Item 102866 - The christening of the S.S. "Belgrade," South Portland, 1918

Item 102866 - The christening of the S.S. "Belgrade," South Portland, 1918
Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Item 102866
The christening of the S.S. "Belgrade," South Portland, 1918
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Elizabeth Vaughan (1903-1918), stood next to her father John F. Vaughan (1872-1953) who served as the manager for the New England District of the United States Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation while christening the S.S. "Belgrade" at the Cumberland Shipyard in South Portland on October 11, 1918.

Elizabeth left New England shortly after this event in an attempt to avoid the 1918 pandemic influenza virus, but ended up contracting the deadly flu while traveling via train and died on December 5, 1918. Her remains are interred at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The christening of a ship is a tradition that supposedly brings good luck. Forms of the celebration occurred in ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Greece, and the Roman Empire.

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