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Frigate USS Essex-1799

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Essex_%281799%29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Valpara%C3%ADso

VALPARAISO, Chile (NNS) -- Sailors from the George Washington Carrier Strike Group (GWCSG) held a memorial service and wreath-laying May 16 for shipmates who died and were laid to rest in Valaparaiso in the 1800s while in service of the U.S. Navy. The ceremony, held at the Cementerio de Disidentes on Panteón Hill, honored 58 Sailors from USS Essex, two Sailors from USS Baltimore and one Sailor from USS Pensacola. During the War of 1812, the British ships HMS Phoebe and Cherub defeated and captured the American frigate Essex just north of Valparaiso. Essex casualties included 58 dead and 31 missing (of a crew of 154).

In 1881, a memorial to remember these Sailors was placed in this Protestant cemetery by the Daughters of the War of 1812. The memorial was the result of a subscription campaign begun in 1876 by USS Richmond Assistant Surgeon Dr. Howard Aimes and continued by the Rev. David Trumbull, pastor of the Union Protestant Church in Valparaiso. "In any navy, a shipmate is a shipmate for all time," said Rear Adm. Philip Hart Cullom, Commander, GWCSG, who spoke during the service. "Today, we lay these wreaths in remembrance of these Sailors who are our shipmates, now and forever. They share with us a special kinship created from the bond of sacrifice -- sacrifice of family separation, sacrifice of physical hardship of man versus sea, and sacrifice of serving a cause greater than ourselves."

About 50 Sailors attended the ceremony from USS George Washington (CVN 73) and USS Kauffman (FFG 59), both on a scheduled port visit.
"Today was a very special opportunity to pay tribute to the Sailors who came before us," said Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class (SW) David Murray, a crew member from USS George Washington (GW). "To me, this was an honor because it's not every day we come to a foreign country and get a chance to honor fellow Sailors who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I wouldn't miss this for the world."
Before the ceremony, GWCSG Sailors found a way to memorialize their fallen shipmates. Those arriving early spent about an hour making charcoal rubbings of the names on the marker stones for entry into the official Navy Log, part of the U.S. Naval Institute's historical preservation efforts.
"We made charcoal rubbings of the names on the markers honoring the Sailors," Murray said. "This gave us a chance to give back to those Sailors and to give others the opportunity to see the names of these Sailors who gave the ultimate sacrifice."
Many Sailors said the opportunity brought many emotions, thinking about fallen shipmates and having a chance to remember them.
"I think this shows these Sailors that they have not been forgotten," said Air Traffic Controller 3rd Class Juan M. Rosario, also from GW. "There are people out there who do care and remember their sacrifice they have made for their country."
Rosario compared this opportunity to immortalize shipmates from long ago with another memorial of the recent past.
Rosario said his grandfather had a friend he served with in Vietnam whose name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. He was able to go to there and see the friend's name with him and make a charcoal rubbing.
"It brought back a lot of memories," he said. "That's why I wanted to do this. It reminded of seeing my grandfather's emotion when he was able to see his friend's name and was able to keep it. I am sure if some family member would see this, their emotions would be the same - somebody still remembers."
Capt. K. Brent Canady, commanding officer of the current USS Essex (LHD 2) also contributed to the ceremony with a letter when he learned of the ceremony for the men of the first USS Essex.
"I can think of no better way to honor and remember the fallen Essex Sailors than by the crew of USS George Washington, a ship named after our first President and the father of our great country," he wrote.
"The men buried in these two cemeteries did not want to die, but they did. It is now up to us to give meaning to their lives," Cullom said in closing. "We must guard their legacy of democracy with the same vigilance they did. And we must be willing to give nothing less than they did, if necessary. The eternal flame of freedom must burn brightly within all of us, never to be extinguished, as long as we have breath to take. That is the legacy we owe these shipmates."

For more news from USS George Washington, visit www.navy.mil/local/cvn73/.

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