Yesterday, Monday, Sept. 16, Peter B. Collins, CEO of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation and other officials announced plans to move the Lon Sailor Statue from its three-year home at the Great Lakes Science Center (GLSC) to its permanent home on the Lake Erie shores.

“On the 16th of this month, we [had], in the military you would call it a Permanent Change of Station [PCS], where you move from one location to another,” says Collins, a Kirtland native and retired U.S. Marine Corps Brigadier General. “We're going to PCS our Lone Sailor Statue from the Great Lake Science Center, issue the PCS in orders and cut those orders, and send him to Voinovich park for his new duty.”

The Lone Sailor was dedicated at the GLSC on Sept. 10, 2021, on the anniversary of the War of 1812 Battle of Lake Erie. The Lone Sailor Statue, which is the 18th such statue worldwide, will be unveiled on Saturday, Oct. 12, at its new home in the northwest corner of Voinovich Bicentennial Park, in what will be known as Lone Sailor Plaza.

Construction underway of the Lone Sailor Plaza in Voinovich Bicentennial Park“This statue does a couple of things,” says Collins. “One, it's supporting, promoting Northeast Ohio. Everywhere she sails, on the back of her is ‘Cleveland.’ So, this is just a big billboard for us.”

The plaza is being constructed by F. Buddie Contracting in the Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood.

Created by the U.S. Navy Memorial, the Lone Sailor Statue represents all people who have served in the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines. Its placement in Cleveland corresponds to the upcoming commissioning of the USS Cleveland, the newest warship named after the city.

The USS Cleveland is currently being built in Marinette, Wisconsin, and is expected to be commissioned in 2025 in Cleveland. The ship’s homeport will be Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Florida.

The statue’s journey to Cleveland began in 2018 when the Secretary of the Navy announced that the 16th Freedom-class littoral combat ship would be named USS Cleveland, which sparked the creation of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation. The Foundation helped bring the Lone Sailor Statue to the city.

Construction underway of the Lone Sailor Plaza in Voinovich Bicentennial ParkThe USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation, with a mission of creating strong civil-military ties, to support the ship and crew throughout her service life, and to welcome her home to Cleveland at the completion of her Naval service, has raised more than $4 million toward its $5 million (and 31 cents to acknowledge the ship’s hull number) fundraising goal.

The Lone Sailor statue and the USS Cleveland project have garnered significant support from more than a dozen local businesses and organizations, and many Cleveland-manufactured components are going into the construction of the USS Cleveland.

Collins says part of the money raised is used to support the crew and their families and make them all fans of the City of Cleveland. “The crew of the USS Cleveland is going to be from all over the country, and it's part of my goal to convince them to all become Guardians, Browns and Cavs fans,” he jokes, adding that the Foundation is raising additional funds through its upcoming U.S. Navy Birthday Ball and Fundraiser on Oct. 10.

In attendance at yesterday’s Lone Sailor Statue and Plaza announcement were Jim Folk, chair of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation and Cleveland Guardians vice president of ballpark improvements; Ken Taylor, donor and president of Ohio CAT; LaRese Purnell, treasurer and managing partner of CLE Consulting Firm; and Kristen Ellenbogen, CEO of Great Lakes Science Center.

The official unveiling and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Lone Sailor plaza will occur on Oct. 12th at 10 a.m. with performances by the Warrensville Heights High School and Shaw High School marching bands, who have been invited to participate in the December 7 memorial parade in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.