The USS Cleveland attracted a large crowd as it passed by Loyalist Park, between Iroquois and Mariatown on Fri., May 22, 2026. Tinkess Photo

MORRISBURG – The newest US warship to bear the name USS Cleveland has begun a historic journey through the Great Lakes and through the St. Lawrence Seaway, drawing crowds of shipwatchers and naval enthusiasts as it makes its way from the American Midwest toward the Atlantic Ocean.

The USS Cleveland (LCS-31) passed through the Iroquois lock late last week after leaving its commissioning ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, becoming one of the most closely watched naval transits on the St. Lawrence River in recent years.

For residents along the river, the sight of a modern U.S. Navy warship moving through the narrow channels is rare enough to spark excitement. Online ship-tracking groups and waterfront observers had been following the vessel’s progress for days as it crossed Lake Ontario and approached Cape Vincent before entering the St. Lawrence River near Clayton, New York.

The vessel passed through the Iroquois lock shortly after 1:00 p.m. on Fri., May 22 and continued east with crowds gathering along the shore to watch it cruise by.

The journey marks the latest chapter in a story that began hundreds of kilometres away at the shipyards of Fincantieri Marinette Marine in Marinette, Wisconsin, where the ship was constructed for the United States Navy.

The USS Cleveland was commissioned on May 17 during ceremonies in Cleveland, Ohio. The event was historically significant, becoming the first commissioning of a U.S. Navy vessel ever held in the state of Ohio.

The ship is the fourth U.S. Navy vessel to carry the Cleveland name and the 16th, and final Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ship built for the Navy.

Its motto, “Forge a Legacy,” reflects the industrial history of its namesake city, but also the ship’s role as the closing chapter of a controversial but innovative class of modern naval vessels.

At 378 feet long with a displacement of approximately 3,500 metric tonnes, the USS Cleveland is designed for speed and flexibility rather than the heavily armoured role traditionally associated with destroyers or cruisers.

Littoral Combat Ships, commonly known as LCS vessels, were conceived in the early 2000s as fast, agile ships capable of operating close to shore in contested coastal regions. Unlike larger warships designed primarily for “blue-water combat,” LCS vessels were intended to handle missions such as maritime security, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures and interdiction operations.

The Freedom-class design features a semi-planing steel hull and aluminium superstructure optimized for high speed. Powered by two Rolls-Royce MT30 gas turbines, two Colt-Pielstick diesel engines and four Rolls-Royce waterjets, the ship can reach speeds approaching 47 knots, or roughly 87 kilometres per hour, extraordinarily fast for a vessel of its size.

Its operational range extends approximately 3,500 nautical miles at cruising speed, with an endurance of about 21 days before requiring resupply.

The ship carries a core crew of roughly 100 sailors and officers, significantly smaller than many traditional combat ships due to extensive automation systems.

Despite a relatively small crew, the ship carries substantial firepower.

Its primary armament includes a BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm naval gun capable of firing up to 220 rounds per minute, a 21-cell RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launcher for close-range anti-aircraft defence, two 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II cannons and four .50-calibre machine guns.

The vessel can also deploy mission-specific modular weapon packages, including AGM-114L Hellfire missiles intended for engaging smaller surface threats.

The ship’s aviation facilities support either an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter or MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aerial systems, extending its surveillance and strike capabilities far beyond the horizon.

Sophisticated onboard electronics include the TRS-3D and TRS-4D radar systems, the Lockheed Martin COMBATSS-21 combat management system and advanced electronic warfare and decoy systems designed to detect and confuse enemy targeting systems.

As the USS Cleveland continues down the St. Lawrence, it follows a route that has long linked the industrial heartland of North America to the Atlantic Ocean.

Warships travelling the Great Lakes remain unusual spectacles because only relatively small naval vessels can fit through the Seaway’s lock system. While submarines, Coast Guard cutters and smaller combat vessels have made the journey over the decades, the appearance of a modern front-line U.S. Navy combat ship still draws considerable attention.

For many along the river, the ship’s passage is both a reminder of the strategic importance of the Great Lakes and a connection to a long maritime tradition shared by Canada and the United States.

As the vessel heads toward the Atlantic and eventual deployment with the U.S. Navy fleet, the ship named for Cleveland leaves behind a trail of spectators, photographs and memories along one of the continent’s most storied waterways.