By Associated Press - Monday, February 4, 2019

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — The commissioning ceremony for one of the Navy’s newest combat ships is set next month in South Carolina.

Charleston officials said in a news release Monday the USS Charleston will be commissioned during a ceremony March 2.

It’s the sixth shipped named Charleston in naval history.

Charlotte riley, wife of former Charleston Mayor Joe Riley, is the ship’s sponsor and broke a bottle of sparkling wine across the bow two years ago when it was christened in Mobile, Alabama.

The Charleston is a littoral combat ship similar to a frigate. The ships are about 400 feet (120 meters) long and have a top speed of more than 46 mph.(74.03 kph) they cost about $440 million each.

The most recent USS Charleston was a cargo ship during the Vietnam War.

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