Nov 23, 2021

MARINETTE—The future USS Marinette, the 25th Littoral Combat Ship that was officially christened Saturday at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) shipyard, bears a name that honors the city’s significant contribution to Navy shipbuilding. It will be the first commissioned U.S. Navy combatant ship to be named after the city. One other ship by the name, a Natick-class tugboat, launched in 1967.

“Building LCS 25 and sister ships for the U.S. Navy is an honor and we are proud to be the nation’s shipyard in the heartland,” FMM CEO Mark Vandroff said at the ceremony. “It is especially memorable to have this ship be named for the great town it’s built in. This christening is a testament to the hard work of more than 2,500 shipbuilders who pass through our gates and build American warships.”

“Today’s christening of Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) 25, the future USS Marinette, marks the next critical milestone in the life of this warship,” Lockheed Martin Vice President of Small Combatants and Ship Systems Steve Allen said during his speech. “It’s an honor to celebrate this moment with the many hardworking men and women who both built the Marinette and call this great city home. The Lockheed Martin team is proud of our continued partnership with the U.S. Navy to support enhanced warfighting capabilities to this highly capable class of Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships.”

The future USS Marinette will begin acceptance trials, a test process and materials inspection undertaken by the government, next year.