Down the ways

Circa 1970 when NASA was beginning to hit its stride, the Steve Allen show featured the  comedian Bill Dana playing a Latino astronaut called Jose Jimenez which became a very popular feature.
At about the same time USLines was planning their new class of containership and the contract was awarded to the Sun Shipyard in neighboring Chester, Pa.  I had a customer in Philadelphia named Carlos M. whose speech pattern was remarkably close to that of Jose. He called me one day and suggested that we name our first vessel "Astronaut" and sent his unsolicited suggestion to our home office in New York.
 After several weeks the company announced that the first "new build" would be named S.S. AMERICAN ASTRONAUT and the sponsor would be Commander James Lovell of Apollo 13 fame.
 When Carlos heard the news he was ecstatic and called me daily for updates. Our Sales V.P. suggested I invite Carlos and spouse to the ship christening. Now the shipyard is the host for these events and they control the invitation list. As a result Carlos and I were behind the ropes while Cdr. Lovell was up on the scaffolding and after the champagne bottle was swung and the ship slid down the ways into the Delaware River, it began to rain. The dignitaries hustled Lovell into the limo and they were off to the reception. There is no more desolate place than an empty shipyard in the rain so I escorted Carlos and spouse to a nearby riverfront restaurant for a leisurely luncheon and he seemed happy with his 8x10 glossy autographed by James Lovell and the thought that he was instrumental in the naming of a ship and I wouldn't dare spoil his dream.
tjs
(for full disclosure - as the writers say - a photo of the ship appears on the cover of my paperback "The Eagle Blue Chronicles" which sells for $9.99 from Lulu Publishing - it is still in its first printing.)
 Next - The Grenadines.