Senator Collins becomes 15th Person in History to receive Naval Heritage Award

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To watch Senator Collins’ remarks click HERE; to download click HERE.

Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Susan Collins became the 15^th person to ever win the Naval Heritage Award. The award is presented to distinguished Americans who have significantly supported the nation’s Sea Service, and whose lives and career exemplify the core value of Honor, Courage, and Commitment.

The first person to win the award was Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith in 1995. Other previous recipients of this award include President Ronald Reagan and Bob Hope.

Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the current Vice Chief of Naval Operations who has been nominated to be the Navy’s next Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), presented Senator Collins with the award at a ceremony that honors our Navy and the people who support it. Three former Secretaries of the Navy were present at the event, which is also honoring two former service members with the Lone Sailor award.

“Senator Susan Collins’ advocacy for a strong Navy and a robust national defense has been instrumental in giving our warfighters the tools they need to protect our nation and our families,” said BIW President Chuck Krugh. “Her support for the shipbuilders of General Dynamics Bath Iron Works encourages us to continue to produce the highest-quality surface combatants that deserve their Bath-built-is-best-built reputation. It’s a standard of excellence that Senator Collins embodies in all the work that she does for our state and our country.”

“This Naval Heritage Award means so much to me as my State of Maine has a naval heritage that is unsurpassed,” Senator Collins said. “In 1607, the first ocean-going sailing ship built in the New World was launched at Popham Colony. Today, Maine’s shipbuilding heritage continues at Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.”

Senator Collins received this award for her years of dedication in the U.S. Senate to ensure our nation’s Navy remains the world’s preeminent naval power including through securing additional funding to increase the number of Bath Iron Works-built Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in the fleet and making generational investments to modernize our nation’s public shipyards including Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

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