03/02/2020-On the timeline of production milestones for locally-built warships, it’s usually the christening and then the launch, but things happened a little differently this time around with LCS 23. The future USS Cooperstown had to be launched in January due to production schedule demands and was finally christened over the weekend at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. It’s the 12th freedom-variant littoral combat ship produced and is named in honor of Cooperstown, New York, home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame Museum. Jan Allman, CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine says the ship and her name honor the legacy of what makes this country great.
LCS 23 sponsor Alba Tull is the CEO of Tull Investment Group, a photographer, film director, and Chair of the Tull Family Foundation. She calls it an honor to be selected as sponsor of a ship that serves as a tangible representation of the strength, dedication, and hard work of the American people.
The future USS Cooperstown is slated to begin sea trials later this year in preparation for formal delivery to the Navy. The next ship in line is LCS 25, the highly anticipated future USS Marinette.