The USS Cleveland is set to arrive for a historic commissioning in Ohio, kicking off a week-long celebration and community events to honor its legacy and crew.
CLEVELAND — After years of anticipation, the USS Cleveland is set to arrive in the city whose name it will bear to touch off a week of events that will conclude with its commissioning and entry into service with the U.S. Navy.
Here’s what you need to know all of the activities that will be taking place as part of Commissioning Week for the USS Cleveland:
COLOR GUARD ARRIVAL
The ship, officially numbered LCS-31, will arrive in the Port of Cleveland on Saturday at around 11 a.m. after a series of color guard events at designated sites along the west shore of Lake Erie, starting with Vermilion. You can gather at the below locations to welcome the USS Cleveland.
Vermilion: Main Street Beach at 8:45 a.m.
Avon Lake: Veterans Memorial Park at 9:45 a.m.
Bay Village: Huntington Beach at 10 a.m.
Rocky River: Bradstreet’s Landing at 10:15 a.m.
Lakewood: Solstice Steps of Lakewood Park at 10:30 a.m.
Cleveland: Edgewater Park at 10:40 a.m.
You can track the ship’s progress as it makes its way to Cleveland by clicking here.
USS CLEVELAND COMMUNITY DAY
On Sunday, the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation will hold a “festive, family-friendly” Community Day at the North Coast Yard from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m. to help welcome the sailors of the ship to their namesake city.
Planners say the free event “will connect the crew with the community of Northeast Ohio for a day of excitement and celebration as residents will have the opportunity to meet the Sailors, learn more about the ship and our Foundation, and kickoff Commissioning Week in true Cleveland fashion.” There will be events for the entire family.
COMMISSIONING DAY
LCS-31 will be officially commissioned as the USS Cleveland on Saturday, May 16, at the North Coast Yard. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Click here to register for tickets.
Robyn Modly — wife of Cleveland native and former U.S. Under Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly — will give the traditional order as LCS-31’s sponsor: “Man our ship and bring her to life!” At that moment, the crew will run aboard the vessel, the commissioning pennant will be raised, and the USS Cleveland will officially enter the fleet.
PARKING FOR EVENTS
The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation provided the information below to help plan for parking during Commissioning Week events.
HISTORY AND LEGACY
The USS Cleveland was launched in 2023 and has been undergoing final preparations ever since, with Commander Bruce Hallett set to lead the ship’s crew. The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation says this will be the first time a U.S. warship is commissioned in the state of Ohio.
The ship’s motto will be “Forge a Legacy,” which the Navy says is a nod to Cleveland’s industrial heritage as well as “the strength of its citizens.” Its crest also features a red-striped anvil with the city’s skyline, along with 16 rays of sunshine to mark its status as the 16th Freedom-class littoral combat vessel, a class that dates back to 2005.
It will be the fourth ship to bear the USS Cleveland moniker. The three prior USS Clevelands all enjoyed distinguished military careers. The first, a protected cruiser commissioned in 1903, served as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet and carried out convoy and troop transport operations during World War I. The second namesake, a light cruiser commissioned in 1942, saw extensive combat throughout the Pacific in World War II before it was decommissioned in 1947.
The third ship, an amphibious transport dock commissioned in 1967, played a role in the Vietnam War before seeing action in both Gulf Wars in Iraq. It was decommissioned in 2011 and met its final fate in 2024, when it was purposefully sunk by an anti-ballistic missile as part of a naval training exercise.
3News’ Tyler Carey and Jeff Reidel contributed to this report.
