(CLEVELAND) – September 10, 2021 – The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation and KeyBank marked the unveiling of the Lone Sailor Statue in Cleveland.
A dedication ceremony took place Friday, September 10, 2021 at the Great Lakes Science Center where the statue is now on display.
The dedication of the Lone Sailor Statue will help raise awareness of the effort to commission, support, and honor the future Navy ship USS Cleveland (LCS 31). The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation is partnering with the U.S. Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C. to have this replica of the Lone Sailor Statue installed along the Lake
Erie shoreline in Cleveland. It is an iconic symbol of the Navy Memorial’s mission to honor, recognize, and celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present, and future; and to inform the public about their service.
The future USS Cleveland (LCS 31) is currently being built in Marinette, Wisconsin and is scheduled to be commissioned in Cleveland in 2023. During active service, the ship will be based at Naval Station Mayport in Florida and will serve around the world. After an approximate 20-25 year lifespan, the USS Cleveland will return to its home city to be docked at the Great Lakes Science Center. The ship will become a permanent museum
and memorial to all four U.S. Navy ships that have borne the name Cleveland. KeyBank has committed $200,000 to this effort.
“The USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation is doing what no other American city has done to link its citizens to a namesake ship,” said Mike Dovilla, President and Executive Director of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation. “Since the ship’s naming nearly three years ago, a dedicated team has been developing and executing the initial stages of a long-term vision to connect the people of Cleveland with the future USS Cleveland. The dedication of the Lone Sailor Statute in Cleveland, only the 18th location in the world, is just the first of many public events that will celebrate a civic relationship and spirit of patriotism we are confident will be robust and durable.”
“The unveiling of the Lone Soldier Statue is a first step on this long, proud maritime path that will mean so much to our hometown of Cleveland,” said Timothy Burke, KeyBank Northeast Ohio Market President. “We are honored to support this multi-decade initiative involving the new USS Cleveland. It will not only bring the ship to life at commissioning, but also support her crew during her service life and then return it to our great city upon her retirement from Naval service to serve as an enduring memorial and museum to honor all four U.S. Navy ships to have carried the name Cleveland.”
ABOUT THE USS CLEVELAND LEGACY FOUNDATION
Established in 2019, the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation’s vision is to support positive civil-military relations by creating and maintaining a strong, meaningful, and direct bond between citizens of Northeast Ohio and the crew of USS Cleveland (LCS 31). The Foundation has a threefold mission:
- To send USS Cleveland to the Fleet with the greatest start possible;
- To support the ship and crew throughout her service life; and
- To welcome her home to Cleveland at the completion of her Naval service.
ABOUT KEYBANK
KeyBank’s roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, KeyCorp is one of the nation’s largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $181.1 billion at June 30, 2021. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
