The only U.S. military vessel recognizing Fort Worth will soon be scrapped.
A decommission ceremony for the USS Fort Worth, a Freedom class littoral combat ship launched into service in September 2012, will be July 29 at Naval Base San Diego, officials said.
“As bittersweet as this moment is, Fort Worth can be proud of the support that the community provided the sailors who served on our ship since her commissioning,” J.R. Labbe, president of the nonprofit USS Fort Worth Support Committee, said in a statement. The committee sends the ship’s sailors care packages and arranges for sailors to visit Fort Worth.
U.S. Navy officials said they are retiring the ship to save money since the Freedom class vessels have chronic mechanical problems that result in high maintenance costs.
President Donald Trump authorized the ship’s decommissioning when he signed a defense appropriations bill on Feb. 3. The bill limits the decommissioning of one littoral combat ship, with the USS Fort Worth being the eldest of the Freedom class.
The Lockheed Martin-manufactured monohull vessel — which can exceed 45 knots — is the third version of the littoral combat ship series, a fast, agile lightweight ship designed to operate near shore. Gordon England, Navy secretary for President George W. Bush, oversaw the development of the ship.
USS Fort Worth was targeted for decommissioning as early as 2019.
In 2022, former U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, then the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, blocked such moves.
After all, Granger, a former Fort Worth mayor, launched a grassroots community effort in 2006 to name a military ship in the city’s honor.
The Fort Worth was commissioned in 2012 in Galveston and is currently based in San Diego.
In a statement, Granger said she was proud of the sailors who served on the USS Fort Worth.
“Our ship will be remembered by the amazing careers her sailors experience thanks to the training and ethics they honed aboard the Fort Worth,” she said.
Granger said the ship’s support committee worked hard to appreciate the vessel and its sailors.
“The committee’s members spent 14 years making sure the sailors and their families felt the love and appreciation from our community for their service,” Granger said.
England, the former two-time secretary of the Navy, said he has a personal attachment to the Fort Worth.
“This has been a personal journey for me, having started with the ship’s concept, following its progress, and interacting with crew members,” England said in a statement. “We will never forget the ‘grit and tenacity’ of the Navy ship named after our proud city.”
Former Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, created the Anchor Club, an organization of donors that contributed at least $1,000 annually to support the ship’s crew and their families.
The support committee’s efforts brought crew members to Fort Worth for outings, sent care packages with donated items such as sunscreen, lip balm, coffee, Mrs. Renfro’s salsa and other goodies. The committee also recognized sailors of the quarter and year.
“Being part of the USS Fort Worth Support Committee has been a pleasure,” Whitley said. “Getting to meet the sailors renewed my faith in our nation’s young people.”
Officials said the support committee is working with ship Cmdr. Dana Canby to honor crew members and their families prior to the decommissioning ceremony in July. Afterwards, committee members plan to hold an Irish wake for the ship.
Karen Vermaire Fox, who serves on the support committee, said members looked at ways to preserve the vessel, which will be scrapped after its vital components are removed by the Navy for use in other craft.
“We looked at trying to bring it to Fort Worth, but the Trinity River isn’t deep enough for her to navigate,” she said.
Vermaire Fox said the ship could be used as an artificial reef as some decommissioned vessels are repurposed. Committee members are trying to determine if a sister city may be interested so they could launch a public campaign.
Historical items and documents from the ship will be preserved and used for a museum or library display, she added.
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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