Chapter 352 of the Acts of Assembly of 1973 authorized a committee consisting of the Speaker of the House Delegates and the Chairmen of the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Delegates and the Senate Committee on Finance to purchase and transfer to the Secretary of the Navy a suitable silver service for use on the guided missile frigate U.S.S. Virginia.

Following an inquiry into recent practice in similar instances, the committee determined that a punch bowl service would be an appropriate gift on behalf of the Commonwealth. Accordingly, the committee secured several cost estimates and determined that the cost for comparable items varied little from one dealer to another.