STAFF REPORTS
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NIAGARA FALLS — The City of Niagara Falls will hold a special ceremony today to mark the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Niagara Falls, a U.S. Navy vessel that carried food and supplies to troops during the Vietnam War.
More than 100 service men and women and their families are expected to attend the ceremony which starts at noon and will be held at the Niagara Falls Veterans Memorial off Robbins Drive in Hyde Park.
The event will also serve as a reunion for the crew of the USS Niagara Falls traveling from across the United States to mark the anniversary. The crew will be presented with a Mayoral proclamation and key to the city during the ceremony.
The USS Niagara Falls is the only Navy ship to be named after the City of Niagara Falls. The vessel launched out of San Diego, California on March 26, 1966. One year later, it was officially commissioned into service with the United States Navy in Long Beach, California.
Throughout its service, the USS Niagara Falls provided food and supplies to troops fighting in South Vietnam, performed cargo transfers at sea operating off the coast of North Vietnam and succumbed to the spraying of “Agent Orange” resulting in chronic and serious illness to many members of the crew.
Following the Vietnam War, the USS Niagara Falls served throughout the Persian Gulf War earning the Combat Action Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Award and many others.
The USS Niagara Falls was officially decommissioned in 1994, chosen to be sunk as a target in 2010 and was sunk off the coast of Kauai on July 14, 2012.
