In the USN when a new ship is cristened,how long is it before a crew is assigned? Are they the "plankholders"

Question

I saw that the Destroyer USS Stockbridge was launched today in Bath Maine.Sea Trials begin in Sept. When will the initial crew be assigned?, and are they called the "Plankholders?"

Answer 1

They aren't called "plankholders", they are called "plankowners".

Answer 2

Knowing the Navy as I do...  You can bet the crew is already assigned... They may not be "announced" but they are already assigned. And yes, this crew will be the "Plank Holders".

Answer 3

Bill, part of the crew is already there, and active in the building of the ship. They don't actually build it, but are getting familiar with how the ship is put together. The crew arrives piecemeal, not in a body, as for some of the members, their equipment is not on board, such as radar, radio, crypto, ship handling, and so forth. The engineering crew should be 50% assigned. As the ship is more and more assembled, there will be more and more crew assigned and there with the ship. It will be fully manned by sea trials.

The original crew of a ship are "plank owners."

Regards,

Dan

Answer 4

an EXCELLENT book on how DDGs are built at Bath is called "The Yard" by Michael Sanders..it answers your question amoungst many others