TRANSITION OF TRADITIONS IN THE NAVY

by UDAY KUMAR

It is traditional when launching a ship for the first time in water from th dock, for a VIP (generally a lady) to swing a champagne bottle at the bows.The tradition continued and began to be ritualized (with strong ties still to the church) in the middle ages. For large ships of the navy, both monarchs and bishops began to play a prominent part in the naming and launching. The ceremony took on a pagential air. A first hand source describes the christening of a ship in England in 1610 thusly:

A BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE BEING BROKEN ON THE HULL OF A WARSHIP

“The noble Prince . . . accompanied with the Lord Admiral and the great lords, were on the poop, where the standing great gilt cup was ready filled with wine to name the ship so soon as she had been afloat, according to ancient custom and ceremony performed at such times, and heaving the standing cup overboard. His Highness then standing upon the poop with a selected company only, besides the trumpeters, with a great deal of expression of princely joy, and with the ceremony of drinking in the standing cup, threw all the wine forwards towards the half-deck, and solemnly calling her by name of the Prince Royal, the trumpets sounding the while, with many gracious words to me, gave the standing cup into my hands.”Champagne became more and more popular throughout the 18th and 19th centuries as a symbol of luxury and richness.

In more modern times, the practice of breaking a bottle over a ship is called “christening.”

COCONUT WAITING TO BE BROKEN

This particular tradition has been modified to suit the Indian culture. In India, ships have been launched with a puja ceremony that dedicates the ship to a god, and seeks blessings for her and her sailors. Historically, hindu priests would perform the puja ceremony at launch. In the 20th century, ship are launched with a lady breaking a coconut on the bow of the vessel.