The United States commissioned a new warship in Sydney on Saturday, marking the first time in history that a U.S. Navy ship has entered service in a foreign port.
The USS Canberra, an Independence-class littoral combat ship, had her colors raised in a joint ceremony at a Sydney naval base with American and Australian service members. The ship is named after the HMAS Canberra, a Royal Australian Navy cruiser sunk during World War II, which was itself named for the Australian capital city.
Saturday's ceremony marked the first time that the U.S. Navy has allowed one of its ships to be commissioned in a foreign harbor. The ship is only the second-ever Navy vessel named for a foreign city, following its predecessor, a World War II-era cruiser also christened the USS Canberra.
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The new USS Canberra "honors our more than 100-year-long partnership with Australia and is a reflection of our shared values and continuing mission to support a free and open Indo-Pacific," U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos del Toro tweeted.
The ship's comissioning comes following a closer alliance between the U.S. and Australia as part of the AUKUS trilateral security pact. The Australian Navy is expected to purchase up to five American submarines as part of a continued defense agreement between the countries, in an effort to beef up security in the region ahead of Chinese threats.
A day prior to the USS Canberra's rollout, the U.S. and Australia participated in a joint naval exercise in Sydney, which reportedly included 13 nations and 30,000 military personnel. Del Toro told The Associated Press that the exercise sent a message to China that "we are extremely tied by the core values that exist among our many nations together." He added that the U.S. and Australia were "prepared to actually operate together in defense of our national security interests."
