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Sailors assigned to the future USS Cleveland (LCS 31), the 16th and final Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) to be built and commissioned in the U.S. Navy, arrived in their namesake city May 9 to begin a week of community engagement and celebration ahead of the ship’s May 16 commissioning.
Throughout the week, Cleveland Sailors attended a variety of community events including a Zach Bryan concert, a USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation Community Day at North Coast Harbor, a tour of the NASA Glenn Research Center, and visits to the Baseball Heritage Museum and The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Cleveland Sailors were also honored on the court of downtown Cleveland’s Rocket Arena during a Cleveland Cavalier basketball game, and at a Cleveland City Council meeting on May 11.
“Honestly, being engaged with the community this week has been tremendously amazing,” said Hull Maintenance Technician Petty Officer 2nd Class Deja Jackson, native of Cleveland and crewmember assigned to the future USS Cleveland. “If we could do this everyday, I’d be over the moon for the opportunity.”
Throughout commissioning week, the crew of the future USS Cleveland hosted ship tours for local students and community members. These guided tours offered a rare, firsthand look aboard one of the Navy’s newest warships and an opportunity to engage directly with Sailors serving at sea.
“One of the greatest highlights of commissioning a U.S. Navy ship in its namesake city is seeing the crew and the community come together as one team,” said Cmdr. Bruce Hallett, commanding officer of the future USS Cleveland. “Our sailors are honored to welcome the people of Cleveland aboard for tours and to participate in events throughout the city during commissioning week. These engagements strengthen the bond between the ship and the community we proudly represent, while showcasing the dedication, professionalism and pride of the sailors who wear the name Cleveland on their uniforms.”
The future USS Cleveland (LCS 31) commissioning ceremony will be livestreamed at http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/37601. The webcast is scheduled to begin at 9:45 a.m. EST, and the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. EST on May 16.
LCS 31 is the fourth ship to be named in honor of the city of Cleveland. The first was a cruiser (C-19) commissioned in 1903 that served during World War I. The second was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers, USS Cleveland (CL-55), which earned 13 battle stars for its service during World War II. The third was the Austin-class amphibious transport dock, USS Cleveland (LPD 7), which served from 1967 to 2011, providing critical support during the Vietnam War, Operations Desert Storm, and various humanitarian missions.
Cleveland is a fast, agile, mission-focused warship designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats. It is a class of small surface combatants equipped to defeat challenges in the world’s littorals. LCS like Cleveland can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.
More information on the Littoral Combat Ship Program can be found at: https://www.navy.mil/Resources/Fact-Files/Display-FactFiles/Article/2171607/littoral-combat-ship-class-lcs/
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