History made & we’re a part of it!

As a company we are so proud of our company President, Stephan Chase, not just for his incredible leadership; but also for his service to the U.S. Navy.  We are especially proud of his recent involvement in a BIG announcement for the Navy.

The ship he served on from April 1963 to September 1966 was the USS Little Rock CLG-4 9 (Cleveland Class Light Cruiser).  It currently is a floating museum at the Naval Park in Buffalo, NY. Stephan has had the honor of serving for the past 5 years as President of the USS Little Rock Association.  They have approximately 1,000 former crew as members, including Ray Mabus, the current Secretary of the Navy.

After much encouragement from the USS Little Rock Association, the U.S. Navy plans to make history on the waterfront by commissioning a new ship beside its decommissioned namesake.

Stephan was honored to be asked to speak alongside many dignitaries including Maurice Naylon, Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul, Representative Brian Higgins, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, Mayor Byron Brown, Buffalo Bills Hall-of-Fame Quarterback Jim Kelly, and Commander Paul Burkhart. Stephan’s comments illuminated how the USS Little Rock Association was closely involved in the process of making this possible for the City of Buffalo.

Throughout the press conference there were MANY references to the USS Little Rock as a museum, which Stephan found ironic and addressed in his remarks saying, “The Grand Lady sitting in this harbor, who many call a museum… for 3 years and 5 months, I called HOME.” Stephan used the time to fully explain The Little Rock Association, and how they we were the reason this history is happening.  He also emphasized the historical significance of having a ship commissioned beside her namesake.

While no date is set in concrete, The Navy plans to officially enter the new USS Little Rock into its fleet sometime in spring of 2017.  LCS-9 and her crew will arrive in Buffalo before the commissioning date to become part of the Buffalo community, do shipboard tours, and more.  In addition, the City of Buffalo will host a variety of activities for the crew, dinners, tours, etc.  If you or a loved one would like to be a part of this celebration please like the Fsi Oil and Propane Facebook page to see updates on dates and details.

For more… please enjoy this video: