Assembly Resolution No. 440

BY: M. of A. Tague

COMMEMORATING the commissioning of the USS
Cooperstown on May 6, 2023

WHEREAS, Members of the Armed Services from the State of New York,
who have served so valiantly and honorably in wars in which this
country's freedom was at stake, as well as in the preservation of peace
in peacetime, deserve a special salute from this Legislative Body; and

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the
commissioning of the USS Cooperstown; and

WHEREAS, This momentous occasion will celebrate heroes who played
baseball, "America's Pastime," and who also fought for our nation's
freedom, during a myriad of events beginning on Thursday, May 4, 2023,
and culminating with a commissioning ceremony and reception on Saturday,
May 6, 2023, at Pier 88 in New York City; and

WHEREAS, Furthermore, the commissioning ceremony lineup will
include: Senior Participant, The Honorable Carlos Del Toro, 78th
Secretary of the United States Navy; Ship Sponsor, Alba Tull, a
multi-disciplined fine art gallery and commercial photographer and film
director; Honorary Ship Sponsor, Jane Forbes Clark, Chairman of the
Board of Directors of The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum; and
the Commissioning Committee, the New York Council Navy League and the
National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, as well as a community-wide
group of volunteers and corporate sponsors; and

WHEREAS, The commissioning ceremony has been a tradition in the
United States Navy since December 1775, when the Alfred, the first ship
of the Continental Navy, was commissioned at Philadelphia; it is one of
the most significant milestones in the life of a ship as it marks her
acceptance as a unit of the operating forces of the United States Navy;
and

WHEREAS, Brought to life after ship naming, keel laying, christening
and launching, time-honored Naval customs and traditions help welcome a
warship to fleet; and

WHEREAS, USS Cooperstown is the first naval ship named after
Cooperstown, New York, and honors the 70 baseball Hall of Famers who
served the United States during wartime in a range of conflicts that
spanned the Civil War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War;
and

WHEREAS, The Village of Cooperstown in Otsego County is the home of
the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which is one of the
sources of the ships motto, "America's Away Team"; and

WHEREAS, During times of war in our nation's history, baseball
represented so much more than a pastime, and was an integral part of
military culture, providing morale and hope to those who needed it most;
and

WHEREAS, Baseball was introduced into the Navy in the late 1800s as
a "rational recreation" to keep Sailors out of trouble, active, and
happy; what it became over the following decades was a phenomenon that
US Sailors, many of whom were major league pros, helped spread across
the world; and

WHEREAS, The future USS Cooperstown will be the newest Freedom-class
littoral combat ship (LCS) to join the Surface Force; and

WHEREAS, The USS Cooperstown (LCS 23) is a fast, agile,
mission-focused class of Small Surface Combatants armed with
capabilities focused on defeating global challenges and providing joint
force access in near-shore environments; and

WHEREAS, This extraordinary ship can also operate independently or
in high-threat environments as part of a networked battle force that
includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants; and

WHEREAS, Residents of this great State must never forget the courage
with which these men and women served their country, and must recognize
that no greater debt is owed than that owed to those who risked their
lives for their beloved Nation; and

WHEREAS, Our Nation's veterans deserve to be recognized, commended
and thanked by the people of the State of New York for their service and
for their dedication to their communities, their State and their Nation;
now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the commissioning of the USS Cooperstown on May 6, 2023; and
be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the USS Cooperstown Commissioning Committee.