JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Navy’s newest Littoral combat ship arrived in Northeast Florida on Monday. The USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul docked at Naval Station Mayport around 9 a.m.
After 17 locks, five Great Lakes, four port visits, and hundreds of miles traveled later, USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21) finally arrived in Jacksonville.
Many families were reunited -- some who hadn’t seen their loved ones in months.
The ship has finally docked and families are for the first time in months! pic.twitter.com/FZDrwpmSUD
— Brianna Andrews (@BriannaDAndrews) July 11, 2022
Kandice Montogomery, who was waiting for her husband to arrive, shared why seeing him would be extra special.
“He’s meeting his daughter for the first time,” Montogomery said. “He’s meeting his baby girl for the first time.”
Montogomery said her oldest daughter missed her father and that it was going to be emotional.
“I am going to cry a little bit because she’s been missing her dad a lot,” Montogomery said.
News4JAX asked the young girl: What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you see him?
“I’m going to hug him,” she said.
The Minneapolis Saint Paul is a “Freedom Class” combat ship. It’s the second ship to bear the twin cities’ name. The first was a submarine and was decommissioned in 2008.
The new ship is designed for near-shore combat – but can also fight on the open water. It’s also equipped for search and rescue, damage control, and communications missions.
The ship is the 9th and likely final LCS to be based here at Mayport.