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New USS Cleveland Will Showcase the City’s Naval Legacy
Set to be the fourth United States Navy vessel named after Cleveland, the USS Cleveland (LCS-31) will be officially commissioned in the city in late 2025.
by Jaden Stambolia | Nov. 10, 2024 | 10:00 AM
Courtesy Lockheed Martin, Courtesy Wikimedia Commons, Courtesy Naval History and Heritage Command, Courtesy National Archives, Courtesy All Pro HD
Cleveland will bear its name on a new United States Navy ship that will be commissioned in the city in either late summer or early fall of 2025.
In preparation for next year’s weeklong event, Cleveland recently erected the “Lone Sailor” monument in Voinovich Bicentennial Park in October to honor those who have served in the U.S. Navy.
(Courtesy All Pro HD)
The new USS Cleveland (LCS-31) is a littoral combat ship and will be the fourth U.S. Naval ship to have its namesake after the city’s name since its predecessor was decommissioned in 2011.
“A ship bearing our name will travel the globe, representing our city. We want the folks around Cleveland to know how special that is,” said Courtney Smrdel, director of operations at the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, in a press release.
While it’s the fourth U.S. Navy ship named after the city of Cleveland, it’s the first to visit the city, where it will be commissioned into active service. Previous USS Cleveland vessels stretch back more than a century and served in various wars and conflicts.
USS Cleveland (C-19)
(Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons)
The first USS Cleveland (C-19) was a protected cruiser that sailed in the U.S. Navy from 1903 to 1929. The ship served in the Pacific and patrolled the waters off of Central and South America, the West Indies and Cuba.
In Nov. 1919, it escorted the body of former Salvadoran president Carlos Meléndez, who had passed away in New York, back to El Salvador.
USS Cleveland (CL-55)
(Photo courtesy Naval History and Heritage Command)
A light cruiser, the USS Cleveland (CL-55) was commissioned during World War II from 1942 to 1947. It supported the Allied invasion of North Africa in 1942 before traveling to the Pacific to participate in the island-hopping campaign, where it saw combat.
The island-hopping campaign was a military strategy of seizing lightly defended islands to fuel the U.S. military’s advance toward the Japanese mainland.
After the war, it served as part of Japan's occupation force and spent a short time in Tokyo Bay.
USS Cleveland (LPD-7)
(Photo courtesy National Archives)
USS Cleveland (LPD-7), an amphibious transport dock, was the third vessel to be bestowed the name Cleveland, from 1967 to 2011. It participated in the Tet Offensive, Desert Shield, and Desert Storm operations, as well as peacekeeping and recovery missions.
When decommissioned, it was the third-oldest commissioned ship in the U.S. Navy.
Looking Ahead
According to the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, the weeklong event to commission the fourth USS Cleveland in 2025 is expected to draw approximately 20,000 visitors to the city. Depending on its orders, the ship’s first tour could be two to five years long.
(Lead photo courtesy press release from Lockheed Martin)
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Jaden Stambolia
Jaden Stambolia is an editorial assistant at Cleveland Magazine. Since joining the magazine in 2024 as an intern, he's covered topics as diverse as arts, culture, civics and education. He holds a master's degree in communication from Cleveland State University as well as a bachelor's degrees in journalism, anthropology and political science. In his free time, you can catch Stambolia reading a book or drinking a margarita.
