SAN DIEGO - The formal commissioning of USS San Diego (LPD 22) at the Navy Pier in downtown San Diego at 10 a.m. May 19 will air live on the U.S. Navy's Livestream channel.

The commissioning ceremony is a naval tradition and historic event for a ship; it marks the moment a new ship is formally placed in active service in the fleet. The commissioning crew consists of Sailors onboard during construction. These Sailors are known as "plankowners" because they share a measure of ownership of each 'plank' onboard a ship.

The ship's sponsor is Mrs. Linda Winter, the wife of former Secretary of the Navy Dr. Donald Winter. During the ceremony, she will give the command to "Man our ship and bring her to life" marking the beginning of San Diego's service to the Navy and the United States.

San Diego is the sixth ship in the San Antonio class, the fourth ship named for the city, and the first San Diego to be homeported in San Diego. San Diego will also be the only ship in the fleet currently homeported in her namesake city.

San Diego's keel was laid May 23, 2007, at the Huntington Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss. She was christened June 12, 2010, and delivered to the Navy Dec. 19, 2011. San Diego departed Mississippi March 15, visited Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Cartagena, Colombia, transited the Panama Canal, and arrived in San Diego on April 6.