Coming to Voinovich Park later this year, the statue unveiling will coincide with the launch of the USS Cleveland
people from Marines to Coast Guard members. (Rendering courtesy of AECOM)
Hands tucked into his coat, the solemn figure of the “Lone Sailor” gazes into the distance, contemplating faraway lands or pining for home. This steadfast Navy man will soon have a place on Cleveland’s waterfront, in time for the commissioning of a new ship named for the city.
In early May, Cleveland City Council approved plans to erect the Lone Sailor monument on the northwest corner of Voinovich Park, where it will overlook Lake Erie. The statue unveiling, set for early September, will also mark the launch of the USS Cleveland combat ship currently under construction in Wisconsin.
Seventeen Lone Sailor reproductions have been raised nationwide since its introduction in Washington, D.C., 30 years ago. Like its brethren, Cleveland’s statue will champion the dedication of Navy personnel both past and present, noted Michael Dovilla, chief executive officer of the USS Cleveland Legacy Foundation.
The foundation will maintain the sculpture following the recent completion of a multi-year licensing process. Planning began in 2021, when area veterans and business leaders brought the monument to its temporary location at Great Lakes Science Center.
The move to Voinovich Park has come with a few hurdles – one location at the park was rejected for encroaching upon a Burke Lakefront Airport runway safety zone. Metroparks construction on Whiskey Island, meanwhile, scotched statue building plans on the peninsula. Support from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, among others, finally resulted in a 25-year licensing agreement with the city of Cleveland.
“We’re finalizing a few things with the city, but it feels good to be at this point,” said Dovilla. “I have cautious optimism that that will remain on the right timeline.”
Dovilla’s organization, created to support military relations between veterans and the wider community, has teamed with Cleveland architecture and design firm AECOM on the seven-foot sculpture. Plaques describing the statue’s design and meaning will be displayed nearby – the foundation intends to groom the immediate area with new pavers, benches and a landscaping wall bearing donor names.
As described by Dovilla, the Lone Sailor depicted by the statue is about 25 years old – a senior second class petty officer fast-becoming a seasoned veteran. The figure further represents seafaring servicepeople including Marines and Coast Guard members, said Dovilla.
“He’s your traditional American sailor thinking about members of his crew or family reunions,” said Dovilla, a commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve who joined the service in 2002. “All the things someone from the military contemplates when returning from a tour, or leaving for one.”
Fellow Navy veteran and foundation member Ben Baran said the statue is a symbol of dedication to duty – a call that can come at any time.
“There are folks serving worldwide, it’s the nature of what we do,” said Baran. “The monument is a reminder of what service in the Navy is all about. It can also inspire future generations of sea service.”
While Cleveland is not traditionally a military city, the Lone Sailor’s historical and educational value is akin to visiting a museum, Baran added.
“As a kid, I’d go to monuments or museums,” he said. “Those things stick in your brain, and maybe be something you’d consider associating yourself with later in life.”
Cleveland’s Lone Sailor will be dedicated shortly after the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied forces launched a combined naval, air and land assault on Nazi-occupied France. Providing a small slice of naval history in Cleveland can be a draw for visitors, or an attractive spot for military enlistment and promotion ceremonies, said Dovilla.
“All elements of the life cycle of service can be connected here,” he said. “Broadly, this can be a place where both locals and tourists congregate.”
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