Navy To Name Newest Littoral Combat Ship USS Tulsa

The U.S. Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, will be in Tulsa Tuesday to announce the naming of its newest Littoral Combat ship during a ceremony at the VFW Post.

The Navy is naming its newest Independence-class combat ship the U.S.S. Tulsa. As part of U.S. Navy tradition, the ship has a sponsor. Former Tulsa mayor Kathy Taylor will sponsor the new U.S.S. Tulsa in honor of her late father, Chief Signalman James Taylor. Chief Taylor served on the U.S.S. Bollinger during World War II.

Taylor's sponsorship also honors William Lobeck, Senior, the father of Taylor's husband. Lobeck trained thousands of industrial workers in aviation mechanics during World War II for the U.S. Naval Station in Norfolk, Virginia. 

Kathy Taylor will be joined by current Tulsa mayor Dewey Bartlett and former mayors Bob LaFortune, Bill LaFortune and Susan Savage at the ceremony at the post on East 6th Street Tuesday morning.

Tuesday's ceremony will be the formal naming ceremony for the ship.

In 2013, the Navy said the USS Tulsa would the 16th ship in its Independence-class.  

6/6/2013 Related Story: Navy: New Combat Ship To Be Named USS Tulsa

The Navy says the USS Tulsa is currently in the pre-production phase of development.  

US Navy Littoral Combat Ship information

This will be the second U.S. Navy ship named the U.S.S. Tulsa. The first was launched in 1922 and served with distinction during World War II. In December 1944, she was renamed Tacloban to free the name Tulsa for use on a new ship, but the war ended before the new ship's keel was ever laid. The original US.S. Tulsa was scrapped in 1946.