The launch of a naval vessel is a special event in the US Navy. There are dignitaries and knitting needles, and then the ceremonial bursting of a bottle of champagne, which launches the ship, slipping along the roads. One day, however, the intervention of the movie star and John Wayne's American badges for the ceremony was successful. It happened:
On September 25, 1975, in Bat Maine, the navy prepared for launch the first of a new class of guided missile frigates, the USS Oliver Hazard Perry (FFG-7). Perry was a new generation of underwater hunters, a total of 71 of whom were ever built, with versions serving the naval forces of Australia, Poland, Bahrain, Egypt, Taiwan, Turkey and Spain. In order to witness the legal proceedings, the Navy invited many distinguished guests, including much younger Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and legendary Hollywood actor John Wayne.
Everything seemed to be going as planned. The performances were completed, and, as tradition proclaimed, the lady smashed a ceremonial bottle of champagne against the case as a signal to launch. Nothing happened. The shipbuilders were confused, and the fleet was embarrassed. Everything tried to move the ship, but nothing happened. It has become a nightmare for public relations! It was here that Wayne came up to save this day, since he pretended to be doing in countless films for over 40 years. Having cooled down to a warship of 3,600 tons, the Mauritius actor, known as the “duke,” gave Perry a gentle push, probably a joke, and the giant ship moved off. The frigate slipped into the water to the great astonishment of all those present!
USS Perry continued to serve his country with distinction until it was decommissioned in 1997. Already on June 11, 1979, at the UCLA Medical Center, the consequences of cancer, actor and American legend John Wayne are already suffering.
