The first base to have all of the ship spots taken was Rota, Spain. Pearl Harbor, another favorite among midshipmen, was second, with Japanese bases Yokosuka third and Sasebo fifth.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (Tribune News Service) — The timeline for Midshipman First Class Joe Wiedemann’s decision came to an end as he approached the stage in Alumni Hall at the Naval Academy. Would he choose the USS Tripoli out of San Diego, or the USS Ronald Reagan out of Japan? The decision was a large one. Whatever ship he chose would be his first job after commissioning. Wiedemann, who is from Bethesda, had been leaning toward the Tripoli until Wednesday when the Ronald Reagan was added to the list from which midshipmen could choose. Wiedemann approached the stage around 6:30 p.m. Thursday and made his way to the board with all the ships. He pulled off the nameplate with USS Ronald Reagan listed on it. He will now be heading to Japan once he graduates from the Naval Academy. Wiedemann was the first midshipman to select his ship as part of the ship selection at the academy. Ship selection allows the midshipmen assigned to surface warfare to pick on which ships they will start their naval careers. Each of the 273 midshipmen got to walk up on the stage, as a song played, and pull the ship nameplate off of a board. Midshipmen could choose ships out of Everett, Wash.; Norfolk, Va.; San Diego, Calif.; Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; Mayport, Fla.
