Sister-ship USS Freedom underway on sea trials in February 2013
History
United States
NameCleveland
NamesakeCity of Cleveland
Awarded15 January 2019[2]
BuilderMarinette Marine
Laid down16 June 2021[3]
Launched15 April 2023[1]
Sponsored byRobyn Modly[1]
Christened15 April 2023[1]
IdentificationHull number: LCS-31
MottoForge a Legacy[4]
StatusUnder construction
BadgeUSS Cleveland Coat of Arms
General characteristics
Class and typeFreedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement3,410 metric tons (3,760 short tons) full load[2]
Length388 ft (118 m)[2]
Beam58 ft (18 m)[2]
Draft14 ft (4.3 m)[2]
Speed>40 knots (46 mph; 74 km/h)
Complement9 officers, 41 enlisted[2]

USS Cleveland (LCS-31) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[5] She is the fourth commissioned ship in naval service named after Cleveland, the second-largest city in Ohio.[6]

Design and build

In 2002, the US Navy began a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[7] The Navy initially ordered two monohull ships from Lockheed Martin, which became known as the Freedom-class littoral combat ships after the first ship of the class, USS Freedom.[7][8] Odd-numbered US Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Freedom-class monohull design, while even-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the trimaran hull Independence-class littoral combat ship from General Dynamics.[7] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.[7] Cleveland is the sixteenth Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.

Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship on 15 January 2019.[2] Cleveland was launched on 14 April 2023.[9][10] In a sideways launch, Cleveland was involved in a minor collision with a tugboat. No injuries were reported, and damage to Cleveland was "limited" and above the waterline. The shipyard intends to use a shiplift to transfer future ships to the water in a more controlled manner.[11]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Littoral Combat Ship 31 (USS Cleveland) Christened And Launched" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Cleveland (LCS-31)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  3. ^ "Team Freedom Lays Keel For Future USS Cleveland (LCS 31)" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  4. ^ "USS Cleveland (LCS 31)". The Institute of Heraldry. U.S. Army. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  5. ^ "Navy Statement on Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). NAVSEA. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  6. ^ Tim Ryan (19 February 2019). "Congressman Tim Ryan Announces Details on Forthcoming USS Cleveland" (Press release). United States House of Representatives. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  8. ^ O'Rourke, Ronald (4 May 2010). "Navy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Program: Background, Issues, and Options for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  9. ^ Eaton, Sabrina (14 April 2023). "Navy to christen new 'USS Cleveland' on Saturday". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  10. ^ Kitkowski, Daniel (17 April 2023). "Future USS Cleveland christened, launched at Fincantieri Marinette Marine". Eagle Herald. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  11. ^ Eaton, Sabrina (19 April 2023). "New USS Cleveland damaged in tugboat collision during Navy christening". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2023.

See also

Categories