The USS Detroit is expected to arrive in its namesake city sometime Friday, docking by the GM Renaissance Center for a week of activities leading up to the commissioning event for the new $440 million vessel.

Up to 4,000 people are expected for the commissioning ceremony at 11 a.m. Oct. 22. on the riverwalk, which will formally mark the U.S. Navy's acceptance of the USS Detroit, estimated to cost $360 million, into the fleet and the point at which the vessel's captain takes official command.

All tickets for the commissioning ceremony have been reserved, event organizers said.

The 378-foot, 3,500-ton monohull Freedom-class vessel was built by the Marinette Marine Corp. shipyard on the Menominee River in Marinette, Wis. Former U.S. Sen. Carl Levin's wife, Barbara, broke a bottle of champagne across the bow to formally christen the ship on Oct. 18, 2014. Construction began in November 2012, and the Navy formally took possession of the ship in August.

The local chapter of the nonprofit Navy League of the United States aims to raise $450,000 to pay for the weeklong series of receptions, luncheons and tours that culminate with the Oct. 22 ceremony. Corporate donations are sought because federal law forbids the Navy to fund the public events before and after the commissioning ceremony.

Once the Detroit is commissioned, it will begin a four-day port call across the river in Windsor beginning Oct. 24. Eventually, it will join the U.S. Pacific Fleet based in San Diego. However, it is expected to be forward-deployed out of Singapore between the Pacific and Indian oceans at the southern tip of Malaysia — always a potential hot spot because a significant portion of the world's oil moves through the straits.

The ship, with a crew of about 50, is a shallow-draft Freedom class littoral combat ship designed for fighting or operations near shore (known as the littoral in geographic nomenclature), and other missions such as antisubmarine warfare, mine sweeping, landing small groups of Marines or commandos, surface warfare and humanitarian work. The relatively lightly armed vessel is equipped with a 57mm deck gun, complemented by a pair of 30mm cannons and an array of missiles.

The USS Detroit was part of a contract awarded in 2004 to a consortium led by Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp., a minority owner in Marinette (which is majority owned by Fincantieri-Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A., which builds many of the world's cruise ships).

The Detroit was designed by Arlington, Va.-based naval architect Gibbs & Cox Inc.

For more details visit ussdetroitlcs7.com or facebook.com/ussdetroitlcs7.