USS Pierre crew voyages to ship's namesake

Members of newest Navy vessel visit South Dakota's capital city

Sailors assigned to the pre-commissioned unit USS Pierre (LCS 38), pose for a photo with members of the USS Pierre commissioning committee (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Fred Gray IV)

PIERRE — Before the U.S. Navy's newest ship reaches its home port in San Diego, a few crew members were sent on a unique first mission — to a location far from any Navy base.

Seven sailors assigned to the USS Pierre have spent the week in central South Dakota, acclimating themselves to the Hughes County community that their future home is named after.

It's one of several “namesake visits” that the Navy plans every year — where service members who will soon man the ships bearing a community’s name visit the namesake. The intention of the visits is to help sailors begin building a lasting relationship with the community their ship is named after, and hopefully to create a bond and identity that makes them more effective at the helm.

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