The USS Fort Worth, the only U.S. naval vessel ever named for the Texas city, will be decommissioned July 29, 2026, at Naval Base San Diego, according to USS Fort Worth Support Committee President J.R. Labbe. “As bittersweet as this moment is, Fort Worth can be proud of the support that the community provided the sailors who served on our ship since her commissioning,” said Labbe. Former Fort Worth mayor and U.S. Rep. Kay Granger initiated the push for a namesake ship in 2006. She enlisted the entire community to join her effort to convince then-Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter to name a ship for Fort Worth. As ship sponsor, Granger christened the Freedom class littoral combat ship the USS Fort Worth on Dec. 4, 2010 in Marinette, Wisc. The ship’s commissioning took place Sept. 22, 2012 in Galveston. “I am so proud of the young men and women who have served aboard our city’s flagship,” said Granger. “The USS Fort Worth’s history will not be the deployments or military engagements she participated in. Our ship will be remembered by the amazing careers her sailors experience thanks to the training and ethics they honed aboard the Fort Worth. “My thanks to the support committee that is known as the best in the U.S. Navy,” Granger said. “The committee’s members spent 14 years making sure the sailors and their families felt the love and appreciation from our community for their service.” Former two-time Secretary of the Navy Gordon England magnified Granger’s efforts in D.C. to achieve a ship named for Fort Worth. “This has been a personal journey for me, having started with the ship’s concept, following its progress, and interacting with crew members,” England said. “We will never forget the ‘grit and tenacity’ of the Navy ship named after our proud city” Former County Judge of Tarrant County Glen Whitley created the ship’s Anchor Club, which is composed of generous donors who contributed at least $1,000 annually to support the ship’s crew and her families. “My father and I served in the Navy. My wife’s father served in the Air Force. Our respect for military service runs deep,” said Whitley.
“Being part of the USS Fort Worth Support Committee has been a pleasure. Getting to meet the sailors renewed my faith in our nation’s young people.”
The ship’s support committee is working with ship CDR CO Dana Canby on events to celebrate the crew members and their families prior to the decommissioning ceremony on July 29.
Authorization to decommission the ship was included in the U.S. Department of Defense appropriations bill signed by the president Feb. 3. Section 8076 of Public Law No: 119-75 says, “None of the funds made available in the Act may be obligated or expended for the purpose of decommissioning more than one Littoral Combat Ship.”
