Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award

These unapproved articles are subject to a disclaimer. Pacific Fleet. A list of winners appears at the moncler outlet end of this article.

Generally the recipient is the ship with the highest score in the fleet's annual competitions for Battle Efficiency Awards, and is therefore often thought of as the fleet's most battle ready ship. This isn't strictly correct, because it has been the policy to rotate eligibility for the award annually among the various type commands (aircraft carriers, submarines, amphibious ships, etc.).

The award includes a small monetary stipend (about $500 in 2004). It was initiated by a contribution which accompanied the following letter, printed on February 4, 1916:

The letter was written during the buildup to America's entry into World War I, and moncler outlet online it generated a huge response. Former president Theodore Roosevelt responded immediately with a handwritten letter and a dollar contribution; within a few days he met with Marjorie in Manhattan. The Tribune printed the name of every contributor, and newspapers across the country reprinted Marjorie's letter and received additional donations. Grammarians criticized her use of the word "like" as a conjunction, but the rest of the world adored her and made her a teenaged celebrity.

Ultimately 200,000 dimes were collected, each typically in the name of a child or a contributor's yettobe born grandchild. The money was offered to the Navy, but Secretary Josephus Daniels at first rejected it, citing legal prohibitions. A law was soon enacted allowing the Navy Department to accept the money, and by early 1917 the $20,000 had been transferred to the government.

Prior to World War II, income from the fund was used to pay prizes annually to turret and gun crews making the highest scores in shortrange battle practice, and to submarine crews making the highest scores in torpedo firing. Information about preWWII award winners is difficult to find. The USS S35 won the award in 1934 for the highest merit in battle torpedo practice of submarines.