WASHINGTON (Feb. 24, 2021) Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker, right, signs a letter of authenticity for the newly designed heritage desk for the office of the Secretary of the Navy at the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The Secretary’s desk was constructed by a team of U.S. Navy Construction Battalion (Seabee) personnel, and is made primarily of salvaged excess wood and copper from the frigate USS Constitution, a small amount of donated original wood from the frigate USS Chesapeake, donated salvage wood from the museum frigate USS Constellation, donated metal from the museum battleships USS Texas (BB-35) and USS New Jersey (BB-62,) and a relic from the battleship USS Arizona (BB-39). The Naval History and Heritage Command undertook the project to create a heritage desk for both the Vice President of the United States and the Secretary of the Navy as physical reminders of the more than 200 years of Sailor honor, courage, and commitment embodied in USS Constitution, the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat and America’s ship of state. The desks also serve as reminders that our Navy operates in the face of determined rivals and that, to preserve freedom of the seas, today’s Sailors must deliver the naval power America needs, just as their shipmates have since 1775. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Alexander C. Kubitza)