The crew that will sail the combat ship USS Tulsa has been in the city this week learning about their vessel’s namesake.
The city council and Mayor G.T. Bynum gave the crew keys — yes, two keys — to the city.
"We're hopeful that the crew knows any time, any day, wherever they happen to be in the world, that they have a whole city of 400,000 people here who are thinking about them and rooting for them," Bynum said.
Navy Lt. Junior Grade Matt Prentice said getting keys to the city and visiting Tulsa has been an honor.
"It's very humbling. It's really great to learn about the city and know what that means when we go out with the ship on the ocean and realize we take a little piece of the city with us," Prentice said.
The USS Tulsa is currently in Mobile, Alabama. The crew will soon take it through the Panama Canal and get it commissioned.
"We'll commission her and then after that get her certified and ready for a deployment later on, in probably the next couple years," Prentice said. "So, just training and getting her underway. Bringing her to life."
The combat ship is the third vessel named after Tulsa, and former Mayor Kathy Taylor is the ship’s sponsor — a civilian chosen as a symbol of protection and good luck.
The USS Tulsa will be used for missions close to shore.
