US NAVY
The USS Sioux City is the latest in a line of Navy littoral combat ships that includes the USS Freedom, shown above off the Southern California coast in 2013, and the USS Omaha, christened last month in Mobile, Alabama.
Just six weeks after the Navy named a new littoral combat ship for Omaha, a second Midlands city will receive a similar honor.
Officials will launch and christen the USS Sioux City on Jan. 30 in Marinette, Wisconsin, said Joe Dougherty, a Lockheed Martin spokesman. Lockheed Martin is the ship’s contractor, and Fincantieri Marinette Marine is the builder.
“We’re really proud to have a ship named after our community,” said Barbara Sloniker, executive vice president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce. “We really want to support it.”
At the christening, the ship’s sponsor — by tradition, a woman — smashes a bottle of Champagne across the bow just before the ship enters the water for the first time. The ship then will slide sideways into the Menominee River with a massive splash.
“That’s a lot of steel going into the water,” Dougherty said.
The ceremony is believed to bring good luck and safe travel to the vessel.
The Sioux City’s sponsor will be Mary Winnefeld, the wife of recently retired Adm. James “Sandy” Winnefeld. She will be a central figure during the ship’s christening, launch and commissioning; that person also typically plays a role in supporting the ship during its lifetime.
It is scheduled to keep its homeport in Mayport, Florida.
Sloniker said Chris McGowan, president of the Siouxland Chamber, will attend the ceremony, and Mayor Bob Scott has been invited to send a delegation. Sloniker said the chamber has been selling hats, polo shirts and other items monogrammed “USS Sioux City” to raise funds for the ship’s recreation fund.
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