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SAN DIEGO – The Navy will commission the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS 21), a Freedom variant littoral combat ship (LCS), Saturday, May 21, in Duluth, Minnesota.
Cmdr. Alfonza White, born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Morton, Mississippi, will be the ship’s commanding officer. He enlisted in 1995 as a Submariner Electrician’s Mate (Nuclear). White, commissioned through the Officer Candidate School, graduating from Thomas Edison State University via University of Mississippi, with a Bachelor of Science Nuclear Electronic (BSNE) degree in 2003. White will lead a core crew of 100 officers and enlisted Sailors.
Minneapolis-Saint Paul is the 11th Freedom variant LCS and the second naval ship to honor Minnesota’s Twin Cities, although each city was honored twice before.
The Navy accepted Minneapolis-Saint Paul after rigorous testing of a combining gear modification that will allow for unrestricted operations, addressing a class-wide flaw discovered as the first ships deployed in greater numbers. This ship is the first Freedom variant LCS to receive the fix.
The first U.S. Navy warship named Minneapolis-Saint Paul was a Los Angeles-class submarine-launched in 1983 who took part in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (SSN 708) was the first submarine to carry Tomahawk missiles specifically designed for use in strikes against Iraq during the Gulf War. The submarine was decommissioned in 2007 after serving for more than two decades with distinction.
The Navy has named two U.S. Navy ships for Minneapolis and two for Saint Paul. The first Minneapolis was a cruiser commissioned from 1894 until 1921. The second Minneapolis was a New Orleans-class cruiser commissioned in 1934, earning 16 battle stars for World War II service by 1946, when it was decommissioned. The first Saint Paul, a passenger liner chartered by the Navy, served in the Spanish-American War and World War I. The second Saint Paul was a Baltimore-class cruiser commissioned in 1945 that earned one battle star for World War II service, eight battle stars for Korean service, and eight battle stars for Vietnam service by the time it was decommissioned in 1971.
LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed to operate in near-shore environments, winning against 21st-century coastal threats. It can support forward presence, maritime security, sea control, and deterrence.
USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul will be homeported in Florida at Naval Station Mayport.
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 03.17.2022 19:40 |
| Story ID: | 416690 |
| Location: | DULUTH, WI, US |
| Hometown: | DULUTH, MN, US |
| Hometown: | MARINETTE, WI, US |
| Hometown: | MAYPORT, FL, US |
| Hometown: | MINNEAPOLIS, MN, US |
| Web Views: | 2,946 |
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