Cheers at Faneuil Hall welcomed visiting newly commissioned officers of the missile destroyer U.S.S. Preble with a kick-off party Saturday night, where a rowdy crew left politics at the door and enjoyed dinner and an open bar.
Crewmen of the Arleigh Burke-class, guided-missile destroyer gathered at the lower bar level of Cheers to celebrate their Nov. 9 commission to the Preble, the Navy’s newest warship. The ship arrived from Newport, R.I. under prospective commanding officer Tim Batzler.
‘Cheers is one of the landmarks of Boston, which is probably why they chose to have the party here, and it’s a great honor for us to be a part of it,’ said General Manager of Cheers Jon Sweeney.
The restaurant and bar prepared food for the crew, with free wine and beer provided from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sweeney said the event was funded by restaurant owner Tom Kershaw.
Server Kevin Halopoff said he was excited to be a part of the welcome and thought the party was ‘great to have at Cheers because everybody in the world knows this bar.’ Taking a glance at the sailors surrounding the bar, Halopoff joked, ‘I just hope I know who to hand the tab over to.’
Although much talk circulated among sailors about the commission scheduled next Saturday, the crew made an effort to avoid talk of international conflicts, with one officer remarking, ‘I don’t speak for any national commanding authority … or for anyone, at that.’
Nonetheless, the sailors were excited to become an official part of the Navy and hope to become a part of history as well.
‘Saturday is the big day … the ship’s going to finally be part of the U.S. Navy fleet and I’m pumped,’ said Oklahoma native Jody Barnes.
Sailor James Chambers, Jr., said he was especially honored that the ship will be officially named after the famed captain Edward Preble, who led the U.S.S. Constitution, which is still afloat in Boston Harbor.
‘It was the people above us that chose the name, but I’m honored because we’ll be part of history from here on out and we actually had the opportunity to talk to his generation of sailors and so I’m proud of that,’ Chambers said.
The son of Gen. Jedidiah Preble, Edward Preble became one of the first heroes of the Navy in the 1803 attack on Tripoli, when he led seven naval vessels from the deck of the U.S.S. Constitution. Today, many regard Preble as the father of Navy because of the prominent reputations of the men who served under him.
According to James Herring, next Saturday will consist of two events the ‘coming alive’ ceremony will bring the ship into action, while the commissioning ceremony is ‘the brass and the politics part of it all.’
Though Herring said he is glad to be a part of the fleet, he said, ‘Freezing is pretty much what I’m looking forward to at the ceremony, just being really, really cold.’
Meanwhile, the crew is determined to enjoy its 11-day stay in Boston, where most have never visited before. And even those who have are excited to be back.
‘The last time I was able to come to Boston was in 1990, when a couple of us in the Navy decided to go skiing, so I’m very excited. I’m going to enjoy the sights and meet new people,’ said Ohio native Tracey Lynch.
After next week’s ceremony, the crew will head back to the Panama Canal and end up in San Diego, Calif. Although they could not comment on what they will be doing there, Barnes said he hopes to enjoy the sun.
