Object Record
Images
Metadata
Object Name |
Bottle, Christening |
Catalog Number |
1982.045.01 |
Description |
Wooden box containing the christening bottle from the S.S. Lacrosse Victory. A) Stained rectangulra wooden box with hinges and a key hole. On the lid of the box there is a small silver plaque with engraved text: "Christening Bottle S.S. Lacrosse Victory Launded December 22, 1944 Mrs Leslie C. Cilley, Sponsor". Inside the box there is a satin lined tray with decorative white cording. B) Champagne bottle wrapped in red, white, and blue fabric. Inside the fabric cover, it is evident that the bottle is broken. The fabric cover is sewn and tied shut. There is a decorative red, white, and blue braided cord at the top of the champagne bottle on the fabric cover. |
Provenance |
The S.S. Lacrosse Victory was christened on December 22, 1944. La Crosse resident, Nellie Mae Cilley was chosen by the Navy Mothers Club No. 318 of La Crosse to christen the ship with a bottle of champagne since she had lost two sons in the war and her third son was serving in the navy. |
Owned By |
Nellie Mae Cilley |
Date |
12/22/1944 |
Material |
Wood, Fabric, Glass, Metal |
Dimensions |
H-5.25 W-8.75 L-17 inches |
Length (in) |
17.000 |
Height (in) |
5.250 |
Width (in) |
8.750 |
Dimension Details |
Dimensions are of the wooden box. |
People |
Cilley, Nellie Mae |
Subjects |
Transportation Military |
Search Terms |
World War II WWII |
Relation |
Show Related Records... |
Notes |
The Victory ship was a class of cargo ship produced in large numbers by North American shipyards during World War II to replace losses caused by German submarines. Featured in Things that Matter: This christening bottle is from the S.S. La Crosse, a victory ship named after the city, which was christened 75 years ago on December 22, 1944. Christening is an age-old good luck tradition of breaking a champagne bottle over the bow of a new boat. The S.S. La Crosse Victory was built in The Bethlehem-Fairfield Yard, a mass-production yard for Victory and cargo ships that was founded in 1941. Victory ships were created to transport war cargo quickly. A La Crosse Gold Star mother, Nellie Mae Cilley, launched the ship into the waters of the Patapsco River as she cracked the champagne bottle across the bow of the big merchant vessel. The broken bottle keeps its shape inside of a fabric cover which is tied and sewn shut to keep the pieces together, and to ensure that the broken pieces of glass didn’t end up in the water. 5df420da90b9a.image.jpg Cilley was chosen by the Navy Mothers Club No. 318 of La Crosse to christen the ship because she had lost two sons in the war and her third son was serving in the navy. One of her sons, Machinist Mate First Class La Verne D. Cilley, was lost on October 20, 1943 on his first voyage aboard a submarine in the south Pacific. Another, Sergeant Halsie E. Cilley, died on September 14 of injuries suffered while on duty at the Barton, Florida army air base. Her third son, Seaman First Class Paul E. Cilley, was taking advanced naval radio training in Chicago. After the end of the war, the S.S. La Crosse Victory was used to bring soldiers home as were many other Victory ships. In 1947, the ship entered private ownership, was wrecked and repaired in 1961 and was eventually scrapped in 1969. This article was originally published in the La Crosse Tribune. Title: S.S. La Crosse Victory christening bottle Author: Haley Gagliano Publish Date: December 21, 2019 |