Ahoy! Navy names new 421 foot combat ship after city of Savannah

Savannah received a great honor on Tuesday when the US Navy announced they were naming one of their new combat ships in honor of the city.

The USS Savannah will be the sixth naval ship to bare the name of the Hostess City, according to a Navy press release. Its construction was announced by Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer on Tuesday.

“(The name) Savannah honors the oldest city in Georgia, and its legacy as an important port in our nation's history,” said the Navy in a statement Wednesday.

It will be an Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ship, the release said, and will be built in Mobile, Ala. by defense contractor Austral USA.

Littoral Combat Ships are able to be reconfigured as needed, and are equipped for surface warfare as well as anti-submarine warfare and mine countermeasure missions, according to the release.

The ship will be 421 and a half feet long when it is complete, said Navy spokesperson Lt. Lauren Chatmas.

Construction of the ship is expected to start with the laying of the keel in late 2019, said Chatmas, though a specific timetable has not been established.

Previous ships bearing the name Savannah have secured a proud tradition to it.

They included a galley, a frigate that served in the Mexican War and as flagship of the Pacific Squadron, a submarine tender, a light cruiser that earned three battle stars during World War II in support of Allied landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Salerno, and a replenishment oiler that earned a battle star for Vietnam service, a Navy release said.

This story was originally published February 17, 2018 at 11:46 AM with the headline "Ahoy! Navy names new 421 foot combat ship after city of Savannah."