USS Curts
 
2/5/2013 
 
San Diego, CA (February 5, 2013) - Chaplain LT Freiberg baptizing infant son of Chief Petty Officer Sean Pound aboard USS CURTS. (Official Navy photo taken by LTJG Monconjay Woewiyu)
Last Baptism Aboard Storied Warship 
By LTJG Monconjay Woewiyu 
SAN DIEGO, California (NBSD) – “We wanted our son to be the last child baptized on the ship,” said Chief Petty Officer Sean Pound. “Now he is a part of this ship’s legacy.”
A few weeks before the decommissioning of one of the Navy’s most decorated Oliver Hazard Perry – class guided-missile frigates, the crew of the USS CURTS (FFG 38) hosted a baptism on February 5th on the ship's forecastle. The eight-month old son of Chief Petty Officer Sean Pound and his wife, Jolene was baptized in a special ceremony conducted by the Destroyer Squadron Two Three’s Chaplain LT Freiberg. It is not uncommon for a member of the crew to have their child baptized aboard the ship, but this baptism was the final ceremony of the CURTS’ life.
Baptizing a child using the ship’s bell is a naval tradition that originated hundreds of years ago when a child was born at sea or in a foreign port. It symbolizes a unique bond between the ship and the family. The infants name will be engraved in the ship’s bell and forever linked to the history of ship. As one family celebrated the beginning of an era with the baptizing of their child, the crew of USS CURTS prepares to bid farewell to their legendary warship. The ship will be officially decommissioned on February 27th, 2013.
For more information on USS CURTS, visit http://www.public.navy.mil/surfor/ffg38/Pages/default.aspx.
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