WASHINGTON - The Navy will commission the future USS Cooperstown (LCS 23) as the newest Independence- variant littoral combat ship (LCS) during a 10:00 a.m. EDT ceremony on Saturday, May 6, in New York City.
The principal speaker is Joe Torre, Major League Baseball executive, former manager, and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Additional speakers include the Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York; the Honorable Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City; the Honorable Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the Navy; Vice Adm. John Mustin, Chief of Navy Reserve; Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the Board, National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and Honorary Sponsor; and Chauncey McIntosh, vice president and general manager, Integrated Warfare Systems and Sensors, Lockheed Martin. The ship's sponsor is Mrs. Alba Tull, a business woman, philanthropist and accomplished photographer. She is the wife of Thomas Tull who is on the Board of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
"I am pleased to be here in my hometown of New York City to commission the Navy's newest littoral combat ship, USS Cooperstown," said Del Toro. "LCS 23 honors the baseball greats, who in service of our nation, sacrificed their baseball careers for us. I have full confidence that the officers and crew of this great ship will continue to honor their legacy."
LCS 23 is the 12th Freedom-variant LCS, the 23rd in the class. She is the first ship to bear the name of Cooperstown, New York. Cooperstown received its name on July 25, 2015, during a ceremony at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located in Cooperstown. Her name honors the 70 members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame who served in the United States Armed Forces during times of conflict, ranging from the Civil War through the Korean War.
The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom and the Independence, designed and built by two industry teams. Lockheed Martin leads the Freedom-variant team, the odd-numbered hulls, in Marinette, Wis. Austal USA leads the Independence-variant team in Mobile, Al., for LCS 6 and the subsequent even-numbered hulls.
Littoral Combat Ships are fast, optimally-manned, mission-tailored surface combatants that operate in near-shore and open-ocean environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. LCS integrate with joint, combined, manned and unmanned teams to support forward-presence, maritime security, sea control and deterrence missions around the globe.
The ceremony will be live streamed at: https://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/31424. The link becomes active approximately ten minutes prior to the event (9:50 a.m. EST).
