The ship's sponsor is Bonnie Amos, wife of U.S. Marine Corps Commandant General James F.

[6][7][8] The commissioning ceremony was protested by a number of local anti-war groups, who opposed a warship being named after the city.

[14] On 27–30 May, Portland and USS Essex were open to the public as a part of Los Angeles Fleet Week 2022, in San Pedro, California.

[15] Portland was assigned as the recovery ship for the Orion capsule of the Artemis 1 uncrewed Moon-orbiting mission, successfully completed on 11 December 2022.

The spacecraft's floating Orion capsule was pulled into the flooded well deck at the stern of the vessel off the coast of Baja California.