USS Cooperstown at commissioning
| |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Cooperstown |
Namesake | Cooperstown |
Awarded | 29 December 2010 [4] |
Builder | Marinette Marine [4] |
Laid down | 14 August 2018 [5] |
Launched | 19 January 2020 [1] |
Sponsored by | Alba Tull [1] |
Christened | 29 February 2020 [1] |
Acquired | 20 September 2022 [2] |
Commissioned | 6 May 2023 [3] |
Homeport | Naval Station Mayport |
Motto | America's Away Team |
Status | In active service |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Freedom-class littoral combat ship |
Length | 378 ft (115 m) |
Speed | >40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) |
USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the first naval ship named after Cooperstown, New York. [6] [7]
Ray Mabus, while Secretary of the Navy, announced the naming of Cooperstown on 25 July 2015 during a ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located in Cooperstown. The announcement was part of the ceremony which was honoring baseball players who served in World War II. [8] Her name honors American military veterans [a] from multiple conflicts (starting with Morgan Bulkeley, first president of the National League, in the Civil War) [9] who are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. [7] [10]
In 2002, the US Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships. [11] 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. [11] [12] 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. [11] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design. [11] Cooperstown is the 12th Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.
Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship on 29 December 2010, [4] at their shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin. [13] On 20 November 2019, United States Vice President Mike Pence toured the ship prior to giving a speech at Marinette Marine. [14] Cooperstown was launched on 19 January 2020 and christened on 29 February 2020. [1] She was delivered to the Navy in September 2022. [15] Her home port is Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida. [15]
During routine operations on 11 March 2023, Cooperstown provided emergency assistance to a sailing vessel that was in distress. [16]
On 6 May 2023, the ship was commissioned in New York City. [3] [10]