 
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.
Commemorating the commissioning of the USS Cooperstown on May 6, 2023

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