The U.S. Navy commissioned Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Kingsville (LCS 36) at the Solomon P. Ortiz Center in Corpus Christi, Texas on August 24.
The ship’s homeport will be Naval Base San Diego, where all Navy trimaran variants of the littoral class are based.
Russell Rumbaugh, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, delivered the commissioning ceremony’s principal address.
“A Ship commissioning is one of the ways the U.S. Navy keeps itself tied to the nation it serves,” said Rumbaugh. “And what better moment to celebrate our long and intimate relationship than commissioning a ship named after Kingsville. We in the Department of the Navy are proud of the Littoral Combat Ships.”
The night before commissioning, the Kingsville Commissioning Committee held a reception onboard the USS Lexington Museum where the crew of Kingsville was recognized for their service and dedication.
Kingsville is the first to bear this name and pays homage to the city of Kingsville and the King Ranch. The ship’s sponsor is a member of the sixth generation of the King Ranch family, descendants of steamboat captain Richard King, who founded the King Ranch in Kingsville in 1853.