As Fort Worth’s Navy ship sails toward decommissioning, local supporters will honor her service one last time. The USS Fort Worth Support Committee is hitting the road — and the water — for a time of community, camaraderie and celebration in San Diego, California, July 28-29. U.S. Navy officials are retiring the USS Fort Worth to save money. Unfortunately, the Freedom class vessels have experienced chronic mechanical problems resulting in high maintenance costs.
A ship for landlocked Fort Worth
Before 2009, Fort Worth never had a Navy ship to call its own. That all changed that March, with the U.S. Navy’s announcement to honor Fort Worth — a city built on national defense — with its own namesake ship.
The Navy’s historic decision came after years of hard work and advocacy by then-U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, and former Secretary of the Navy Gordon England. As the former president of the General Dynamics Fort Worth Aircraft Co. (later Lockheed-Martin), he knew firsthand the city’s rich history of supporting the armed forces.
The USS Fort Worth was part of a new class of warships, called littoral combat ships, being prepared for the Navy. The ships would be fast, maneuverable warships ideal for shallow water. At 388 feet long, the Fort Worth is smaller and stealthier than most warships, making her especially effective in her missions.
Since that commissioning, the USS Fort Worth has embodied the steadfast, pioneering spirit of the city around the world. She has sailed the Pacific in important operations from her home port in San Diego. Her coat of arms bears the Texas flag, a longhorn and the motto “Grit and Tenacity.”
The city’s ship enjoyed plenty of support here at home. A nonprofit group, the USS Fort Worth Support Committee, worked to champion the achievements of the ship and her crew, raise awareness of her naval service and maintain strong ties of friendship, heritage and the spirit of Fort Worth throughout the life of her service.
