As part of crew move aboard, the crew of the future USS San Antonio (LPD 17) officially “stepped” their Advanced Enclosed Mast/Sensor System (AEM/S) recently. Normally, a ship’s Mast Stepping occurs earlier in conjunction with ship christening, but delaying this event until now enabled all of future San Antonio’s crew to be present. The ancient custom of “stepping the mast,” by placing coins under the step or bottom of a ship’s mast during construction, dates from antiquity. One belief from Greek Mythology is that should the ship be wrecked during passage, the coins would ensure payment of the crew’s wages for their return home. Since at least the construction of USS Constitution, this tradition has been passed on as a symbol of good luck for U.S. Navy ships.