BEAVERTON, Ore. — Leupold & Stevens, Inc., sponsored the commissioning of the USS Portland – the first United States naval ship to be named for Portland, Oregon – on Saturday, April 21.
The San Antonio class amphibious transport is 684 feet long and is crewed by 371 sailors. It is the third USS Portland to have been commissioned by the U.S. armed forces, but the first to exclusively be named for Oregon’s largest city – previous incarnations have paid homage to Portland, Maine, or both cities simultaneously. A staple in the region for more than a century, the Leupold brand was originally founded in Portland before moving its headquarters to nearby Beaverton in 1968.
“Everyone on the Leupold team takes pride in how active the company is within our local community, and we’ve long supported the men and women of the U.S. armed forces,” said Bruce Pettet, president and chief executive officer of Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “The commissioning of the USS Portland was something we were ecstatic to take part in. We want to extend congratulations and our thanks to the ship and her crew.”
Now that the USS Portland has, as naval tradition dictates, been “brought to life” by official ship sponsor Bonnie Amos, it will call San Diego its home port. The ship is expected to be in service for the next 40 years.
“The two previous ships to bear the name Portland distinguished themselves in service to our nation,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a release prior to the commissioning. “I fully expect the future USS Portland will continue that proud tradition, whether delivering humanitarian assistance or the full range of combat capability for many decades to come.”
For more information on the USS Portland, go to USSPortlandLPD27.org.
For more information on Leupold® products, please visit us at Leupold.com.
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I’m not a naval expert, but I’m pretty damn sure it isn’t the first US naval vessel named after the city of Portland. Traditionally cruisers were named after US cities, Portland being one of them.
Reading is hard.
“It is the third USS Portland to have been commissioned by the U.S. armed forces, but the first to exclusively be named for Oregon’s largest city – previous incarnations have paid homage to Portland, Maine, or both cities simultaneously.”
Not exactly a city with the most military friendly citizens…someone had today it. ;)~
From a local report:
“The mayor’s speech was the epitome of cognitive dissonance, projecting his liberal illusions onto the ship’s bloody intentions. The mayor falsely claimed that the ship’s purpose was “humanitarian,” and would deliver “critical aid during emergencies.” The mayor seemed serious when he called the U.S.S. Portland “a force for peace…carrying our city’s name throughout the world.”
The hippy dreams of the mayor were instantly shattered when a Navy admiral addressed the crowd, confirming that the ship was built for war. The admiral bragged about the killing capacity of the U.S.S. Portland, informing the audience that the vessel is meant to lead ground invasions and is equipped with state of the art missile systems and a powerful weaponized laser beam. He said that the U.S.S. Portland was meant to “take the fight ashore” and “exploit all facets of amphibious warfare,” allowing her to execute “expeditionary warfare operations.”