August 22, 2013

Finest Hour 110, Spring 2001

Page 21

BY DAVID BRAUN

“The warrior heroes of the past may look down without any feeling that the examples they set in bygone centuries have faded.” —WSC, 1948

The Winston S. Churchill, billed by the Navy as “the most sophisticated, capable combatant ever built,” is the only active U.S. warship named after a foreign national, and the only one with an officer from Britain’s Royal Navy permanently on board—a nod to the ship’s name and a strengthening of the special bond between the steadfast Atlantic allies.

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The first British officer assigned to the new destroyer is the ship’s navigator, Lt. Angus Essenhigh, 27-year-old son of First Sea Lord Sir Nigel Essenhigh, professional head of the Royal Navy.

Born in Portsmouth, England, Angus Essenhigh joined the Royal Navy when he was 18. “It is very exciting for me to join this ship,” Essenhigh said during the Winston S. Churchill’s recent maiden voyage from New England, where she was built, to Norfolk, Virginia, her new home port. This writer was invited to join the ship from New York City to Norfolk, to experience what life on board is like for the vessel’s crew of 350.

Essenhigh guided Winston S. Churchill to her berth in Norfolk, taking time from his bridge duties to say that the naming of the ship after one of Britain’s greatest heroes is “a clever choice by the Americans.” Churchill held dual citizenship in both countries after 1963, when President Kennedy gave him honorary U.S. citizenship, Essenhigh said. “He was a great transatlantic statesman. It is a very apt name for this ship.”

Winston S. Churchill builds out its Churchillian theme in numerous ways. The crew’s mess hall, for example, is called the Royal Cafe. The ship’s store sells both the Stars and Stripes and the Union Flag, and there are plans to stock it with cigars, one of Churchill’s passions. Each morning the ship posts a Churchill quote of the day, and the vessel’s coat of arms includes a trident that is divided to suggest a “V” emphasizing victory in war, the prime minister’s famous rallying sign.

As the warship becomes known to the public, Essenhigh says, people are sending in Churchill memorabilia such as letters and books. In the officer’s wardroom is a replica of one of Churchill’s paintings and a photograph of the British leader boarding a World War II destroyer for his historic summit meeting with President Roosevelt. Cdr. Michael T. Franken, commanding officer of the Winston S. Churchill, said there are a lot of “closet Churchillians” on board, “but there were also many youngsters joining and not knowing who Winston Churchill is.”

It is difficult to imagine what Winston Churchill would have made of a 21st-century warship named after him. On the one hand, the prime minister was a technophile and pushed for the development of many 20th century military inventions, including the tank, radar, computerized code-breaking, and the earliest “smart bombs.” U.S.S. Winston S. Churchill certainly would be a thrilling experience for him, crammed as she is with the most advanced weaponry, machinery, and electronic surveillance equipment.

At the same time, Churchill was a Victorian who clung to dated social views well into the 20th century. What would he have thought of the fact that 55 of the 350 people serving on the Winston S. Churchill are women, some in the most arduous roles such as firefighting and combat positions? This change is not an issue for Franken, who regrets not having more women in senior positions. “There is no difference between male and female sailors,” said Franken. “Nobody cares. It’s a bit like those space movies: we have humanoids functioning, gender irrespective. Everyone is on the same level professionally. We all do what we can to the limits of our strength, mentally and physically.”

The crew may function like a well-oiled machine when it comes to duties, but a few days aboard Winston S. Churchill quickly demonstrated that the fighting women and men of the 21st century are treated as human beings accustomed to certain minimum standards of comfort. The quality of the facilities and the user-friendliness of the ship would likely astonish any World War II veteran.

Living quarters for sailors remain cramped, of course. The enlisted crew sleeps in “racks,” which are little more than tightly packed shelves, although long enough to stretch out properly. Bedding is comfortable and includes thick, cozy comforters and crisp sheets. The gender-segregated berthing areas are fully heated and air-conditioned. Bathrooms are intimate and thoroughly modern with plenty of warm, fresh water for showers and flushing.

The biggest improvement since Churchill’s time may be the quality and quantity of the cuisine. The enlisted crew’s mess hall is bright and well supplied by a large galley that offers three full meals a day as well as snacks in the early hours for those pulling all-nighters. At breakfast there are always eggs cooked to order and a wide range of sides, fresh fruit, and juices. Lunch and dinners include choices of entrees and a ubiquitous soup-and-salad bar. The galley churns out cookies and occasional treats such as ice cream for sailors to enjoy during evening screenings of videos in the mess hall. A post office receives and dispatches the crew’s mail like any land-based counterpart. The medical center has two corpsmen who can attend to most dental and medical necessities that occur. A library offers a limited range of materials. The ship is equipped with two small gymnasiums and there is a barber on board.

Despite a dearth of venues to relax during off-duty hours, two nights in the enlisted crew’s berthing quickly demonstrated that life at sea is essentially about working and sleeping. The nights are filled with the gentle beeping or buzzing of alarm clocks and a constant muffled shuffling as crew members come and go. The destroyer tears along at speeds of up to 30 knots and its many systems and lookout stations need to be managed on a 24-hour basis, requiring elaborate shift scheduling.

Winston S. Churchill’s crew is much like the modern face of America. The ship captain, Commander Michael T. Franken, is a civil engineering graduate from the University of Nebraska and a native of Sioux Center, Iowa. According to Franken, the men and women on board come from forty-five states and more than a dozen countries (foreign-born permanent U.S. residents or naturalized Americans). As many as twenty languages are spoken on the ship. Age ranges from youngsters starting their naval careers to those who have been in service for more than thirty years. “It’s a melting pot with a capital ‘M,'” said Franken, “and the most precious thing about it is that it works.” Each person on board has a personal e-mail account and access to at least one of many on-board computers. Near land, many of the crew use personal cell phones. The days of being isolated while at sea from families, friends—and the stock markets—are over.

Winston S. Churchill will embark on a three-month goodwill tour of the United Kingdom in the summer, visiting British ports and working in joint exercises with the Royal Navy. The ship will take up a position in a U.S. Navy battle group in October 2002.

Mr. Braun is a writer for National Geographic News. Copyright 2001 National Geographic Society. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.