His Ship Came In (Port Everglades)

Guests were invited to tour the USS Paul Ignatius, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer commissioned in Port Everglades, FL, on Saturday, July 27. Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Edwin Vivas

On July 27, Port Everglades, FL was the site for the commissioning of the guided missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117). Approximately one thousand guests of all ages attended this tribute to the 98-year-old Ignatius, who served as Secretary of the U.S. Navy under President Lyndon Johnson from 1967 to 1969.

Fort Lauderdale, FL, Postmaster David Guiney was invited to speak at the reception the prior evening. Guiney presented framed artwork to Ignatius, as well as Commander Robby Trotter and Broward Navy Days President/Executive Director Mary Anne Gray.

“It is my honor to represent the U.S. Postal Service and its employees. Today also has personal meaning to me as I think of my son, who currently serves in the U.S. Navy in San Diego,” said Guiney. “Paul Ignatius is a living namesake, and I’m so proud to be here as we pay tribute to him.”

 

Fort Lauderdale, FL, Postmaster David Guiney (left) and Broward Navy Days President/ Executive Director Mary Anne Gray at the reception. Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Edwin Vivas

Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Edwin Vivas (left) and Paul Ignatius (right) commemorated the historic occasion with a photo.

Fort Lauderdale Postmaster David Guiney (left) presented framed artwork to U.S. Navy Commander Robby Trotter (center) and Paul Ignatius (right). Photo: Fort Lauderdale Customer Relations Coordinator Edwin Vivas

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, including the USS Paul Ignatius, are capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States’ military strategy. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century.

About 310 officers and enlisted personnel make up the crew of Paul Ignatius, slated to be home ported in Mayport, FL. Together they have tried, tested and demonstrated seaworthiness as a lethal, ready and well-trained crew prepared to forward-operate in any ocean of the world.

Ignatius served as a commissioned lieutenant in the U.S. Navy in World War II. During the ceremony, he marveled over the technological advances of today’s Arleigh Burke destroyers compared the ships in the U.S. Navy when he served more than seventy years ago.

                    

“There were no computers,” Ignatius said.                                                                                                                    

If you’d like a USS Paul Ignatius postmark (pictured above), place stamps on envelopes or postcards and address them to yourself or others. Then place the items in a larger envelope and mail them to: Pictorial Postmarks, USS Paul Ignatius, Postmaster, 1900 W. Oakland Park Blvd, Suite 103, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33310-9998. Requests must be received no later than August 25.