What is a christening?
The tradition of christening ships dates backs hundreds of years. Though the christening is often associated with the ship’s launching, in modern times the two events may be separated by hours, days, weeks or even months. That’s due to the complexity of launching a ship such as an aircraft carrier, the need to launch during high tide, and the desire to conduct the ceremony at a date and time convenient for the members of the official christening party. In the case of Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), the scheduled launch of the ship is six days after the christening.
