DULUTH — Nearly three years after its christening, the USS Minneapolis Saint Paul has a commissioning date.
The USS Minneapolis Saint Paul to be commissioned May 21 in Duluth
Tickets available for event that marks readiness of high-speed combat ship.
March 18, 2022 at 9:07PM
The event is set for May 21 in Duluth — the first time a Navy ship has been commissioned in Minnesota, the state's Navy League announced.
Several events are planned that week for the crew and the public. To be considered for tickets go to navyleaguemn.org. Attendance will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination and may be limited due to the pandemic. The event also will be livestreamed, but viewers must fill out a ticket request for a link.
Commissioning was put on hold after a design defect with the ship's propulsion system was discovered. The steel-hulled, high-speed combat vessel was christened at a Wisconsin shipyard in 2019.
The USS Minneapolis Saint Paul is the 21st littoral (near-shore) combat ship in the Navy's fleet. With a crew of about 140 sailors, it will be based out of Mayport, Fla.
The ship, among the fastest combat ships in the Navy with a top speed of 40 knots, will be the second naval vessel named after both Twin Cities, following the submarine USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul that served from 1984 to 2008. Two ships also have borne the name USS Duluth.
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