Naval News November 2020 Navy Forces Maritime Defense Industry

POSTED ON SUNDAY, 01 NOVEMBER 2020 19:54

According to a video published on October 31, 2020, the USS Marinette LCS 25 Freedom-class littoral combat ship has been launched on October 31, 2020, at Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM). The side launch of the USS Marinette will be one of the last side launches at FMM. As part of building larger frigate ships, the shipyard is transitioning to a shiplift system.
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The launching of USS Marinette Freedom-class littoral combat ship at Fincantieri Marinette Marine on October 31, 2020. (Picture source Lockheed Martin)

The USS Marinette LCS 25 is a Freedom-class littoral combat ship for the United States Navy. Marinette Marine was awarded the contract to build the ship on 31 March 2016 at their shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin.

In March 2019, Lockheed Martin has announced that the construction of the LCS 25 began. She is the first U.S. Navy ship to bear the name Marinette, and is named to recognize the town's significant contributions to Navy shipbuilding. Fincantieri Marinette Marine began operations in 1942 to provide U.S. ships for World War II. Marinette is the birthplace of Lockheed Martin's Freedom-variant LCS, which Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine have partnered to produce for more than 16 years.

The LCS class consists of two variants, the Freedom variant and the Independence variant, designed and built by two industry teams. This ship is being built by an industry team led by Lockheed Martin at Fincantieri Marinette Marine. The Lockheed Martin-led team builds the odd-numbered hulls. The Independence-variant team is led by Austal USA, in Mobile, Alabama, (for LCS 6 and subsequent even-numbered hulls).

LCS is a highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable ship designed to support focused mine countermeasures, anti-submarine warfare and surface warfare missions. The Freedom-variant LCS integrates new technology and capability to affordably support current and future mission capability from deep water to the littorals.

The design of Freedom-class is based on a semi-planing steel monohull with an aluminum superstructure. She has a length of 377 ft (115 m), and displaces 3,500 metric tons (3,400 long tons). The design also incorporates a large, reconfigurable seaframe to allow rapidly interchangeable mission modules, a flight deck with integrated helicopter launch, recovery and handling system, and the capability to launch and recover boats (manned and unmanned) from both the stern and side.

The Freedom-class is powered by two Rolls-Royce MT30 36MW gas turbines and two Colt-Pielstick 16PA6B 6.8 MW (9,100 hp) diesel engines and 4 Rolls-Royce waterjets. She can reach a top speed of 47 knots (87 km/h; 54 mph) with a maximum cruising range 3,500 nmi (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph).

The Freedom-class is armed with one BAE Systems Mk 110 57 mm naval gun, one Mk 49 launcher with 21 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Surface-to-Air Missiles, four .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns, two 30 mm Mk44 Bushmaster II guns, eight RGM-184A Naval Strike Missiles, 24 AGM-114L Hellfire missiles and one Lockheed Martin 150 kw High Energy Laser.

Nov. 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy's latest littoral combat ship was launched at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Wisconsin, the Naval Sea Systems Command announced.

LCS 25, the future Freedom-class ship USS Marinette and named in honor of the city where it was built, was launched in the Menominee River on Saturday after a ceremony reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic. It slid into the water using the side launch system, one of the last planned side launches at the shipyard, which is transitioning to a shiplift system in anticipation of building larger frigates.

The shipyard was awarded the contract to build the vessel in 2016. The keel was laid in 2019. The ship will undergo acceptance trials before it is officially received by the Navy.

The littoral combat ship class consists of the Freedom variant and Independence variant. Lockheed Martin leads the production of the Freedom variant. The new ship is the Navy's 13th Freedom-variant ship. Currently, 11 LCSs of both variants are under construction, the Naval Sea Systems Command said in a statement.

The littoral combat ship is regarded as highly maneuverable, lethal and adaptable, a high speed, agile, shallow draft, mission-focused vessel suitable for shallow water and ocean-going assignments useful in mine countermeasures, anti-submarine and surface warfare missions.