Our Hull 527 became the Esso Jamertown on October 1, as she slid from Shipway 8 into the very waters which wash the shore of nearby Jamestown Island, site of the first English settlement for which she is named. The sleek 58,000-ton supertanker, third of four being built for Esso Shipping Company, was christened by Mrs. Harold W. Fisher, who flew here from England for the ceremony. Her sister, Mrs. H. C. Vining, of Brockton, Mass, served as her Matron of Honor. Besides her husband, who is joint Managing Director of Iraq Petroleum Company and its associated firms, the sponsor’s party included their son, D. W. Fisher II, her father-in-law, D. W. Fisher, and Mr. and Mrs. Albert C. Fisher. Coached by President W. E. Blewett, Jr., Mrs. Fisher christened the 715-foot vessel with a splash as the champagne bottle broke across the bulbous bow at the 7-foot marker. The ESSO JAMESTOWN takes to the waters of the river for which she was named. Mrs. Herold W. Fisher christens the ESSO JAMESTOWN. W. E. Blewett, Jr., Yard President, is in the foreground. About 50 offiicials and guests of Esso Shipping Company and Standard Oil Company (New Jersey) here in two company planes for the launching. In connection with the naming of the Esso Jamestown for the Virginia Colony, offiicials of the Virginia 350th Anniversary Commission were guests at the launching. These included Lewis A. McMurran, Chairman and Parke S. Rouse, Executive Director. Following luncheon at the Williamsburg Inn, the Commission officials guided the party on an afternoon tour of the Jamestown Festival, where they saw the three ships which brought the settlers to Jamestown in 1607. The group on the sponsor's platform for the launching of the ESSO JAMESTOWN. Left to right, Mrs. N. L. Rowlings, wife of the Yard Executive Vice President; W. E. Blewett, Jr., Shipyard President; D. W. Fisher ll, son of the sponsor; D. W. Fisher; Mrs. Fisher, the sponsor; M. G. Gamble, President of the Esso Shipping Company; Mrs. Albert C. Fisher, the Matron of Honor, and Mr. Fisher. A portion of the launching party at the Old World Pavilion exhibit of the Jamestown Festival. A canopy protected the party from a light rain which persisted throughout the ceremony. For the first time in over 15 years the canopy, always on hand when bad weather threatened, became essential to the program. The supertanker class, all named for places of historical significance, is called the Esso Gettysburg class in maritime circles, for the first of the fleet, our Hull 520, launched from the same shipway a year earlier, on Oct. 11, 1956. Others in the 318,000-barrel class are the Esso Washington (Hull 519), delivered last Spring, and the Esso Lexington (Hull 528), scheduled for launching from adjacent Shipway 9 in january. Ships of the class are the most powerful single-screw vessels afloat. Their Newport News-built turbines, rated at 26,500 horsepower, enable them to attain a sustained sea speed of 18.3 knots in normal service. The Jarnestown and Lexington will join the Gettysburg and Washington in transporting oil products from Gulf ports to East Coast refineries. In addition to the Esso Gettysburg class, the Shipyard has a contract with Esso Shipping Company for five supertankers of 46,000 dead-weight tons. Mr. and Mrs. Harold W. Fisher view the original of the Magna Carta displayed at the Jamestown Festival. Source : NEWPORT NEWS SHIPYARD BULLETIN, November, 1957. ( Thanks to S. Dale Hargrave )