USS St. Louis Assumes U.S. Northern Command Mission at Southern Border

Sept. 15, 2026 | By Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet |

The littoral combat ship USS St. Louis departed Naval Station Mayport, Florida, in support of U.S. Northern Command's mission to secure the southern border of the United States, Sept. 13. 

The St. Louis assumes duties previously executed by the USS Cooperstown in support of Northcom's border security objectives. The command is working together with the Department of Homeland Security to augment U.S. Customs and Border Protection along the southern border to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. 

"Our crew has trained relentlessly for this deployment, and they stand ready for whatever challenges lie ahead. I could not be more proud to lead these sailors," said Navy Cmdr. Lester Shewmake, commanding officer of the USS St. Louis. "To our families and the Mayport community — thank you for your unwavering support as we head to sea." 

Navy assets are deployed under Northcom's maritime homeland defense authorities to enable maritime interdiction missions to prevent the flow of illegal drugs or other illegal activity.

The St. Louis is assigned to the Littoral Combat Ship Squadron 2 and homeported in Mayport. The littoral combat ship 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 armed with capabilities to defeat challenges in the world's littorals. These ships can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multimission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.

It is the 22nd littoral combat ship delivered to the Navy, the 10th Freedom-variant to join the fleet and the seventh ship to bear the name. The first St. Louis, a sloop of war, was launched in 1828. It spent most of its service patrolling the coasts of the Americas to protect interests and trade.