U.S Navy Prepares To Induct Last Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ship, USS Cleveland

The U.S Navy is preparing to induct the last Freedom-class littoral combat ship, the USS Cleveland or LCS 31, this week.

The vessel has reached Cleveland, Ohio, and the ceremony for the 16th and final ship in the Freedom series will be held on May 16, 2026.

Features of the New Littoral Combat Ship USS Cleveland

The USS Cleveland is 115 m long and has a displacement of 3500 tons. It is made of a steel and aluminium superstructure and can accommodate more than 100 personnel.

It boasts a speed of more than 40 knots per hour and a range of approximately 3500 nautical miles.

The USS Cleveland will be deployed to Mayport, Florida, where it will support forward presence, maritime security, sea control missions, and deterrence in major operational theatres, per the U.S. Navy release.

The ship has been specifically built for patrolling the American coastline, conducting anti-piracy operations and special security missions.

Its deck is designed to accommodate an SH-60 Seahawk helicopter and two large vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drones for airborne Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

It is equipped with advanced electronic warfare and decoy systems and a 57 millimetre automatic naval gun, 12.7 millimetre machine guns, 20 millimetre chain guns, rolling airframe surface-to-air missiles, Hellfire anti-armour missiles, and a high-energy laser to shoot down drones.

What is a Littoral Combat Ship?

It is a fast, modular surface ship that is part of the U.S. Navy and conducts operations and missions near the coast and in shallow waters while retaining open-sea operational capabilities.

In the Navy, there are two designs for LCS Ships: the steel monohull Freedom-class ships and vessels of the aluminium trimaran Independence-class.

Fourth ship in the US Naval History To Be Named Cleveland

The first vessel to be named Cleveland in the U.S Navy was the Denver-class protected cruiser called the USS Cleveland (C-19).

Later reclassified as CL-21, it served during World War 1 and was decommissioned in 1929.

The second was the Cleveland-class light cruiser that entered service in 1942 and participated in WWII.

USS Cleveland (LPD-7) is an Austin-class amphibious transport dock commissioned in 1967 and a participant in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The fourth vessel bearing the same name is the Littoral Combat Ship, the USS Cleveland, which can operate independently as part of a larger battle force, including multi-mission surface combatants like cruisers and destroyers.