Letter to the Honorable Richard Spencer, Secretary of the Army - Name New Ship for the City of Duluth

Letter

Dear Secretary Spencer,

We write to strongly urge you to consider naming a new LPD amphibious ship for the city of Duluth and in honor of the USS Duluth LPD-6, commissioned in 1966 and later decommissioned in 2005.

Over its 40 years of distinguished service, whether tasked with a routine or contingency operation, the USS Duluth LPD-6 performed per her motto "Fortiter in Re" (Bold in Action). As such, the USS Duluth received numerous awards and commendations for her service, including the Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Award for supporting Navy SEAL operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom. During its last deployment in 2005, the USS Duluth supported Operation Unified Assistance and received its third Humanitarian Service Medal after successfully delivering 210 tons of supplies to Sumatra and Sri Lanka in response to the tsunami that struck the area in December 2004.

The second ship in the Navy to be named after Duluth, Minnesota, the USS Duluth LPD-6 has a long and valiant history. Her missions spanned from sailing to Vietnam in 1975 to support the evacuation of almost 9,000 people in Saigon, to operating as support for Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom. The first USS Duluth was a light cruiser (CL-87), commissioned in 1944 and decommissioned in 1949 after receiving two battle stars for her late World War II service in the Pacific Theater.

Named in honor of Sir Daniel Greysolon De Lhut who raised the French flag at the westernmost point of Lake Superior in 1679, the USS Duluth LPD-6 is unique in the way it has been embraced by the local community over the years. In 2014, the City of Duluth honored the ship and its crew with a permanent monument on the City's waterfront, using the ship's anchor as its centerpiece. Notably, the monument was built by 27 local companies and 62 individuals in the community without a single invoice changing hands.

To this day, the USS Duluth Crewmembers Association holds its annual reunion in the city. After the ship was decommissioned in 2005, former crewmembers, including two former commanding officers, traveled to Brownsville, Texas, and boarded the ship prior to scrapping for mementos and photographs. Those items are today on display at a local museum.

Naming a new LPD ship in honor and commemoration of those that came before her would no doubt continue what is already a unique and lasting legacy. Thank you for your review and consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

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