Sailors assigned to the future USS Cleveland, the 16th and final Freedom-variant littoral combat ship to be built and commissioned for the Navy, arrived in their namesake city May 9 to launch a week of community engagement and celebration leading up to the ship's commissioning tomorrow.
Throughout the week, Cleveland sailors participated in a variety of community events including a Zach Bryan concert, the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation Community Day at North Coast Harbor, a NASA Glenn Research Center tour and visits to the Baseball Heritage Museum and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo.
Cleveland sailors were also recognized on the court of downtown Cleveland's Rocket Arena during a Cleveland Cavaliers 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 Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Deja Jackson, a native of Cleveland and a hull maintenance technician assigned to the future USS Cleveland. "If we could do this every day, I'd be over the moon for the opportunity."
During commissioning week, the crew of the future USS Cleveland led ship tours for local students and community members. These guided tours provided a rare, firsthand look at one of the Navy's newest warships and an opportunity to interact directly with sailors.
"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 Navy 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 commissioning ceremony will be livestreamed online at http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/37601, beginning at 9:45 a.m. EST, and the ceremony starts at 10 a.m. EST tomorrow.
This is the fourth ship to be named in honor of the city of Cleveland. The first was a cruiser commissioned in 1903 that served during World War I. The second was the lead ship of its class of light cruisers, which earned 13 battle stars during World War II. The third was the amphibious transport dock, which served from 1967 to 2011, providing critical support during the Vietnam War, Operations Desert Shield and Storm and various humanitarian missions.
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