safe voyages,” he said. “What is special about today is that we always charge the fountains with water from the seven seas and the Great Lakes. But this year we wanted to make a special effort so that the water had meaning. So besides adding water from our recruiting station in Great Lakes where Naval service begins, there is water from the landing beaches of Iwo Jima; waters from the Arabian Gulf, where sailors sail at high risk; waters from the Arctic where a submarine broke through the ice, showing the Americans ability to be anywhere, anytime and you may not know where we are. So as we charge these fountains today, and these waters come to life, I want you to remember that these waters come from where sailors or serving everyday.”
During opening remarks, guest speaker, Rear Adm. John B. Nowell Jr., Director of Military Personnel Plans and Policy, welcomed visitors to open the event and thanked what he termed as the “blue/green Navy and Marine team unlike anywhere else in the world for their dedication to duty.”
“When we look at what our Sailors and Marines do — and really what the entire joint force is accomplishing around the world — we can’t thank them enough, it is these two that gives us a chance in the Nation’s Capital to do again what the name implies, ‘Bless the Fleet,’ and ask for the safety of those sailors and marines who are out there performing the great work each and every day,” Nowell said.
“When you look at the Navy what you may not know is that we have 376,000 sailors, active and reserve, who sail across the seas in six fleets on five continents in every sea and ocean around the world. Just like we saw them in action last night with our partners,” said Nowell, referring to the recent U.S. joint military led action against Syria. “Everyone of those sailors are facing hard and dangerous circumstances and they really make us proud.”
Nowell then asked all past and current veterans serving to stand and the audience to applaud their sacrifice to duty.
He concluded by recognizing the family members who wear the same cloth of sacrifice, by serving along side their loved ones everyday.
“I’m boldly going to say that this is the best Blessing of the Fleet our Navy memorials has had in our 31-year history because of the tremendous staff and team we have here at the Navy Memorial,” Frank Thorpe said.
Following the ceremony, the Washington Revels’ Maritime Voices invited the visiting public into the Navy Memorial facility to hear traditional maritime music.
Navy culinary specialists from the White House Mess presented a cake to commemorate the occasion and prepared and served free samplings of their famed Navy bean soup in the Navy Memorial Visitors Center.
Retired Navy Captain Bernard Dunn and his wife savored the taste of the Navy Bean soup while touring the memorial. Dunn, a 32-year Navy Supply Corps veteran, noted, “I’ve seen many of these ceremonies. As the admiral mentioned, they blessed the fishing fleets all over the world; and we go to Rhode Island over the summer, and they always a have blessing of the fleet at Point Judith,” Dunn said. “So I’m very familiar with them, because my daughter worked here at the Navy Memorial for 10 years,” Dunn said. “I guess you could call us a sea service family,” explained Dunn, whose sons also served 30 years in the Navy and 26 years in the Coast Guard.
For Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Cleofe Cretesio, White House Mess, the event marked a memorable milestone in her naval career.
“This was my time being a part of this ceremony, said Cretesio, also celebrating her anniversary date of joining the Navy. “Today is the date I joined the Navy, nine years ago,” she shared. “This is the greatest experience ever. I was like, oh my God I got selected to serve today at this event,” Cretesio said, adding, “this is one of the best things to ever happen to me.”