USS Tulsa (LCS 16), the US Navy’s eighth Independence variant littoral combat ship, is scheduled to be commissioned at San Francisco’s Embarcadero Pier 30/32, in a ceremony on February 16.
Oklahoma Senator James Lankford will deliver the commissioning ceremony’s principal address. Former Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor will serve as the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by a time-honored Navy tradition when Ms. Taylor will give the first order to “man our ship and bring her to life!”
Cmdr. Drew A. Borovies is the commanding officer of the ship and leads the core crew of 70 officers and enlisted personnel.
The 3,200-ton Tulsa was built by was built by General Dynamics/Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. The ship is 421 feet in length, has a beam of 103 feet, and a navigational draft of 15 feet. The ship is powered by two gas turbine engines, two main propulsion diesel engines, and four waterjets to speeds up to 40-plus knots.
LCS 16 is the fifteenth littoral combat ship to enter the fleet and the eighth of the Independence variant. It will be the second ship to be named to honor the city and citizens of Tulsa – Oklahoma’s second largest city.
USS Tulsa will be homeported at Naval Base San Diego.