PORTSMOUTH — The U.S. Navy’s newest littoral combat ship, the 419-foot surface warfare vessel LCS-14, will become the USS Manchester at the State Pier in Portsmouth on May 26.

Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer called the ship "a modern marvel," honoring the city of Manchester and New Hampshire's continued support for the nation's military.

Admission to the tradition-laden commissioning ceremony is free and open to the public, but tickets must be reserved in advance. The USS Manchester Commissioning Committee is advising people to reserve their tickets as soon as possible, at ussmanchester.org. Five-thousand attendees are expected.

The official sponsor of the ship, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is considered a permanent member of the ship's crew, and her initials are welded into a part of the hull.

The Commissioning Committee is inviting local businesses and individuals to help support the cost of the community welcome for Manchester Cmdr. Emily Bassett and her crew of 140 sailors and their families during the week leading up to the commissioning. A number of activities, including visits to the ship’s namesake city of Manchester and to the USS Constitution in Boston, are being planned and paid for by the Commissioning Committee.

In addition, the week leading up to the ship's commissioning will include several events around Portsmouth, getting Bassett and her crew acquainted with the city and its history. Bassett will be the guest of honor at a Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth luncheon honoring women and leadership, and she and her crew will take in the annual "Hit The Decks" day May 24 from a seat on the Gundalow Company's Piscataqua, ultimately arriving at Martingale Wharf.

Several sponsor participation levels are available and donations of any size to the USS Manchester Commissioning Committee are welcome. Local sponsors so far include Austal, Optics One, Granite State Manufacturing, General Electric Marine Solutions, Revision Military, Ltd., Sig Sauer, Optima Bank & Trust, Leading Edge and the Manchester York Rite Masons. For details, visit www.ussmanchester.org/donations or contact Porter Davis, chairman of the Commissioning Committee and president of the Navy League of the United States, Portsmouth Chapter, at president@portsmouthnavyleague.org.

"The Seacoast has a rich and deep connection to the U.S. Navy because of the history that preceded even the creation of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, now the nation’s oldest, in 1800," Davis said. "Portsmouth was selected again as a commissioning ceremony host because of that history and the strong local commitment to the Navy. We want to ensure the crew of the USS Manchester carries those memories and reputation with them when they leave Portsmouth and encourage anyone interested to take some part in the commissioning week efforts."

The U.S. Navy initiated the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program in 2008 with two different designs. The Manchester is one of seven ships in the Independence Class of LCS, distinguished by the trimaran hull of the first in the class, USS Independence, commissioned in 2010. The Manchester uses water jet propulsion. Her mission is to be close to shore or littoral areas and involved in anti-submarine, mine countermeasures and special warfare. The Manchester has a flight deck and hangar for housing two SH-60 or MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, a stern ramp for operating small boats, and the cargo volume and payload to deliver a small assault force with fighting vehicles to a roll-on/roll-off port facility.

LCS is a fast, agile, mission-focused platform designed for operation in near-shore environments yet capable of open-ocean operation, according to the Navy. It is designed to defeat asymmetric "anti-access" threats such as mines, quiet diesel submarines and fast surface craft.

The ship has a dead weight of 208 tons.

USS Manchester will arrive in Portsmouth May 21 and the ship is expected to be open for public tours later in the week prior to the commissioning ceremony.