Navy Announces Commissioning of the Future USS Cleveland

The Navy will commission its newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship (LCS), the future USS Cleveland (LCS 31), during a 10 a.m. EDT ceremony Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Honorable Hung Cao, acting Secretary of the Navy, will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. Additional speakers are set to include the Honorable Jon Husted, U.S. Senator from Ohio; the Honorable Shontel Brown, U.S. Representative from Ohio; the Honorable Justin Bibb, Mayor of Cleveland, Ohio; Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command; and Ms. Stephanie Hill, President Rotary and Mission Systems, Lockheed Martin.

Robyn Modly, the wife of former acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, is the ship’s sponsor. In keeping with Navy tradition, she will give the crew the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!” With the hoisting of the colors and commissioning pennant, acting Secretary Cao will formally place the ship in active service.

LCS 31 is the fourth ship to be named in honor of the city of Cleveland. The first was a cruiser (C-19) commissioned in 1903 that served during World War I. The second was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers, USS Cleveland (CL-55), which earned 13 battle stars for its service during World War II. The third was the Austin-class amphibious transport dock, USS Cleveland (LPD 7), which served from 1967 to 2011, providing critical support during the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and various humanitarian missions.

The LCS class consists of two variants, Freedom and Independence, designed and built by two industry teams. Lockheed Martin leads the Freedom-variant team, the odd-numbered hulls, in Marinette, Wisconsin.

Following its commissioning, USS Cleveland will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida.

LCS are fast, agile, mission-focused warships designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats. It is a class of small surface combatants equipped to defeat challenges in the world’s littorals. LCS can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.

The commissioning of USS Cleveland underscores the Navy’s commitment to building America’s Fleet of the Future. For 250 years, American naval power has projected strength globally. That mission continues – and intensifies. We operate forward 24/7, 365 days a year. This operational tempo demands continuous capability delivery, and the Fleet of the Future is our answer.

The commissioning ceremony will stream on the Defense Video Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) at http://www.dvidshub.net/webcast/37601. The live stream will begin at 9:50 a.m. EDT, and the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. EDT on May 16.

Media may direct queries to the Navy Office of Information at (703) 697-5342.