She married Admiral Rickover after the death of his first wife, Ruth, in 1972, and sponsored the Rickover when she was commissioned in 1984. Throughout the ship's history, she made herself a welcome part of the ship's life. She rode the boat for family cruises, welcomed them home from deployments, and -- from what I've heard -- sent personal notes to the officers and crew whenever they reached personal milestones. She also attended changes of command, as seen here:
She truly is a special woman, and one who seemingly understands and cherishes the great honor that is bestowed on those chosen to sponsor a ship of the United States Navy. Hopefully, the men of the Hyman G. Rickover realize what a national treasure they had in having her as their ship's sponsor.Update 2359 15 Dec: Here's the Navy NewsStand report of the inactivation ceremony... or was it a deactivation ceremony? The story uses both words, so I'm still not sure what it's officially called.
