Spokane Trophy

Last updated
The Spokane Trophy at the time of its award to USS Princeton in 2004 USN Spokane Trophy 2004.jpg
The Spokane Trophy at the time of its award to USS Princeton in 2004

The Spokane Trophy is awarded by Commander United States Pacific Fleet on a cycle basis to the surface combatant ship considered to be the most proficient in overall combat systems readiness and warfare operations. The nomination will be submitted by the type commander based on the recommendations of the ISIC (Immediate Superior In Charge). Because the award is to recognize demonstrated ability to fully conduct, on a sustained basis, simultaneous and coordinated air warfare, surface warfare, and undersea warfare operations with all installed equipment, no check-off list of particular criteria is appropriate nor can a ship explicitly work for nomination for the award other than by routinely striving for the highest levels of combat systems training and material excellence. [1] The actual Spokane Trophy is made of 400 ounces of silver and is valued at $4 million. [2] [3]

The award was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt to recognize naval warfighting proficiency. The trophy was originally donated by the Spokane, Washington, Navy League and is now kept on display at Naval Surface Forces headquarters in San Diego. [4] The trophy depicts areas of Spokane, Washington, and the silver mining community. The trophy also bears the names of the last 96 ships that have won it, including USS Arizona (BB-39) and USS West Virginia (BB-48). It is normally kept under armed guard and is viewed only once per year for the presentation ceremony. [3]

Unlike the Battenberg Cup for the Atlantic Fleet, this award honors surface ships only, while the Battenberg honors both surface and submarine combatants. [1]

History

In 1907, the Spokane Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with the city's United Spanish War Veterans wanted to honor Spokane sailors, its “Sons in the Navy,” by offering a silver cup as an annual award to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet for marksmanship. Donated by the city and citizens of Spokane, the Spokane Trophy would become the most sought after award in the U.S. Navy, though many, for a time, would forget it existed.

The city was desirous to honor its sailors and President Theodore Roosevelt's “man behind the gun.” With the memory of Spokane's own John Robert Monaghan, a sailor who sacrificed his own life to save a fellow officer in a “skirmish with the natives” in Samoa in 1899, Spokane was proud of our country's navy and wanted to honor “the men who wear the blue.” Originally intended to be awarded to the best ship in the Atlantic Fleet for excellence in great-gun marksmanship in the annual target practice, Secretary of the Navy Victor H. Metcalf, suggested instead that the trophy be awarded to the battleship or armored cruiser of either fleet who exhibited the highest final record of merit with all her turret guns. Metcalf pointed out that “President [Roosevelt] interested himself personally in the question of trophies for excellence in great-gun marksmanship, and directed that the vessels of the Navy be divided into four classes, namely battleships, cruisers, gunboats, and torpedo craft and that a trophy be assigned to each.”

The Spokane Trophy was designed to embody the spirit of Spokane and its pride in the navy. In bas-relief on the trophy are eight memorial panels or scenes depicting President Theodore Roosevelt, the Secretary of the Navy Victor H. Metcalf, the Spokane Falls, Mount Spokane, the newly built Spokane Federal Building (old Post Office), the last of the great chiefs, Chief Garry of the Spokanes, Fort George Wright, and a replica of the monument to Ensign John Monaghan, Spokane's own naval hero. Standing approximately 28-inches high and 16-inches wide at the handles, made of 400-ounces of sterling silver and lined with gold, the Spokane Trophy was crafted by Leo M. Dornberg & Co., a local jeweler, at the request of the Spokane Chamber of Commerce for $1,500 in 1907. Mounted on a rosewood base, the trophy is flanked by two miniature solid silver navy gunners training 10-inch long silver guns mounted on gold wheels. A feminine figure on the trophy represents Spokane presenting a laurel wreath to the navy gunners whose hands are outstretched to receive it. An American eagle clutches a naval target on the opposite side of the trophy and the handles represent weighed anchors.

In 1908, the USS Tennessee became the first winner of the trophy. The trophy was formally presented to the officers and sailors of the ship in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Washington on August 12, 1908. Spokane Chamber of Commerce vice-president David T. Ham spoke, as did representatives on behalf of the Spanish War Veterans. According to an account at the time, the trophy was received positively:

The cup was covered with the Admiral’s colors as it was borne from the captain’s cabin to a raised platform on the main deck, where Captain [Bradley A.] Fiske, in his speech of acceptance, referred in eloquent terms motive which prompted the giving of the Spokane Trophy cup and of the great benefit that would ultimately result in the future efficiency of naval gunnery, and said that was a standing cause for wonder and surprise to the entire Navy that the inland city of Spokane should be the first to do honor to the men behind the gun and thus create that pride in individual effort and in the efficiency of general service that must and would build a greater Navy…

The pomp and ceremony that followed the trophy through its first award presentation, resulted in some playful animosity from the officers and crew of the USS Washington, of which the commanding officer, Austin M. Knight, was present:

Captain Austin M. Knight, of the cruiser Washington, invited the Spokane party to visit his ship and accept some hospitality in deference to the grand state for which the ship was named. Captain Knight and his officers were greatly chagrined that the cruiser Washington did not win the Spokane Trophy, and said that Spokane will be honored by the Washington winning the cup the next year if they have to blow up every turret and gun in the ship.

The trophy was awarded annually to ships in the Pacific and Atlantic Fleet until it was retired in 1941, prior to World War II, and placed on display for many years at the Naval Museum in Washington D.C. before being moved to the Naval Historical Center in the Washington Navy Yard in 1977. In 1984, the Spokane Trophy was reactivated and sent to the U.S. Pacific Force Headquarters in San Diego. In keeping with historic tradition, the trophy, now worth nearly $4 million, is annually awarded to the United States Pacific Fleet surface ship that demonstrates overall excellence in combat systems and warfare readiness. The trophy has been awarded forty-two times to thirty-one different ships. In 2007 the trophy was awarded to the USS Chafee, an Arleigh Burke-class Aegis destroyer homeported in Hawaii. USS Hopper was the 2008 Spokane Awardee, and is also homeported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The officers and crew of guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur, forward-deployed to Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, learned their command was announced as the 2009 Spokane Trophy recipient on April 15, 2010. [5] In 2011 USS Sampson, homeported in San Diego, won the trophy. [6] In 2013 it was USS Mobile Bay, also homeported in San Diego, that won it. The trophy was awarded in 2014 to the USS Preble, homeported in San Diego, CA. In 2016 it was awarded to the USS Chancellorsville, the second time the ship had received "this prestigious award". [7]

The crew of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer assembled on the forecastle to receive the prestigious Spokane Trophy during a ceremony, May 7, 2015. [8]

The crew of the guided-missile cruiser USS Princeton received the 2017 Spokane Trophy during a ceremony on board the ship, October 19, 2018. [9]

The crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Dewey received the 2018 Spokane Trophy during a ceremony aboard the ship, September 26, 2019. [10]

The crew of the guided-missile destroyer USS Milius (DDG 69) received the 2019 Spokane Trophy. USS MILIUS is home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan and attached to Commander, Destroyer Squadron Fifteen (CDS 15).

The Spokane Trophy, with the help of the Spokane Council of the Navy League of the United States and Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Spokane, returned home to Spokane, Washington, in the spring of 2008 for its 100th anniversary.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Estocin</i>

USS Estocin (FFG-15), ninth ship of the Oliver Hazard Perry class of guided-missile frigates, was named for Captain Michael John Estocin (1931–1967). Ordered from Bath Iron Works on 27 February 1976 as part of the FY76 program, Estocin was laid down on 2 April 1979, launched on 3 November 1979, and commissioned on 10 January 1981.

USS <i>Canberra</i> (CA-70) US Navy guided missile cruiser

USS Canberra (CA-70/CAG-2) was a Baltimore-class cruiser and later a Boston-class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy (USN). Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed before launch to honor the Australian cruiser HMAS Canberra sunk during the Battle of Savo Island. Canberra was the first USN warship named after a foreign capital city, and one of the few named after a foreign warship not captured in battle with a USN ship.

USS <i>Cushing</i> (DD-985) Spruance-class destroyer

USS Cushing (DD-985), named after Commander William Barker Cushing, was the fifth ship of the United States Navy to bear the name. Cushing was a Spruance-class destroyer built by the Ingalls Shipbuilding Division of Litton Industries at Pascagoula, Mississippi. Cushing operated out of Yokosuka, Japan for the last several years of her career. Cushing was the last Spruance-class destroyer to remain in active service, until decommissioned on 21 September 2005.

USS <i>Leahy</i> (DLG-16) Leahy class Guided missile cruiser

USS Leahy (DLG/CG-16) was the lead ship of a new class of destroyer leaders in the United States Navy. Named for Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy, she was commissioned on 4 August 1962 as DLG-16, a guided missile frigate, and reclassified as CG-16, a guided missile cruiser, on 30 June 1975.

USS <i>Higbee</i> Gearing-class destroyer

USS Higbee (DD/DDR-806) was a Gearing-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first U.S. warship named for a female member of the U.S. Navy, being named for Chief Nurse Lenah S. Higbee (1874–1941), a pioneering Navy nurse who served as Superintendent of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps during World War I.

USS <i>Barry</i> (DDG-52) Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Barry (DDG-52) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, commissioned in 1992. Barry is the fourth United States Navy ship named after the "Father of the American Navy", Commodore John Barry (1745–1803). Her homeport is Naval Station Yokosuka, Japan. Several improvements over Arleigh Burke exist on this ship and all following Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. They include the ability to refuel a helicopter and several other small improvements.

USS <i>Curtis Wilbur</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer

USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) is the fourth Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer. Curtis Wilbur was named for Curtis D. Wilbur, forty-third Secretary of the Navy, who served under President Calvin Coolidge. In 2016, she was based at Yokosuka, Japan, as part of Destroyer Squadron 15.

USS <i>Princeton</i> (CG-59) Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Princeton (CG-59) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser serving in the United States Navy. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. She was previously home to two SH-60B LAMPS Mk III Seahawk helicopters and now carries a pair of the MH-60R version of the Seahawk. This warship is named for the Revolutionary War victories over the British by George Washington in and around the town of Princeton, New Jersey.

USS <i>Normandy</i>

USS Normandy (CG-60) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser in the service of the United States Navy. Armed with naval guns and anti-air, anti-surface, and anti-submarine missiles, plus other weapons, she is equipped for surface-to-air, surface-to-surface, and anti-submarine warfare. The cruiser was the first US warship since 1945 to go to war on her maiden cruise, and in 1998 was awarded the title "Most Tomahawks shot by a U.S. Navy Cruiser". She is named for the World War II Battle of Normandy, France, which took place on and following D-Day.

USS <i>Chancellorsville</i> Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) is a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser in service in the United States Navy. She is named for the Battle of Chancellorsville of the Civil War, which was a victory for the Confederate States Army. Until 30 December 2011, the ship was operationally part of Carrier Strike Group Seven. In 2010 she was administratively under the command of Commander, Naval Surface Forces Pacific. Currently she is assigned to Carrier Strike Group Five and is deployed to Yokosuka, Japan.

USS <i>Cowpens</i> (CG-63) Ticonderoga-class cruiser

USS Cowpens (CG-63) is a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser in service with the United States Navy. The ship is named after the Battle of Cowpens, a major American victory near Cowpens, South Carolina, in the American Revolution. She was built at the Bath Iron Works in Maine. Cowpens is stationed at Naval Base San Diego.

USS <i>Benfold</i> US Navy destroyer

USS Benfold (DDG-65) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy.

USS <i>Mahan</i> (DDG-72)

USS Mahan (DDG-72) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer currently in service with the United States Navy. This ship is the 22nd destroyer of her class. USS Mahan was the 12th ship of this class to be built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, and construction began on 17 August 1995. She was launched and christened on 29 June 1996. On 14 February 1998 she was commissioned in Tampa, Florida. Mahan is homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, and as of 2012 was attached to Destroyer Squadron 2. By 2016, the ship was part of Destroyer Squadron 22.

USS <i>Pinckney</i>

USS Pinckney (DDG-91) is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She is named for African American Officer's Cook First Class William Pinckney (1915–1976), who received the Navy Cross for his courageous rescue of a fellow crewmember on board the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) during the Battle of Santa Cruz.

The names of commissioned ships of the United States Navy all start with USS, for United States Ship. Non-commissioned, primarily civilian-manned vessels of the U.S. Navy under the Military Sealift Command have names that begin with USNS, standing for United States Naval Ship. A letter-based hull classification symbol is used to designate a vessel's type. The names of ships are selected by the Secretary of the Navy. The names are those of states, cities, towns, important persons, important locations, famous battles, fish, and ideals. Usually, different types of ships have names originated from different types of sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier strike group</span> US Navy unit with aircraft carrier

A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers or frigates, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft. A carrier strike group also, on occasion, includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship. The carrier strike group commander operationally reports to the commander of the numbered fleet, who is operationally responsible for the area of waters in which the carrier strike group is operating.

USS <i>Fitzgerald</i> Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy

USS Fitzgerald (DDG-62), named for United States Navy officer Lieutenant William Charles Fitzgerald, is an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the US Navy.

USS <i>Michael Monsoor</i> US naval guided missile destroyer

USS Michael Monsoor (DDG-1001) is the second ship of the three-ship Zumwalt class of guided missile destroyers. The Zumwalt-class was designed as a multi-mission surface combatant for land attack and littoral operations with a mission of supporting both ground campaigns and the joint/naval battlespace. The main guns are a pair of Advanced Gun Systems (AGS). The Navy cancelled the ammunition procurement program for the only type of ammunition it can use, so the AGS cannot provide naval gunfire support and the Zumwalts were repurposed for surface warfare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carrier Strike Group 5</span> Military unit

Carrier Strike Group 5, also known as CSG 5 or CARSTRKGRU 5, is the U.S. Navy carrier strike group assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet and permanently forward deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James H. Doyle Jr.</span> US Navy admiral

James Henry Doyle, Jr was a vice admiral of the United States Navy, and the son of Vice Admiral James H. Doyle, USN.

References

  1. 1 2 "Surface Force Training Manual". United States Navy Training Manual. Federation of American Scientists (republishing USN training manual). Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  2. ↑ "The Spokane Trophy". U.S. Navy NewsStand. United States Navy. May 3, 2004. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  3. 1 2 Journalist 2nd Class David Van Scoy, Navy Compass (May 12, 2004). "Princeton Earns Coveted Spokane Trophy". U.S. Navy NewsStand. U.S. Navy. Retrieved 2008-03-11.
  4. ↑ Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class (SW/AW) Paula M. Ludwick, Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs (May 10, 2007). "USS Bunker Hill Receives Spokane Trophy". GlobalSecurity.org (republishing U.S. Navy press release NNS070510-15). Retrieved 2008-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Curtis Wilbur Receives 2009 Spokane Trophy". www.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 2012-09-21.
  6. ↑ LTJG Cavazos, Elizabeth (Oct 31, 2012). "USS SAMPSON Awarded Spokane Trophy". United States Navy . Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  7. ↑ Ensign Plunkett, Kyle (Jun 12, 2017). "Chancellorsville Wins Prestigious Spokane Trophy". United States Navy . Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  8. ↑ "USS Wayne E. Meyer Awarded Coveted Spokane Trophy". www.navy.mil. Archived from the original on 2015-07-16.
  9. ↑ "Princeton Excels, Earns Distinguished Spokane Trophy". Archived from the original on 2020-03-19.
  10. ↑ https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=111099 [ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.