USS Cooperstown docked at the Port of Cleveland

 

Photo by CTP roving photographer Pat Dooley shows
the USS Cooperstown docked just west of the football stadium
in downtown Cleveland

CLEVELAND (Tribune News Service) — A warship made its way into the Port of Cleveland on Wednesday, but it came in peace and paying homage to some of baseball’s all-time greats.

The USS Cooperstown, built in Marinette, Wis., for the U.S. Navy, was christened earlier this year and is now on its way to Naval Station Mayport near Jacksonville, Fla., where it will be commissioned.

Its first port of call is Cleveland, where the ship can take on fuel, replace stores and give the crew a little shore leave, said Lt. Brandon Carnes, the ship’s electronic materials officer.

The USS Cooperstown is a littoral combat ship, and the Cooperstown is very fast and agile. Its low draft allows it to operate in shallow water, Carnes said. It’s the 23rd of its kind built by the Navy. The ships are primarily being used for drug interdiction in the Caribbean.

. . .

But the USS Cooperstown also is a floating museum. It was named for the town in New York where the National Baseball Hall of Fame is located. And that has led to some interesting décor inside the ship.

Seventy members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame who also served in the military are honored with copies of their induction plaques on display, Carnes said.

The plaques are found in the stateroom and berthing areas, Carnes said, although the plaque for Cleveland Indians great Bob Feller, who served as a Navy chief petty officer in the Pacific during World War II, is on the door of the chief petty officers’ mess.

During the USS Cooperstown’s stay in Cleveland — Carnes declined to say exactly when the ship plans to shove off but that it won’t be around next week — the crew will have the chance to see the town.

Stripes source is here.  It’s likely the ship will be in port today and tomorrow.

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Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran’s Day.

Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans, that is, persons who have served in the United States Armed Forces 

Remember those who served. The photos above are my late father (U.S. Navy) and late father-in-law (British 8^th Army), both of whom served in WW2.

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Salute To America

photo credit: breitbart.com

Leslie Eastman at Legal Insurrection reports on tomorrow's "Salute To America":

President Donald Trump is certainly shaking things up in Washington, DC, on all levels, including its annual Independence Day celebration.

Before Trump, the festivities consisted mainly of music and fireworks. After Trump, the “Salute to America” will include tanks, fighter jets…and an extravaganza of fireworks.

“Big 4th of July in D.C. ‘Salute to America.’ The Pentagon & our great Military Leaders are thrilled to be doing this & showing to the American people, among other things, the strongest and most advanced Military anywhere in the World. Incredible Flyovers & biggest ever Fireworks!” the president tweeted Tuesday morning.

Mr. Trump confirmed to reporters Monday there will be tanks “stationed outside,” too.

“You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks,” he told reporters Monday.

. . .

The event will also feature marching bands, fife and drum corps, floats, military units, giant balloons, and equestrian drill teams. The Blue Angels will be doing the flyover, and the fireworks (donated by Phantom Fireworks” and “Fireworks by Grucci”) will be one of the most spectacular sets the nation’s capital has seen.

Full report is here. The Independence Day parade and celebrations in DC will be broadcast on C-Span, and I will update with live stream links as soon as they are available. (The Hill reports that “MSNBC will not air the entirety of President Trump's planned "Salute to America" on July Fourth, instead opting to carry on with regularly scheduled news programming that may include clips of the event.”)

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A salute to our military

Here a few fading photographs taken on this blogger's father's Brownie Box. He was the skipper of LCT 2454 that delivered troops and equipment onto Utah Beach on June 6, 1944. Today marks the 75th anniversary. 

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Happy Labor Day weekend

It's Friday heading into the Labor Day weekend, and the Navy's Blue Angels have been rehearsing overhead in downtown Cleveland for the Cleveland National Air Show. Here's a 2-minute preview (from the San Francisco fleet, but the routines are the same):

Cleveland Tea Party wishes everyone a Happy and safe Labor Day weekend.

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Navy Week in Cleveland

Navy Week Cleveland to finish summer

with ships, sailors and the Blue Angels

Navy Week starts tomorrow (Monday, Aug. 27):

The War of 1812 was the first declared war in the history of the United States of America, and it established the U. S Navy as a force to be reckoned with. The Navy is commemorating the bicentennial of the war with Navy Week in Cleveland, August 27 through September 4.

It includes a US Navy Bicentennial of the War of 1812 Commemoration event, and of course The US Navy Blue Angels performing in the Cleveland Air Show. The full calendar of events is here. More details here.