City trophy awarded to naval ships
This year marks the 100th anniversary of what is again a cherished award in the U.S. Navy – the Spokane Naval Trophy.
Conceived in 1907 as a way to honor sailors, the trophy was a collaboration between the Spokane Chamber of Commerce and Spokane’s United Spanish War Veterans.
It was fashioned by local jeweler Leo M. Dornberg and Co. at a cost of $1,500 and was on display in Spokane until being awarded in 1908 to the armed cruiser USS Tennessee. It was awarded annually to the naval vessel demonstrating the best results in great-gun marksmanship competition up until 1941.
When the U.S. entered World War II, priorities were elsewhere, and the trophy was mothballed. It had pretty much been forgotten until 1984, when the Navy recommissioned it and modernized the criteria for its award, said Bruce Rasche, president of the Spokane Navy League.
“Being ready for combat is more than just naval guns today. It’s about the whole ship’s readiness,” Rasche said, “and that’s what the Spokane Naval Trophy honors. It now goes to the Pacific Fleet surface ship that demonstrates overall excellence in warfare readiness.”
Spokane might not come to mind when naming U.S. cities steeped in naval tradition, but, in fact, there is a long Navy history and connection here. But the city’s greatest impact within the Navy today is arguably the Spokane Naval Trophy.
The trophy itself is just over 2 feet tall and is made of 400 ounces of sterling silver and lined with gold. Today it’s valued at approximately $4 million, according to Aimee Flinn, historic preservation compliance specialist with the City-County of Spokane Historic Preservation Office and a member of the Spokane Navy League.
The trophy’s design embodies Spokane’s pride in its own history and pride in the Navy, Rasche said. It includes eight memorial panels in bas relief depicting, among other images, the Spokane Falls, Mount Spokane, the downtown post office (which was then the newly constructed federal building), Chief Spokane Garry, Fort George Wright and Ensign John Monaghan (a sailor from Spokane who died saving another officer in a battle in Samoa in 1899).
A female figure on the trophy is described as a representation of Spokane presenting a laurel wreath to the gunners whose hands are outstretched to receive it.
Because of its great value, the trophy is now held at U.S. Pacific Fleet Headquarters in San Diego, and each year’s winning vessel is awarded a memorial plaque from the Spokane Navy League and city of Spokane at special ceremonies.
The Spokane Navy League began participating in the award ceremonies in the mid-1990s. On June 7, Rasche traveled to the Portland Rose Festival where he made the plaque presentation and read a letter from the mayor of Spokane. The current winning vessel, the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill, was in Portland for the kickoff of the 2007 Rose Festival Fleet Week celebration. Later that month, Rasche flew to San Diego, where the USS Bunker Hill is berthed, for the official Navy presentation ceremony.
“I’m glad we all woke up and remembered the Spokane Naval Trophy so our naval vessels and the men and women who serve so patriotically could be honored again,” said Rasche, a retired chief warrant officer with 30 years active service in the Navy. “I’m so inspired by the intelligence, courtesy and true professionalism of them all. It’s quite overwhelming.”
The Spokane Navy League, a nonprofit organization that recognizes and supports all the sea services (and sponsors the Sea Cadet program), has about 160 members in the Spokane area. No prior military experience is required to participate, “just a love of the sea services,” Rasche said.
Anyone wishing information about the Spokane Navy League is invited to contact him at 466-6826 or brucerasche@comcast.net.