Hundreds of people gathered on the Eastern Promenade early this afternoon to rededicate the USS Portland memorial.

The ceremony marked the completion of a $150,000 rehabilitation of the ship's mainmast, which was preserved and turned into a memorial in 1962. Bill Whitten, the lead organizer of the effort, thanked the city and Cianbro Corp., as well as other area businesses, for contributing to the project.

The USS Portland, a heavy cruiser known as Sweet Pea, played a crucial role for the Navy during World War II. Due to the ship's outstanding record during the war, it was selected as the site for the surrender of the headquarters of Japan's forces in the Pacific.

The rededication ceremony ended with a christening by the same woman who christened the ship itself on May 21, 1932.

Mary Doughty of Yarmouth was the 12-year-old daughter of Portland's mayor at the time of the original launching ceremony. Because of prohibition laws, the original christening was done with a bottle of mineral water. This time, Doughty smashed a bottle of real champagne against the mast.