A "plank owner" is an individual who was a member of the crew of a United States Ship when that vessel was placed in commission. Originally, this applied to a first commissioning; in recent years it has often been applied to individuals who were part of a recommissioning crew as well. "Plank Owner" is not an official Navy term, and has consequently been variously defined and utilized. Quite often, honorary plank owner certificates are given to people (usually shipbuilders) who are present when a naval vessel first goes to sea, working alongside the crew.
Thus, members of the crew of the USS WEST POINT, AP-23 that were present at her commissioning on June 15, 1941 are her plank owners. But, a year previously, when she went to sea on her acceptance trials - as the SS AMERICA – only a civilian crew was present. The majority of this crew were seasoned shipbuilders; skilled at putting one of their creations through its paces as the owners’ official acceptance trials were run.
Although the term “Pre-Plank Owner” – to this writer’s knowledge – has not been used before, it more or less is descriptive of those men who first took AMERICA to sea. It also applies to a few boys as well…
In the summer of 1940, Felix M. Hoffmann, Jr., was a second year (and second generation) apprentice in the electricians’ trade. At that time, his Father (who had completed his apprenticeship in 1898) was the shipyard’s chief estimator for machinery. No doubt, Mr. Hoffmann, Sr. had a hand in seeing that his son’s name was included on the list of builders’ trial attendees. Junior’s skills, as a second year apprentice, were certainly suspect, when it came to meaningful participation in the rigors of a trial trip.
But AMERICA had several passenger elevators, and although the most modern of their time, they had to be manually operated. Someone had to be assigned to operate them for the benefit of the shipyard officials, vendors’ representatives and a small cadre of VIP’s that were on board for that initial voyage.
Apparently,
the junior Hoffmann’s qualifications were a perfect fit, for he was a polite,
well-groomed son of a shipyard executive…and a very low paid one at that! At
first, he was assigned to operate the elevator that serviced the engine room,
but – since he was Mr. Hoffmann’s son – he wrangled a better assignment; to
operate one of the first class elevators.
Perhaps prodded by his Father, he even dressed the part for his very first ‘at sea’ adventure; the first of what eventually proved to be many more.
That heady experience lasted several days, starting early on June 9, 1940. Very early indeed, for it was only 4 AM when the ship left her builder’s yard; returning on June 15th. During her runs over the measured mile course off the coast of Maine, young Felix and AMERICA experienced together what proved to be her fastest-ever recorded speed. That trip entitles, in my opinion, Felix Hoffmann and the 500 other shipyard workers who made that initial voyage to each be considered as an individual Pre-Plank Owner.
Young Felix ‘finished his time’ in late 1943, then entered the navy and – before the war ended – was assigned to the commissioning crew of another NNS-built vessel, the aircraft carrier BOXER. A bonafide plank owner of that ship, as evidenced by a treasured certificate to that effect proudly displayed in his home, he never got an actual plank from BOXER. It was common practice for the Navy – when his ship was decommissioned in 1971 – to send small pieces of the wooden flight deck of World War II-era carriers to anyone that was qualified – and that requested a plank.
Perhaps
Felix was not aware of this courtesy at the time. Or maybe he was too busy in
his postwar - and very successful - commercial career with a financial services
company in Atlanta. In any case, when he did try to get a BOXER plank, it was
just too late.
Since retirement, a ‘slightly’ older Felix has enjoyed many, and longer, voyages on numerous ocean liners. Not the AMERICA, of course, but vessels reminiscent of her bygone era – like the SS NORWAY and QE 2.
And, he apparently still enjoys dressing the part at sea. According to him - because of a formal upbringing and post-war education at the University of Virginia (where the students had to wear coats and ties to class) – he still is…in Felix’ own words… “a formal ass.”
Recently, having become aware of this story from Felix, Junior himself, I felt it only fitting to provide him with an appropriate remembrance of his all-too-brief shipyard career – and very first ocean liner voyage. Since even I cannot create a BOXER plank, I did the next best thing, and sent him one of the extra (shipbuilders always have extras) ‘planks’ that it was my pleasure and privilege to present to crewmembers of the USS WEST POINT at their 2002 reunion.
To justify that action, I offer the following rationale:
· He is, after all, the only known, living member of the AMERICA’s trial trip gang.
· As such, I believe he deserves to become an honorary AP-23 plank owner.
· What I have done is unilateral and unorthodox – the mark of a true shipbuilder!
I am sure the WEST POINT crew will forgive me. Well, pretty sure…
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