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U.S.S. Manchester officially commissioned

The U.S. Navy officially has a new warship with a strong New England connection. The littoral combat ship, U.S.S. Manchester, is commissioned and in service as of Saturday morning following a ceremony in Portsmouth.

PORTSMOUTH, New Hampshire (NEWS CENTER Maine) --

The U.S. Navy officially has a new warship with a strong New England connection.

The littoral combat ship, U.S.S. Manchester, is commissioned and in service as of Saturday morning following a ceremony in Portsmouth.

More than 5000 people filled the New Hampshire State Pier for the commissioning with hundreds who couldn’t fit in the main seating section near the ship watching the ceremony on large monitors.

A prominent part of the commissioning was “bringing the ship to life.”

New Hampshire senator Jeanne Shaheen gave the order, which prompted U.S.S. Manchester’s 70-person crew to board.

That was followed by a display of sound and force with the ship’s horns and alarms sounding and its radar and gun turrets moving.

Shaheen has spent the past two years or so fulfilling all kinds of duties as sponsor.

Unlike most sponsorships, this one does not involve money.

Instead, the sponsor is more like the ship’s honorary keeper and is made a permanent member of the crew.

“Serving as the ship's sponsor is not only an honor, it is a solemn responsibility,” said Shaheen. “According to nautical tradition, the role of ship sponsor is to bestow good luck and divine protection over a seagoing vessel and all who sail aboard it.”

The senator’s initials are welded in the ship's hull and serve as yet another permanent reminder that U.S.S. Manchester is a rather New Hampshire ship even though she was built in Alabama.

“So for all of you out there standing that are from Manchester, thank you,” said Admiral Bill Moran, vice chief of naval operations. “It's been a long time coming, 62 years since we had a U.S.S. Manchester in the United States Navy and she's finally back.”

The U.S.S. Manchester leaves Portsmouth next week.

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