The USS Cleveland sustained “limited damage” when it collided with the tugboat that was launching it in Wisconsin last Saturday; no one was injured and repairs on the new warship are being planned.
The ship's crew and roughly 3,000 guests and dignitaries gathered at Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin to watch as the Freedom Class Littoral Combat Ship 31 was christened "Cleveland" and launched, reports Scripps News station WGBA in Northeast Wisconsin.
"This christening is a significant milestone for the future USS Cleveland, the ship's sponsor Mrs. Robyn Modly, and the prospective crew," said Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro. "LCS 31 will be another step closer to joining our fleet, sailing the open seas, continuing to defend our nation, and representing the strong connection our Navy has with the city of Cleveland."
RELATED: Navy to christen USS Cleveland, a new Freedom-class combat ship, in Wisconsin
Fincantieri Marinette CEO Mark Vandroff told WGBA the ship, listed at 387 feet long and 3,500 metric tons, took a massive effort by his company and partners Gibbs & Cox and Lockheed Martin to complete.
“It was a million hours of effort…to get Cleveland from just being pieces of steel, to what you see behind you," he said.
In addition to being the last ship of the Freedom class built, the future USS Cleveland is expected to be the last ship the Navy will ever launch in the familiar side-launch manner.
It was during this side-launch that “unintentional contact occurred between the ship and a supporting tug,” according to Jamie Koehler with the Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate Communications.
The damaged areas of the Cleveland were well above the waterline, and no flooding occurred, Koehler said. An assessment of the damage was completed, and permanent repairs are being planned.
The root cause of the incident is under investigation by the Navy.
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