Naval technology has changed vastly since the USS Cairo sank 150 years ago in the Yazoo River, but the mission those sailors aboard the ironclad fought to fulfill hasn’t changed in a century and a half, said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brent Phillips.

“The Navy’s involvement in Vicksburg was very localized, but that same local action and attention and focus on your purpose and mission happens every day all over the world,” he said.

Phillips, who is director of advertising and marketing for the U.S. Navy, will be the featured speaker at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Cairo inside Vicksburg National Military Park during a program to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the boat’s sinking.