Return to Frequently
Asked Questions page. 
Return to Frequently
Asked Questions page. Launching and commissioning are two milestones in the construction
of a Navy ship.
A ship is launched when it is first put into the water. At this
time the ship is incomplete, and still requires considerable work
to complete it and make it ready for service. When the ship is
fully ready for use by the Navy, it runs acceptance trials to
see if it will perform according to specifications. When this
has been done to the Navy's satisfaction, and any discrepancies
have been set right, the Navy's representative signs a paper officially
accepting it from the builder.
By this time the prospective commanding officer and crew are on
hand, and they then place the ship in commission. In a formal
ceremony, the commanding officer reads his orders and assumes
command, the colors are hoisted, and the ship then begins to function
as a Navy command in its own right. The Navy's use of the word
"commission" means the placing of a ship in active service.
The Navy does not refer to ships as having a "birth date."
The date of first commissioning marks the beginning of a ship's
active service, which is ended by its final decommissioning. The
date of acceptance is simply called that; it has no special title.Launching
and commissioning are two milestones in the construction of a
Navy ship.