The Eastport Port Authority is preparing for the commissioning ceremony for a new U.S. Navy ship at the Eastport breakwater on Saturday, September 30. The Independence variant littoral combat ship USS Augusta will join the active fleet with the commissioning ceremony and will be in port from Monday, September 25, to Monday, October 2.
      Between 1,200 and 1,500 people, including a number of dignitaries, are expected for the commissioning ceremony, with the Navy's commissioning team handling all of the arrangements. With the ship having a crew of over 100 and family members being invited, "we anticipate a few thousand people" will be present, says Chris Gardner, executive director of the Eastport Port Authority. The port authority is assisting with finding lodging and with some dining arrangements. Gardner says they have looked at both the Algonquin Resort in St. Andrews and Campobello, with the Roosevelt Campobello International Park and motels on the island being able to assist.
      A commissioning committee based in Augusta is responsible for the planning, but the port authority is working with restaurants in Eastport to arrange for one of the receptions at which there may be 250 people. Gardner notes, "We will dress the town accordingly," with flags and banners, and games and tours are being arranged for the ship's crew. One of the tours may be to the Burnham Tavern Museum in Machias, with the tavern having played a role in the capture of the British schooner Margaretta in 1775. The commissioning ceremony celebrates a tradition dating back to the first ship ever commissioned by the U.S. Navy, which was the Margaretta. That vessel was captured from the British in the Battle of Machias, the first naval battle of the American Revolution, and was then used as a privateer.
      "It will take a community effort to pull this off," says Gardner, noting that other committees and organizations in the city will be involved with helping with the ceremony and related activities.
      While the Navy had been looking at other ports in Maine for the commissioning, Eastport made a pitch to host the ceremony, pointing to its long history of hosting Navy ships over the Fourth of July. Most Navy ship commissioning ceremonies in Maine are held at Bath Iron Works, but this 418-foot vessel was built in Alabama, with work having been completed in May 2022. However, because she's named for a Maine city, the Navy wanted the ship to be commissioned in the state.
      The selection of Augusta as the ship's namesake, the easternmost state capital in the U.S., recognizes the value of Maine's maritime history and landscape. Chief Justice Leigh Saufley, president and dean of University of Maine School of Law, will be the sponsor, giving the order to "bring our ship to life."
      USS Augusta is the second ship named in honor of the city of Augusta. The Los Angeles class submarine Augusta was commissioned in January 1985 at Naval Submarine Base New London in Connecticut and served for 24 years.
      Littoral combat ships are fast, agile, mission focused platforms that operate in near shore environments. These ships, with mine warfare capabilities, integrate with manned and unmanned teams to support maritime security, sea control and deterrence missions around the globe.
      Following the commissioning, the USS Augusta will transit to its homeport of San Diego.