USS Cooperstown

USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship of the United States Navy. She is the first naval ship named after Cooperstown, New York.^[6][7]

USS Cooperstown at commissioning
History
United States
Name	Cooperstown
Namesake	Cooperstown
Awarded	29 December 2010[1]
Builder	Marinette Marine[1]
Laid down	14 August 2018[2]
Launched	19 January 2020[3]
Sponsored by	Alba Tull[3]
Christened	29 February 2020[3]
Acquired	20 September 2022[4]
Commissioned	6 May 2023[5]
Homeport	Naval Station Mayport
Motto	America's Away Team
Status	In active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Freedom-class littoral combat ship
Length	378 ft (115 m)
Speed	>40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph)

Ray Mabus, while Secretary of the Navy, announced the naming of Cooperstown on 25 July 2015 during a ceremony at the Baseball Hall of Fame, which is located in Cooperstown. The announcement was part of the ceremony which was honoring baseball players who served in World War II.^[8] Her name honors American military veterans^[a] from multiple conflicts (starting with Morgan Bulkeley, first president of the National League, in the Civil War)^[9] who are members of the Baseball Hall of Fame.^[7][10]

Design

In 2002, the US Navy initiated a program to develop the first of a fleet of littoral combat ships.^[11] The Navy initially ordered two monohull ships from Lockheed Martin, which became known as the Freedom-class littoral combat ships after the first ship of the class, USS Freedom.^[11][12] Odd-numbered US Navy littoral combat ships are built using the Freedom-class monohull design, while even-numbered ships are based on a competing design, the trimaran hull Independence-class littoral combat ship from General Dynamics.^[11] The initial order of littoral combat ships involved a total of four ships, including two of the Freedom-class design.^[11]  Cooperstown is the 12th Freedom-class littoral combat ship to be built.

Construction and career

Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship on 29 December 2010,^[1] at their shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.^[13] On 20 November 2019, United States Vice President Mike Pence toured the ship prior to giving a speech at Marinette Marine.^[14] Cooperstown was launched on 19 January 2020 and christened on 29 February 2020.^[3] She was delivered to the Navy in September 2022.^[15] Her home port is Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.^[15]

USS Cooperstown saving stranded mariner

During routine operations on 11 March 2023, Cooperstown provided emergency assistance to a sailing vessel that was in distress.^[16]

On 6 May 2023, the ship was commissioned in New York City.^[5][10]

Notes

1. The number of American military veterans who have been inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame was originally reported as 68.^[7] Subsequent reports place the number at 70,^[9] as both Gil Hodges and Buck O'Neil, who served in World War II, were elected in 2022 Baseball Hall of Fame balloting.