Even though Vice Adm. Charles “Swede” Momsen died years before he was born, FC2 Andrew Hailey can’t escape his shipmates making comparisons between the two.

It’s easy to see why. Hailey is the great grandson of Momsen and the latest Sailor in a family’s long line of naval service. If that wasn’t enough, he also happens to serve on the Navy’s newly christened destroyer, USS Momsen (DDG 92), named in honor of his great grandfather. Despite his family’s legacy, Hailey said he doesn’t let the pressure get to him.

“Sometimes it’s kind of overwhelming, other times you just do your job and don’t even realize it,” said Hailey. “When you stop to think about it, it’s just a great honor continuing the family legacy and honoring my family as a whole.”

The Momsen family’s Navy heritage dates back to before even the vice admiral ever donned a pair of khakis. Hailey said as far as his family knows, the first Momsen to serve his country at sea was his great grandfather Momsen’s uncle. After that, the vice admiral “accelerated his life” and then both of Hailey’s grandfathers served in the Navy during World War II. His father signed up for a four-year stint and now Hailey is paying homage to his family’s legacy by putting his time in with the world’s greatest Navy.

Hailey had been “toying” with the idea of joining the military his entire life.

“When I did join I was at a crossroads in my career,” explained Hailey who was managing a South Carolina movie theater at the time. “I was looking for another job anyway and I heard about the ship being named after my grandfather. I thought that would be an interesting direction to take. It gives me a chance to save some money to go back to college. The more I thought about it the more sense it made. I talked to the recruiter and he said the chances of me getting on this ship were pretty high so I thought I’d try it and so far it’s worked out very well.”

USS Momsen is Hailey’s first ship assignment. He said he’s received plenty of media attention since checking on board. Local media have written stories about him in almost every city the guided missile destroyer has traveled to since its commissioning Aug. 24 and he’s even been interviewed by the History Channel. However, some gentle ribbing is all he’s gotten from the crew that knows all too well his famous lineage, said Hailey, also known as “Baby Swede” to the ship’s crew.

“He’s a good guy to have in your work center,” said Hailey’s co-worker, FC3 Travis Rambo. “He works really hard and he’s very dependable. He’s definitely proud of the fact that he’s an admiral’s grandson and certainly not shy about it, but he doesn’t let it get to his head or anything. It’s something that means a lot to him.”

Hailey said that while growing up he heard tales about all of his family’s exploits, not just his great grandfather. But it took joining the Navy for him to really appreciate the sacrifices and contributions his family has made to the military. He hopes that one day, he’ll be remembered for his own service, but Hailey doesn’t feel he has to live up to his ancestor’s reputation.

“Some people try to put that on me, but I really try to just live my life the way I feel best and let my history judge me,” said Hailey. “I don’t try to live up to his reputation per se, but I’m sure some of the things I was taught to believe in were passed down from him. They’re part of the beliefs you get from your family.”

On board USS Momsen, Hailey operates and cares for the computers controlling the Aegis weapon system. Hailey has served almost four years in the Navy and enjoys his job but doesn’t know whether he wants to make it a career yet or not because of having to leave his family for months at a time. He said he might pursue the officer path if he decides to make it a career.