Plank Owner, USS Nashville

According to Navy tradition, if you were a member of the commissioning crew of a U.S. Navy ship and served aboard for a year, a month and a day after the commissioning, you hold the title of "Plank Owner." Since "Plank Owner" is not an official Navy term, it can be construed differently by each commanding officer. That accounts for variations in the definition of the term.

The commissioning crew is the crew that was assembled prior to the ship's commissioning and was onboard the day that the ship was put into service "on the record" as a U.S. Navy warship. Some ships waive the service requirement of a year, a month and a day, as it is an "unofficial" event.

As I understand Navy tradition, in the days of wooden ships, a Plank Owner had the right to take a plank from the vessel's deck at the time of decommissioning. Today's ships have little or no wood planks. However, Plank Owners receive a certificate that gives them "clear title" to one anyway.

According to the Department of the Navy, "Plank Owner certificates are procured by and issued to crew members of the ship being commissioned; they are not officially issued by the Navy. Some ships' crews design their own, while others purchase them from commercial sources. Perhaps the best known of these are the ones sold by the United States Naval Institute."

Why do I bring this up? I am a Plank Owner of a U.S. Navy ship and we are about to have a reunion; thirty-three years after commissioning. The U.S.S. Nashville (LPD-13) was commissioned on was 14 February 1970 in Bremerton, Washington. I reported for duty in late 1969 and was on watch during the commissioning ceremony.

The Nashville is an "Amphibious Transport Dock." She carries up to 900 U.S. Marines, along with their tanks, trucks, artillery and other gear. She was a "Flag Ship" in her early days. We carried a commodore and his staff. The commodore had command of a squadron of amphibious ships of various types. A squadron is part of a "task force" that is commanded by an admiral.

After thirty-four years, we plan to assemble as many of the original crew as we can locate. We'll reminisce about many "firsts" for the ship that we participated in. There were many of them, including going through the Panama Canal, visiting Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and even sinking another ship (for target practice).

The reunion is in the U.S.S. Nashville's homeport of Norfolk, Virginia. We won't be able to visit her since she is in the Mediterranean as part of a squadron of ships "standing by" off the coast of Liberia. We made the ship's first trip to the Mediterranean in 1971. They are back there thirty-two years later doing the same thing.

Yes, we'll talk about the "good ole days" at our reunion. But believe me, they weren't all good days. My hat is off to the young men and women that are on the Nashville and other ships today. They go about their jobs like it's just another day so you and I live in a safe and secure environment. I wish them all the best!

Until next time, I wish you clear skies, fair winds, and calm seas!