MARINETTE, WI (WTAQ) – After building Littoral Combat Ships for the Navy for many years, and seeing them named for a number of other cities, Marinette gets it’s place in the fleet.
The 25th LCS on the drawing board at Marinette Marine will be named the U-S-S Marinette.
“We’re thrilled to have a ship named Marinette”
For years, 8th District Congressman Reid Ribble has lobbied the Navy to name an LCS after the community where they’re built.
“I’ll tell you what prevailed…4-thousand citizens from Marinette, Wisconsin sending the Secretary of the Navy a letter say please name a ship after Marinette and we’ll take good care of her”
Corey Lambie, former principal at Marinette High School, says a number of students sent letters to congress and the navy as part of the push back in 2011.
“They sent some letters to Government officials stating the fact that in this hard working community that Marinette Marine connects so well to our community they felt it was appropriate that one of the LCS combat ships was named after Marinette”
Lambie says those kids learned a lesson and found they had a voice and people listened.
“The power of the message is always that we’re proud of where we come from and where our roots are. That students have as much voice as parents or adults”
The Navy expected to make the formal announcement on Thursday.
The USS Marinette is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2020.
