Anonymous
By the USS Santa Barbara Commissioning Committee
The Santa Barbara Navy League has invited the public to sign up to attend the official, invite only, Commissioning of the third ship in Naval history named after Santa Barbara on Saturday, April 1, 2023. The Commissioning will take place at Wharf 5, Port Hueneme, Naval Base Ventura County.
The celebration includes the opportunity for attendees to tour the ship itself. To attend the event members of the public must register firstby going to the USSSantaBarbara.org website and requesting an invitation.
Kevin McTague, Commissioning Committee Chair, explained the Commissioning of the USS Santa Barbara has been in planning by the Committee for more than a year. “Santa Barbara has a rich history with U.S. Navy Ships that goes back to 1908 with the visit of President Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet and includes the commissioning of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier in 2003. This is the third USS Santa Barbara to enter commissioned service, underscoring the city’s poignant and important relationship with Naval vessels,” said McTague.
The mission of the Commissioning Committee is to provide assistance and financial support for the Commissioning celebrations as well as, support for the crew by providing living and decorative enhancements for crew comforts and recurring support for the crew and their families over the lifetime of the ship.
“In short, we are bringing the community together to welcome our city’s namesake ship as part of our family,” added McTague.
The newest LCS ship to enter the fleet, the USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32), is a Independence-variant LITTORAL COMBAT SHIP (LCS), a high-speed, shallow draft, multi-mission ship that is capable of operating independently or as part of a battle group. The LCS provides the Navy a lethal platform to conduct littoral and open ocean operations.
At one-third the cost of larger combatants, these ships can rapidly fill gaps in littorals and strategic choke points globally. All at a high speed and fuel efficiency with a flexible design that can be utilized for many different missions.
The community is invited to commemorate the ship’s entry into the Fleet on Saturday, April 1st by requesting an invitation at usssantabarbara.org/invite/.
The USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32), is a high-speed, shallow draft, multi-mission ship that is capable of operating independently or as part of a battle group.
Thank you for sharing this news, Ed! Doubt I ever would have heard of it otherwise… I hope to attend the commissioning too!
Hardly a “killing machine” and more like an implement for peacekeeping. Many young sailors would love to have the honor of serving on this ship. Of course, it is more than capable of defending itself, but only when/if necessary. Our Navy gets the goods, and if someone wants the goods, the Navy will definitely give them the goods. We can’t send a ship “out there” to defend us using a huge cork pop gun, giant PEZ dispenser, or soft foam projectiles meant for indoor homes and apartments. Don’t work that way, as they say.
Naming a WARship after SB strikes me as tone-deaf… who’s idea was this?
Doesn’t the Navy have environmental containment vessels? Even a bulk oil tender would be preferred to a killing machine.
I share your sentiment.
War is always last result. Our armed forces are in place to potect us, our allies, and our interests at home and abroad. They are primarily for defense and to act as a deterrent to aggression not to wage war. I think you need to entirely reevaluate your comments. Our armed forces deserve our respect and support for their service. They don’t deserve your obvious contempt.
SBCounty, I couldn’t agree more. The unfortunate reality of the world is that we need things like this. I too wish we didn’t, but that’s not reality.
I was a scientist for the US Air Force for 8 years… I am very well informed, no need to re-evaluate my statement; it certainly wasn’t one of contempt.
7:09, you could also reevaluate your first sentence.
As noted in the earlier Edhat article about this event, these littoral combat ships (of both designs) have turned out to be a bit of a disappointment, and the earliest examples are already being decommissioned after only a few years of service.
Calling them a disappointment is a bit of an understatement. Here’s a recent article about these ships and the issues surrounding them:
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/20-years-later-the-navy-says-its-littoral-combat-ships-kind-of-work-00046137
I think the Navy has already realized these are not killing machines. The USS SB crew is more likely to die than any well armed enemy is. They will make great Coast Guard ships for places without rough seas and where no one has an RPG
The LCS, or “little crappy ship” as it’s known in the Navy, would essentially be useless in wartime conditions. It was originally meant to hold “state-of-the-art” modules holding radar, missiles, barracks for SEALs doing missions, whatever was needed for the mission/deployment of the moment. Modules were supposed to be designed for quick swapping out in the field without the benefit of dock facilities. After going billions over the project budget, the modules take two weeks and dock facilities to swap. The versatility they were supposed to bring was one of the main selling points to Congress, the infinitely wise body of naval architects. The cost overruns also made the designers skimp on weapons. Not to mention nearly frequent problems with the propulsion system and vulnerability to hits by missiles or deck guns demonstrated in simulations. The taxpayers are stuck with the bill for scrap metal and defense contractors are laughing all the way to the bank.
And another factor was the small crew size to reduce manning costs. It left the ships with not enough crew to both man the systems and conduct any necessary maintenance or damage control at the same time.
My Dad was a Navy veteran, actually served out at SanDiago. Glad new vessels are being commissioned and we probably need double. Dating myself but last one I attended was at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a carrier. Anyway, wish they had scheduled that commissioning April 2. We all know what 4/1 is known for.