EVERETT, WA – Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02), a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Navy announced it will temporarily homeport the crew of the USS Cape St. George, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, at Naval Station Everett (NSE):

“I look forward to welcoming the USS Cape St. George, her sailors and their families to Everett,” said Larsen. “Everett is ready, willing and able to support more missions. I will continue working with local leaders to make that case to the Navy and the Coast Guard and ensure Everett remains ‘the Sailor’s Choice.’”

Larsen has long pushed to homeport more Navy and U.S. Coast Guard ships at NSE. In December, Larsen released a report outlining why NSE is the ideal location for future U.S. Navy and Coast Guard homeporting. In the report, Larsen highlights NSE’s location, natural deep-water port, modern infrastructure and new shipyards as unique and vital fits for future Navy and U.S. Coast Guard missions.

The USS Cape St. George will undergo a major modernization and maintenance overhaul by Seattle-based Vigor Marine LLC, which the Navy awarded a long-term repair contract last year. Effective September 15, 2020, the Cape St. George and her crew will change homeport from San Diego to Everett.

Twenty-one officers and 327 enlisted women and men crew the Cape St. George, which the Navy commissioned in 1993. The cruiser is named after the World War II Battle of Cape St. George, which took place in the South Pacific off the island of New Ireland on November 25, 1943. NSE is currently home to five Navy Arleigh Burke-class destroyers – USS Momsen, USS Kidd, USS Gridley, USS Sampson and USS Ralph Johnson – and two Coast Guard ships – USCGC Henry Blake and USCGC Blue Shark.

For more information on the USS Cape St. George, click here.

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