WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Tina Smith (D-MN) and Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN) urged the U.S. Navy to name a new landing platform dock (LPD) amphibious ship in honor of the USS Duluth LPD-6, which was commissioned in 1965 and decommissioned in 2005 and originally named for the city of Duluth.
“We write to urge you to consider naming a new LPD amphibious ship for the city of Duluth, Minnesota and in honor of the USS Duluth LPD-6, which was commissioned in 1965 and decommissioned in 2005. The USS Duluth served for nearly 40 years and, whatever her charge, she ably and nobly performed her motto ‘Fortiter in Re’ – Bold in Action…Her missions spanned from sailing to Vietnam in spring 1975 to support the evacuation of almost 9,000 people in Saigon, to operating as support for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom,” the lawmakers wrote to U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.
“The USS Duluth LPD-6 is unique among ships in the way it has been embraced by the local community over the years. In 2014, the City of Duluth honored the ship and its crew with a permanent monument on the City’s waterfront, using the ship’s anchor as its centerpiece,” the lawmakers continued. “We urge you to consider naming a new LPD ship in honor of the stalwart and noble USS Duluth.”
The USS Duluth received numerous awards and commendations for her service, including three Humanitarian Service Medals and the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award for supporting Navy SEAL operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Traditionally, Naval amphibious ships are named after major cities and communities across the country, and naming a new ship, USS Duluth, would make it the third ship of the name to continue a long and proud legacy of honoring excellence in both the Navy and the city of Duluth.
In 2018, Klobuchar, Smith and former Representative Rick Nolan (D-MN) called on the U.S. Navy to name a LPD ship in tribute to the city of Duluth and the USS Duluth.
Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Secretary Del Toro,
We write to urge you to consider naming a new LPD amphibious ship for the city of Duluth, Minnesota and in honor of the USS Duluth LPD-6, which was commissioned in 1965 and decommissioned in 2005.
The USS Duluth served for nearly 40 years and, whatever her charge, she ably and nobly performed her motto “Fortiter in Re” – Bold in Action. In recognition of her long and valiant history, the USS Duluth received numerous awards and commendations for her service, including the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award for supporting Navy SEAL operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During its last deployment in 2005, the USS Duluth supported Operations Unified Assistance and received its third Humanitarian Service Medal after successfully delivering 210 tons of supplies to Sri Lanka in response to the tsunami that struck the area in December 2004. Her missions spanned from sailing to Vietnam in spring 1975 to support the evacuation of almost 9,000 people in Saigon, to operating as support for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The USS Duluth that was decommissioned in 2005 was the second ship with its name that served so well. The first USS Duluth was a light cruiser (CL-87) and was commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1949 after receiving two battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific Theater. Both ships were named in honor of Sir Daniel Geysolon De Lhut, who raised the French flag at the westernmost point of Lake Superior in 1679.
The USS Duluth LPD-6 is unique among ships in the way it has been embraced by the local community over the years. In 2014, the City of Duluth honored the ship and its crew with a permanent monument on the City’s waterfront, using the ship’s anchor as its centerpiece. The monument was built by 27 local companies and 62 community members with all labor and parts donated free of charge. To this day, the USS Duluth Crewmembers Association holds its annual reunion in the city. After the ship was decommissioned in 2005, former crewmembers, including two former commanding officers, boarded the ship prior to scrapping for mementos and photographs. Those items are today on display at a local museum in Duluth.
We urge you to consider naming a new LPD ship in honor of the stalwart and noble USS Duluth. Thank you for your consideration of our request.
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