A U.S. Army chaplain leads a blessing in Newport, Oregon, Jan. 11 during the christening of the newest addition to the hydrographic survey vessel fleet owned and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland District. A ship christening is a centuries-old maritime tradition that asks for a new vessel’s blessing and protection before it’s officially placed into operation. It typically includes a blessing and the smashing of an enclosed champagne bottle designed for ceremonial purposes over the ship’s bow. The new vessel, the Beeman, replaces and continues the mission of the Patterson, an aging boat that has surveyed Oregon’s coastal entrances for 22 years. The Corps named the new watercraft in honor of Ogden Beeman, the Portland District’s chief of Waterways Navigation from 1960-1967. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers photo by Chris Gaylord)