USS Vestal

 The mooring dock I saw

 The USS Vestal

           

          While on the Rosette trip to Hawaii, we went to Pearl Harbor. Charlotte and I saw a concrete mooring area with the word Vestal on it. Upon more research, we actually found out that there was a ship called the USS Vestal. I recognized it as the Roman goddess of the hearth. The ship was named after the Vestal Virgins who tended to the Temple of Vesta. The Vestal Virgins were in charge of keeping the flame inside the temple going and officiated at Vestalia. The USS Vestal was a repair ship during WWII and was bombed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ironically, it did catch on fire. Fortunately, it was able to recover and repaired many of the ships that were hit much worse. On August 1946, it was decommissioned. I found it interesting that the ship was named after the Vestal Virgins, instead of Vesta herself. It's also interesting that they would use Vesta, instead of a more-well known goddess. 

Sophie Pong

http://www.usnavymuseums.org/the-bell-of-uss-vestal/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Vestal-Virgins