Navy
Navy commissions newest ship, USS Cleveland
Stars and Stripes
May 16, 2026
The Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Cleveland is commissioned into the Navy on Saturday, May 16, 2026, in Cleveland. commissions a in ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, May 16, 2026. (Theoplis Stewart/U.S. Navy)
The newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Cleveland, has joined the fleet.
Cleveland, commissioned Saturday in its namesake city, is the fourth warship to be named after Ohio’s second-largest city and is the 16th and final Freedom-variant LCS to be built and commissioned in the U.S. Navy.
Hugh Cao, the acting secretary of the Navy, gave the principal address.
Robyn Modly, the ship’s sponsor and wife of former acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly, gave the crew the order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”
The USS Cleveland is designed for near-shore operations. Its many functions include surface warfare, mine countermeasures and anti-submarine missions. According to the Navy, the ship can travel at speeds exceeding 40 knots.
USS Cleveland will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.