The USS Beloit (LCS 29) awaits to be commissioned at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 22, 2024, with water patrol provided by the Milwaukee Police Department Boat Unit. The ship commissioning ceremony was Nov. 23. (Diana Salgado/U.S. Marine Corps)

The U.S. Navy’s newest combat ship was commissioned in a Saturday ceremony held in Milwaukee, Wis., according to a Navy news release.

The subject of the ceremony was the USS Beloit, a Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, or LCS. Littoral combat ships are agile vessels intended for near-shore environments, though they can also operate in the open ocean.

Each of the class’s two variants are primarily produced by a different industry team: Freedom-variant ships are made by Lockheed Martin, and Independence-variant ships are produced by Austal USA. The USS Beloit is the 15th Freedom-variant LCS.

The USS Beloit is named for the city of Beloit, Wis., which was a center for heavy industry in the early 20th century — something referenced multiple times at the ceremony, according to the release. The name is a Navy first.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a guest speaker at the ceremony, said she took pride in Wisconsin’s manufacturing economy. “When it comes to our ship building industry our workers have helped sustain America’s security for our national defense for generations,” she said.

Baldwin’s comments were echoed by U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore. “[This ship] will be the first commissioned ship named after Beloit, Wis., in honor of that city’s contributions to the US Navy, especially the ship engines built in that city,” Moore said.

Soldiers of Alpha and Bravo Battery with the 120th Field Artillery Regiment conduct a 19-gun salute from a battery of M119A3 howitzers during a commissioning ceremony for the USS Beloit at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 23, 2024. (Amber Peck/Wisconsin National Guard)

Aside from Baldwin and Moore, other high-profile speakers for the ceremony included Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James Kilby and Lockheed Martin executive Ali Ruwaih.

The ship’s sponsor is retired Army Reserve Maj. Gen. Marcia Anderson. The trailblazing Anderson, who is the U.S. Army’s first Black female reserve officer to reach the rank of major general, was born in Beloit, according to an Army press release.

The event was also attended by veterans of major conflicts, from the war in Iraq to World War II, the Navy’s release said. The week leading up to the ceremony was characterized by a series of smaller celebrations and events — including a performance by Lee Greenwood, creator of the song “God Bless the U.S.A.”

Recording artist Lee Greenwood performs his song “God Bless the USA” at the USS Beloit (LCS 29) chairman’s reception in Milwaukee, Wis., on Nov. 22, 2024. The ship was commissioned in Milwaukee, Wis., on Nov. 23, 2024. (EJ Hersom/U.S. Navy)

A Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps group tours the USS Beloit (LCS 29) docked in Milwaukee, Wis., on Nov. 21, 2024. The ship was commissioned at Veterans Park in Milwaukee, Wis., on Nov. 23, 2024. (EJ Hersom/U.S. Navy)

The speed with which the Beloit completed its certifications was unusually high for the LCS class, the Navy’s release said. It completed 19 certifications within seven weeks, each of which was passed on the first go.

The Beloit’s commissioning came just one week after a similar ceremony was held in Boston for its sister ship, the USS Nantucket — also a Freedom-variant LCS.

The LCS program has come under fire for its cost overruns and maintenance issues, and the Navy has proposed decommissioning some vessels in the class before the end of their service life, to the concern of some in Congress.

Such criticisms were indirectly rebutted by officials at and before the ceremony, who did not simply use the event to praise the U.S. defense industrial base, but also portrayed the Beloit and other new littoral combat ships as thoroughly modern.

“USS Beloit (LCS 29) reflects many of the engineering and weapons improvements that the littoral combat ship has gained since the Navy first began operating these ships,” Del Toro said in a statement issued prior to the ceremony.

The Beloit will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Fla.

An official live stream of the ceremony can be viewed below.