A new naval combat ship named in honor of the Twin Cities will officially begin its military tenure in Duluth when its construction is completed sometime next year.
The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul, a 389-foot steel-hulled vessel built to be able to navigate near shorelines, will be commissioned at the Great Lakes' largest port before traveling to Mayport, Fla., where the ship could be deployed to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean or the Middle East.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said the commissioning ceremony, which will take place when the ship is ready to formally enter the service in 12 to 16 months, will be a "historic" event for the city and state.
"The Navy has not commissioned a vessel in Minnesota for decades," Larson said during a news conference Wednesday.
The USS Minneapolis-St. Paul will be the U.S. Navy's 21st littoral combat ship, designed to be agile enough to locate mines and disarm other threats close to coasts. Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy Jodi Greene said the ship can travel at speeds up to 50 mph. It also features a flight deck for helicopters and drones and a bay to launch smaller watercrafts.
The vessel will be the second in naval history to bear the Twin Cities' names jointly. A submarine dubbed the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul was decommissioned in 2008 after 24 years in service.
The ship was christened and launched into the Menominee River with a massive splash last month in Marinette, Wis., where the vessel was built by Lockheed Martin.
In the coming months, the USS Minneapolis-St. Paul will begin sea trials, according to a news release. But it will return to Lake Superior before embarking on its first journey as an official naval vessel.
