Ladies and gentlemen ----- Shipmates ----- distinguished guests

It is my privilege to welcome you today to the Boston National Historical Park and to the dedication of the USS BOSTON ships bell and our annual memorial service……….

My name is Barry Probst and I am the President of the USS BOSTON Shipmates inc………

Some of you may ask who is the USS BOSTON Shipmates.

The USS BOSTON Shipmates Inc was organized in November of 1986 when a handful of guys got together with a shoebox full of names and decided that it was time to have a USS BOSTON reunion….. George Colvin, our first president, spearheaded this project

And for that George…………. We are all eternally grateful.

That was some 15 years ago…. The USS BOSTON Shipmates, Inc. has since grown from 300 names in a shoebox to 2800+ Shipmates today!!!!!!!

Our committee is made up of volunteers who give of their time freely without remuneration. Their dedication to this organization is unsurpassed and without them we would not be here today.

The purpose of our organization is to preserve and promote the rich history of the long line of naval vessels named BOSTON and to bring together past crew members for annual reunions.

Our motto is "From 1776 To Tomorrow" , this year that motto has a special significance, for this year marks the 225th anniversary of the commissioning of the first vessel to be named BOSTON.

From Valcour Island to Desert Storm, from WW II to Vietnam vessels named BOSTON have fought for freedom and liberty.

The last USS BOSTON, SSN-703 was decommissioned November 19th 1999 we as an organization can only hope that congress will see fit to continue our proud history and name another naval vessel BOSTON in the very near future.

Thank you for attending this ceremony of the USS BOSTON Shipmates, inc. And we hope that you enjoy the rest of the program

The bell ceremony today will be hosted by our Director of Exhibits, Captain Charles E. Hulett, USNR (ret). Although Chuck has been on our committee for a short period of time, he and his sub-committee have worked hard to make all of this possible

Ladies and gentlemen: Captain Charles E. Hulett.