BURNS HARBOR, Ind. – The Navy has commissioned its new USS Indianapolis combat vessel at Burns Harbor along Lake Michigan. It the seventh Littoral Combat Ship that will be assigned to Naval Station Mayport.
Saturday's ceremony drew dignitaries, Navy officials, four survivors of the ship's namesake sunk during World War II and family members of current crew members.
Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Navy veteran, noted the Freedom-class littoral ship was made with Indiana steel. He also says the ship carries a "historic legacy" of the second USS Indianapolis that was sunk by a Japanese submarine in July 1945 while returning from delivering key components for the Hiroshima atomic bomb. Only 317 of its nearly 1,200 crewmen survived the sinking and days in shark-infested waters.
The new LTS ships designed to be highly maneuverable for missions such as mine-clearing and anti-submarine warfare.
"Indianapolis' speed, flexibility and lethality bring a unique set of capabilities to the fleet," said Joe DePietro, vice president and general manager of Small Combatants and Ship Systems at Lockheed Martin, which is building the ships. "She is equipped and ready for today's threats and can easily integrate new capabilities for tomorrow's threats."