US Navy accepts last Freedom-class USS Cleveland as LCS program ends.

The U.S. Navy accepted the delivery of the USS Cleveland (LCS 31) from Fincantieri Marinette Marine on November 26, 2025, completing both the delivery of Freedom-class and the construction of LCS ships.

On November 26, 2025, the U.S. Navy accepted the delivery of the last Freedom-class USS Cleveland (LCS 31) from Fincantieri Marinette Marine, marking the completion of the 16-ship Freedom-class line and the end of the active Littoral Combat Ship delivery program involving Navy personnel, industry partners, and program teams. This Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) will be commissioned in Cleveland, Ohio, in early 2026 before moving to Mayport, Florida.
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The ship, which will support forward presence missions, maritime security, sea control duties, and deterrence operations, is the fourth vessel to bear the Cleveland name, continuing a lineage of cruisers and amphibious ships that served from 1903 to 2011. (Picture source: US Navy)

Statements from program leadership noted the conclusion of years of development and integration that brought the Freedom-class to its final unit, and highlighted the ship’s role within the broader Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) family. Cleveland is the last ship of the monohull Freedom design and joins the fleet after earlier deliveries such as Beloit, Nantucket, Marinette, Minneapolis Saint Paul, and Cooperstown. The Navy’s surface fleet planners have indicated that this delivery marks the transition from construction to sustainment for the Freedom-class. The Freedom-class program is now aligned with a smaller long-term fleet plan that retains ten ships for surface warfare roles. The commissioning has been postponed to spring 2026, although associated events in Cleveland remain structured by the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation.

The delivery of Cleveland concludes the Freedom-class acquisition phase that began when the Navy authorized development of littoral combat ships (LCS) in the early 2000s as part of a program to create fast, modular, and mission-focused ships for operations near coastlines. The class was developed in parallel with the trimaran Independence-class, the last of which was commissioned in November 2025, and initial plans anticipated as many as 55 LCSs across both classes before adjustments reduced long-term objectives. Early Freedom hulls, including Freedom, Fort Worth, Detroit, Little Rock, Milwaukee, and Sioux City, experienced propulsion and combining gear issues that led to engine failures, early decommissioning proposals, and suspensions of delivery in 2021 until technical corrections were implemented.

The combining gear redesign, developed with Renk AG, has since been applied to multiple hulls, including St. Louis and Beloit, and incorporated into Cleveland’s final configuration. The class has also undergone structural and systems refinements, including corrosion resistance improvements, buoyancy adjustments, radar changes such as the transition to TRS-4D on later ships, and modifications to deck equipment. Deliveries in 2024 and 2025, including Beloit and Cleveland, have been shaped by these upgrades intended to allow unrestricted operations. The LCS program remains divided into surface warfare and mine countermeasure roles, with the Navy setting a long-term goal of ten Freedom-class and fifteen Independence-class ships.

The LCS 31 is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to carry the name Cleveland, following a lineage beginning with USS Cleveland (C 19), a Denver-class protected cruiser commissioned in 1903 and later redesignated CL 21 that served as flagship of the Atlantic Fleet and carried out convoy escort and troop transport operations during World War I before decommissioning in 1929. The second vessel, USS Cleveland (CL 55), was a Cleveland-class light cruiser commissioned in 1942 that participated in major Pacific theater operations at Guadalcanal, Bougainville, the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa before its decommissioning in 1947. The third namesake, USS Cleveland (LPD 9), was an Austin-class amphibious transport dock commissioned in 1967 or 1976, depending on classification notes, serving for approximately three decades in global deployments and participating in operations including Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom before decommissioning in 2011.

The new LCS 31 continues this historical sequence by linking a modern small surface combatant to more than a century of ships bearing the same name. The ship’s crest includes four stars symbolizing the four ships, and its motto, “Forge a Legacy,” references the intention to maintain ties to Cleveland throughout the ship’s service life. The crest incorporates the Cleveland skyline, red lightning bolts for speed, wavy lines referencing Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River, and symbols acknowledging local institutions such as museums, universities, and hospitals. Cleveland’s commissioning plan includes a long-term goal of returning the ship to the city as a museum after its 20 to 25-year service life.

The technical characteristics of Cleveland follow the established Freedom class configuration, using a steel semiplaning monohull and an aluminum superstructure measuring approximately 115 meters in length with a beam of about 17.5 to 17.7 meters and a draft between 3.9 and 4.3 meters, supporting a full load displacement of roughly 3,400 to 3,500 metric tons. Propulsion is based on a combined diesel and gas system using two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines and two Colt Pielstick 16PA6B diesel engines that drive four Rolls-Royce waterjets, providing speeds above 74 km/h and a range of about 6,500 kilometers at 33 km/h with endurance approximated at 21 days. Electrical power comes from four Isotta Fraschini V1708 diesel generators rated at 800 kW each.

The ship features launch and recovery systems located at the stern and starboard side for boats and unmanned vehicles, a large mission bay with a three-axis crane, and a flight deck and hangar sized for MH-60R or MH-60S helicopters and MQ-8 B or MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopters. Sensors include the TRS 3D or TRS 4D radar, depending on hull sequence, the COMBATSS 21 combat management system, and the AN SQR 20 multi-function towed array for anti-submarine modules. Armament consists of a 57 mm Mk 110 gun, a Rolling Airframe Missile launcher, .50 caliber machine guns, and 30 mm Bushmaster cannons with planned integration of AGM-114L Hellfire missiles and optional laser systems. Crew structure includes a core complement of about 50 sailors and up to 75 with detachments, based on the blue and gold rotation model.

Operational experiences across the Freedom-class include the August 2025 self-sufficient engine repair conducted on USS St. Louis during counterdrug operations, which restored propulsion without contractor support after diagnostics and corrective actions by the ship’s engineering team. This event was linked to Navy efforts to pre-position high-demand spare parts on Freedom-class ships and expand crew training to reduce dependence on shore facilities. Squadron commanders have reported increased operational availability during recent deployments in the Second and Fourth Fleets, where Freedom-class ships have engaged in interdiction, maritime security, and partner exercises. Earlier maintenance challenges for the class included seawater intrusion in propulsion systems, metallic debris in filter assemblies, and oil starvation events in combining gears, all of which directed corrective redesigns and procedural updates.

Industrial initiatives such as compressed overhaul timelines for diesel engines and in situ machining for more complex failures remain part of the wider maintenance approach but are applied separately from shipboard tasks. Ships such as Beloit, delivered in 2024, entered post-shakedown availability periods lasting into 2026, demonstrating the extended transition from delivery to full operational certification. Cleveland will undergo similar post-delivery trials and crew qualification phases after commissioning. These processes are intended to stabilize long-term deployment cycles and reduce unplanned propulsion-related downtime across the remaining Freedom ships.

The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation will manage all kinds of activities linked to the ship, such as community engagement, crew support, and commissioning activities, organized into phases that extend from contract signing to eventual museum conversion. Phase 1 includes milestone events such as steel cutting in 2020, keel laying in 2021, crest unveiling in 2024, leadership visits, and commissioning week planning. A preliminary schedule for commissioning week in Cleveland included an arrival flotilla, community events, sponsor tours, family activities, receptions, and the formal ceremony itself, although the date has been postponed to spring 2026.

Phase 2 focuses on supporting the ship and crew during the vessel’s service life, while Phase 3 concerns the eventual return of the ship to Cleveland after decommissioning. Crew composition for commissioning anticipates 12 officers, 10 chief petty officers, 49 additional enlisted personnel, and 18 junior enlisted sailors with an average age of 22. The commissioning site will require continuous security throughout event week, and support arrangements include crew meals, travel assistance for families, and ship space customization with Cleveland-related items.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.