The U.S. Navy commissioned its newest and last Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, USS Cleveland (LCS 31), in a ceremony Saturday at North Coast Yard in Cleveland, Ohio. The event marked the first Navy commissioning ever held in the state across 250 years of American naval history, and it closes out the Freedom-variant production run that began in the early 2000s.

Built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin, LCS 31 is the 16th and final vessel in the Freedom class and the fourth U.S. Navy warship to carry the Cleveland name — a lineage stretching back through cruisers and destroyers that served in both World Wars and the Cold War. Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao presided over the ceremony alongside ship sponsor Robyn Modly, who delivered the traditional order to “man our ship and bring her to life.”

Commanding officer Cmdr. Bruce Hallett told the crew they were “writing the first chapter of her history” and “forging a legacy that will endure long after all of us have left these decks.” Designed as a fast, agile surface combatant for near-shore operations, Cleveland will operate independently or as part of networked battle forces alongside larger cruisers and destroyers. The commissioning closes one chapter of the Navy’s small surface combatant program while the service shifts focus toward the Constellation-class frigate and unmanned surface vessel programs.