Action Item!
Support naming a New USS Belknap

Shipmates,

Here are some bullet points what you can list in your letters to your members of Congress. Anything we do can only help keep the Belknap name in the forefront for the selection process!

First ship of the BELKNAP Class

First production Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) installation

Recognized for heroic and professional actions that saved the BELKNAP after the collision with the JF KENNEDY

A way to honor the 7 shipmates who perished in the collision with the JF KENNEDY

Few crews are tested to the extent of those of 22 Nov 1975

BELKNAP was the only CG-16/CG-26 Class ship to serve as permanent 6th Fleet Flagship

President G.H. Bush's flagship for the historic Malta conference with Russian President M. Gorbachev

Recognized as a leader in virtually all areas

Rebirth of the "Don't Give Up The Ship" spirit

Heritage of tenacious, professional and courageous performance

Determined attitude to maintain the can do attitude

Teamwork characterized crew throughout

Crews have made friends for life

64-75 reputation for hard work and great spirit

That reputation rekindled during its second period in commission

KEEP THE SPIRIT AND RECORD OF ACCOMPLISHMENT ALIVE IN A NEW BELKNAP

Probably, the best way to do this is to just send me an email with your request included, and “sign” it with your name, rate, and years aboard.

I will take these emails and copy your text to a Word document. We will then have a single document that has a separate request on each page.

If any of you feel strongly that you would rather write a personal letter, you may do that as well. Just mail the letter to me and it will become part of the package.

As Captain Hatch indicates above, the more support that is shown, the better.

Send snail mail to me at:

 			                Mike Abbott
 		                          292 Brookhaven Drive
  		                          Belleville, IL  62221

 
Let’s do this, shipmates,

Mike Abbott
FTCM(SW) USN Ret.
66 – 72; 78 - 82

Last updated 01 November 2009