THE U.S. NAVY CLOSED THE BOOK ON THE U.S.S. SIOUX CITY WITH A DECOMMISSIONING CEREMONY MONDAY MORNING AT THE MAYPORT NAVAL STATION IN FLORIDA.
THE SHIP, ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS, ARE BEING MOTHBALLED BY THE NAVY.
U.S. SENATOR JONI ERNST OF IOWA ISSUED A STATEMENT SAYING “THERE IS SO MUCH PRIDE AND HERITAGE THAT GOES WITH THE CITY OF SIOUX CITY, AND WE DEDICATED ALL OF THAT TOWARDS THIS SHIP”.
ERNST SAYS TO FIND OUT THE NAVY KNEW THEY DID NOT WANT THE U.S.S. SIOUX CITY IS VERY FRUSTRATING, AND SHE IS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED THE NAVY ALLOWED SIOUXLANDERS TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO HELP FUND THE COMMISSIONING OF THEIR NAMESAKE SHIP.
ERNST SAYS AS A MEMBER OF THE SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE, SHE IS GOING TO CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR ANSWERS AS TO HOW THIS HAPPENED AND THE PLAN GOING FORWARD FOR DECOMMISSIONED SHIPS AND THE MONEY WASTED ON THIS PROGRAM.
SHE SAYS THE LITTORAL COMBAT SHIPS COST BETWEEN $50 MILLION TO $70 MILLION PER YEAR TO MAINTAIN AND SOME OF THESE SHIPS HAVE BEEN DAMAGED.
THE U.S.S. SIOUX CITY WAS ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED IN A CEREMONY AT ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND ON NOVEMBER 17TH OF 2018.
U.S. NAVY PHOTOS BY MC1(NAC/AW) BRANDON J. VINSON
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