CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — The USS Kingsville was commissioned at the Ortiz Center Saturday morning at a ceremony put on by the US Navy. Speakers at the event included Congressman Michael Cloud, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez, Corpus Christi Mayor Paullette Guajardo, Kingsville Mayor Sam Fugate and the USS Kingsville’s commanding officer Cmdr. Ludwig Mann III.
The USS Kingsville is named after the city of Kingsville, and the King Ranch, making it the only combat ship named after a city in Texas. The USS Kingsville is also the 18th Independence Variant Littoral Combat Ship in the United States. She is capable of traveling at 40 knots (46mph) making her one of the fastest vessels in the US Navy.
“It’s just great, because I made a difference, and a change in the world. Not just in the Navy, but in the entire fleet, and the entire military personnel as a whole," said Yasir Muhammad, (Mineman, 2nd Class Petty officer of the Navy). "I saw this ship get built, and helped it get certified and everything. So now anytime I see it anywhere, like on the news or something, I’m gonna know I was there from the beginning and helped it out”.
After the ceremony was over, people in attendance got to stand in line for a chance to take a tour on the USS Kingsville. The ship will remain in Corpus Christi until it takes off to its homeport in San Diego, California.
