NORFOLK NAVAL SHIPYARD, Portsmouth, Va. –
Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY’s) Second Class Petty Officers Association (SCPOA) recently took an afternoon to clean up the shipyard’s historic Trophy Park. The park proudly displays the shipyard's heritage. A sense of history and pride is what led the SCPOA to take action, helping to ensure beauty of the park was preserved and increasing pride in the installation. The SCPOA began the first of several planned landscape restoration and cleaning projects within the park, starting with clearing excess leaves, vines, sticks and various other yard debris.
Trophy Park is rich in history. Located on a portion of the original Gosport Navy Yard site since being established circa 1870, the park was home to official military gatherings and concerts by ship's bands. The gazebo in the center has served as both a bandstand and ceremonial platform for many events, including Change of Command ceremonies, and throughout the grounds are naval weaponry and artifacts from nine wars – spanning more than 250 years.
President of the SCPOA Petty Officer Second Class Fox Hyrst stated, “The Petty Officer Association is out here today to show our C.O.R.E. values (Care, Ownership, Respect, and Excellence). We want to bring out the beauty in the yard by helping to restore Trophy Park to its historic state.”
One of the missions of the SCPOA is to enhance the social and professional interaction of Sailors, build camaraderie and develop unit cohesion.
The project was a win for NNSY. Shipyard Commander, Capt. Dianna Wolfson said, "A big thank you to NNSY’s SCPOA for recently taking an afternoon to clean up Trophy Park, one of the shipyard’s most unique and historic areas! Through the years, this park has been the site of events ranging from community concerts to Change of Command ceremonies. The SCPOA taking the initiative to beautify the park is so greatly appreciated!"