The event was arguably low key as Fincantieri, nor Lockheed Martin (the prime contractor) or NAVSEA issued a press release about this milestone event for the program.
Cleveland is the 16th and final Freedom-variant LCS and the fourth ship to be named in honor of the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Previous USS Cleveland‘s were the World War I cruiser (C 19), the World War II light cruiser (CL 55), and the Vietnam-era amphibious transport dock (LPD 7), decommissioned in 2011.
A U.S. Navy issued ahead of the event to announce the date of the launch mentions that the principal speaker and guest was Mr. Andrew Haeuptle, director of Navy staff. Mrs. Robyn Modly, wife of former Acting Secretary of the Navy and Cleveland native, the Honorable Thomas B. Modly, broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow to symbolically christen the ship.
“This christening is a significant milestone for the future USS Cleveland, the ship’s sponsor Mrs. Robyn Modly, and the prospective crew. LCS 31 will be another step closer to joining our fleet, sailing the open seas, continuing to defend our nation, and representing the strong connection our Navy has with the city of Cleveland.”
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro
The event also marked the last side-launch of a ship at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wisconsin Shipyard. Follow-on ships are planned to be launched using the new synchrolift, starting with the MMSCs for the Royal Saudi Navy and then the U.S. Navy’s Constellation-class Frigates.
Meanwhile, the recently released long-range shipbuilding plan mentions that two Independence variant LCS will are now marked for foreign military sales as part of the decommissioning plan.
