Adopted Ships

Our Adopted Ships and Military Installations

What A Ship Adoption Means…

 Adopting a ship allows the Philadelphia Council to provide support that will benefit the ship’s crew and families now, and into the future. 

Since adoption involves a continuing commitment, plans for such support must take into account our Council’s financial resources as well as the cooperation and willingness of our members.   Financial support can flow directly to the ship’s MWR Fund, or the Council can make direct gifts of items or awards to the ship and/or crew members.

 

USS WAYNE E MEYER (DDG 108)

PHILADELPHIA (NNS) -- The Navy commissioned its newest destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG-108) during a ceremony in Philadelphia Oct. 10, 2009.

Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Gary Roughead, brought the ship to life during its commissioning ceremony at historic Penn's Landing.

The ship's commissioning ceremony paid homage to its recently deceased namesake Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer. Known in the Navy as the "father of Aegis," Meyer passed away Sept. 1, just one month shy of the ship's commissioning ceremony.

"Even though he only left us a short time ago, his legacy will live on in this ship and in the spirit and in the officers and Sailors who will serve her for generations to come," said Roughead. "His legacy, indeed he does have one powerful legacy, and his memory will live on in our Navy."

 
USS PHILADELPHIA (SSN690)

Homeport:  Groton, CT.  Commissioned in 1977.  Current Commander is CDR John Spencer.  A nuclear powered Los Angeles-class attack submarine and the sixth navy ship to bear the name of the city of Philadelphia, this submarine becomes inactive in June, 2010 and will be decommissioned at an undetermined date in the future.  Its motto is "Finish Strong."

The first Philadelphia was a gunboat built in 1776 on Lake Champlain by Benedict Arnold and sunk in the Battle of Valcour Island. The second Philadelphia was a 36-gun sailing frigate active in the Pirate Wars (1798-1800), captured in the First Barbary War and later burned. The third was a side-wheel steamer used in the Civil War. The fourth Philadelphia (C-4) was a protected cruiser commissioned in 1890 and in service until 1926. The fifth (CL-41) was a light cruiser commissioned 1937, active in WW II, and sold to Brazil in 1951.

 

USCGC William Tate (WLM560)

The USCGC WILLIAM TATE was built by Marinette Marine Corporation in Marinette Wisconsin, launched May 8, 1999 and delivered to the Coast Guard on September 16th, 1999. She arrived in her homeport of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 10th, 1999 (the 224 birthday of the United States Marine Corps) and was formally commissioned on June 3rd, 2000. The WILLIAM TATE began her first operational aids-to-navigation deployment on November 29, 1999.

CGC WILLIAM TATE and her crew are responsible for the maintenance of 250 buoys in the Delaware Bay and River, and the Upper Chesapeake Bay. Additionally, WILLIAM TATE is designed, constructed and equipped to ably perform other Coast Guard missions such as domestic ice breaking, marine environmental protection, and maritime law enforcement. As an adopted ship, the Philadelphia council provides financial awards and support for the crew and her families.
Coast Guard Station Philadelphia
The United States Coast Guard is a military, multimission, maritime service within the Department of Homeland Security and one of the nation's five armed services. Its core roles are to protect the public, the environment, and U.S. economic and security interests in any maritime region in which those interests may be at risk, including international waters and America's coasts, ports, and inland waterways. Click here for more information about the Coast Guard Sector.