USS Cleveland (LCS-31)

USS Cleveland underway in November 2025
History
United States
NameCleveland
NamesakeCity of Cleveland
Awarded15 January 2019[1]
BuilderMarinette Marine
Laid down16 June 2021[2]
Launched15 April 2023[3]
Sponsored byMrs. Robyn Modly[3]
Christened15 April 2023[3]
Acquired26 November 2025[4]
Commissioned16 May 2026[5]
Home portMayport, FL
IdentificationHull number: LCS-31
MottoForge a Legacy[6]
StatusIn Active Service
BadgeUSS Cleveland Coat of Arms
General characteristics
Class & typeFreedom-class littoral combat ship
Displacement3,410 metric tons (3,760 short tons) full load[1]
Length388 ft (118 m)[1]
Beam58 ft (18 m)[1]
Draft14 ft (4.3 m)[1]
Speed>48 knots (55 mph; 89 km/h)
Complement9 officers, 41 enlisted[1]

USS Cleveland (LCS-31) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy.[7] She is the fourth commissioned ship in naval service named after Cleveland, the second-largest city in Ohio.[8]

Design and construction

In 2002, the U.S. Navy began a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.[9] 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.[9][10] Odd-numbered U.S. Navy littoral combat ships are constructed 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.[9] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.[9] Cleveland is the sixteenth and final Freedom-class littoral combat ship.[11]

Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to construct the ship on 15 January 2019.[1] Cleveland was launched on 15 April 2023.[12][13] 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.[14]

Commissioning

The ship was formally commissioned into U.S. Navy in Cleveland harbor on 16 May 2026. There have been 81 ships in the history of the U.S. Navy that have been named after cities in Ohio itself, but the Cleveland was the first to be commissioned in its namesake city.[15][16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Cleveland (LCS-31)". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Team Freedom Lays Keel For Future USS Cleveland (LCS 31)" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Littoral Combat Ship 31 (USS Cleveland) Christened And Launched" (Press release). Lockheed Martin. 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  4. ↑ https://www.naval-technology.com/news/us-navy-uss-cleveland/
  5. ↑ "USS Cleveland to be commissioned by US Navy during ceremony: Watch live Saturday at 10 a.m."
  6. ↑ "USS Cleveland (LCS 31)". The Institute of Heraldry. U.S. Army. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  7. ↑ "Navy Statement on Littoral Combat Ship" (Press release). NAVSEA. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  8. ↑ Tim Ryan (19 February 2019). "Congressman Tim Ryan Announces Details on Forthcoming USS Cleveland" (Press release). United States House of Representatives. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "US Navy Fact File: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS". US Navy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ "Freedom littoral combat ship Cleveland arrives home". Stars and Stripes. 28 November 2025. Retrieved 30 November 2025.
  12. ↑ Eaton, Sabrina (14 April 2023). "Navy to christen new 'USS Cleveland' on Saturday". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  13. ↑ 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.
  14. ↑ 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.
  15. ↑ Leftwich, Roosevelt (8 May 2026). "USS Cleveland coming to namesake city for commissioning ceremony: What to know". fox8.com.
  16. ↑ "Hundreds line lakefront parks to welcome USS Cleveland as Navy warship glides into its namesake city (Photo gallery)". cleveland.com. 8 May 2026.

See also

  • Sideways launch of LCS-15 at Marinette Marine (video)


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