Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Delaney Jensen | NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (March 30, 2023) Contracting Officer Amy...... read more read more
NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY SOUDA BAY, Greece (March 30, 2023) Naval Support Activity (NSA) Souda Bay officially christened Artemis and Apollo, two new 30-foot Modutech work boats, in a ceremony at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex on March 30, 2023.
“Christening ceremonies have a long maritime history,” said Chief Boatswain’s Mate Andre Edwards. “They generally take place in a shipyard prior to the vessel entering the water for the first time. Our vessels are in the water, but we still want to honor the nautical tradition by breaking a bottle over them and giving them names and identities.”
The work boats were aptly named with the U.S.’s Greek counterparts and location in mind. Artemis and Apollo are the two children of Zeus, the Greek god of the sky and chief deity of all the Greek gods.
“Artemis is the Greek goddess of the hunt,” said Lt. Joshua Matias , port operations officer “She represents the expeditionary nature of the Navy and the operational units we support at NSA Souda Bay. The bow and arrow are symbols of Artemis, and today they symbolize the might of the U.S. Navy. May Artemis sail swift while serving the United States!”
“Apollo is the Greek god of the sun,” said Lt. Mark Owen, port services officer. “He represents the light of democracy, which the armed forces of the United States defend around the globe. The lyre is ancient Mediterranean instrument that symbolizes Apollo and today it reminds us of the music of the powerful, diesel engine and the shouts of its Coxswain. May Apollo sail swift while serving the United States!”
Once the boats arrived in NSA Souda Bay, they still needed to be assembled and contracting teams to assemble them. The work boats were christened by Contracting Officer Amy Jenkins, Public Works Department Souda Bay, and Facility Support Contracts Branch Head Paulette Iliopoulou who both played an integral role in helping the Port Operations team get the working boats up and running.
“We are excited to be here and excited to be a part of the christening ceremony,” said Jenkins. “It’s definitely a first for both of us, and we were excited to be chosen. The Port Operations team is amazing! As with all the positions here, they tend to rotate in and out quite quickly, so there is always a learning curve. That being said, they are always eager to get the job done and always eager to work with us to get things accomplished. Everything down here at Port Operation is a team effort!”
“NSA Souda Bay, the U.S. Navy and the U.S. as a whole have an exciting future ahead, especially here in Greece,” said Capt. Odin J. Klug. “These boats are going to see enormous changes in the years ahead. The will support new allies and will be operated by new generations of Sailors here at NSA Souda Bay. We look forward to the future with the desire for peace and readiness, being prepared and setting the conditions for the future success, not only of the U.S. Navy, but of our Hellenic partners as well. These vessels represent dependability, efficiency, effectiveness and excellence.”
The Port Operations team at NSA Souda Bay works at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex, which sits on Souda Bay near the city of Chania. Port Operations supports U.S., Allied, Coalition, and Partner nation forces operating in the U.S. Sixth Fleet through port services and oil spill prevention and response for visiting assets. The NATO Marathi Pier Complex is the only deep-water pier in the Mediterranean Sea with berthing capability for aircraft carriers.
NSA Souda Bay is an operational ashore installation which enables and supports U.S., Allied, Coalition, and Partner nation forces to preserve security and stability in the European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. For more information, visit us at www.cnic.navy.mil/SoudaBay or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NSASoudaBay.
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 04.03.2023 05:44 |
| Story ID: | 441807 |
| Location: | GR |
| Web Views: | 264 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, NSA Souda Bay Christens Two Work Boats at the NATO Marathi Pier Complex, by PO1 Delaney Jensen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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