MILWAUKEE, Nov. 21, 2015
/PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Navy commissioned the nation's fifth
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) – in Milwaukee
today, officially placing the ship designed and constructed by a
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT)-led industry team into active
service.
Milwaukee, the third Freedom-variant in the LCS class,
successfully passed Acceptance Trials in September and was
delivered to the U.S. Navy on October
16.
"The USS Milwaukee is a warship with capabilities unlike any
others," said Stephanie C. Hill,
vice president of Ship & Aviation Systems for Lockheed Martin
Mission Systems and Training business. "The entire Lockheed
Martin-led LCS industry team is proud to deliver USS Milwaukee to
the crew who will bring this great ship to life to participate in
the defense of our great nation."
The fifth U.S. Navy vessel bearing the name, Milwaukee will
transit to its homeport in San Diego,
California, where it will be integrated into the fleet and
the industry-Navy team will conduct additional program testing and
crew training.
The Lockheed Martin-led industry team, which includes
shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine and naval architect Gibbs
& Cox, has already delivered two Freedom-variant littoral
combat ships to the U.S. Navy. USS Freedom conducted a successful
deployment to Southeast Asia in
2013 and is currently operating out of her homeport in San Diego. USS Fort Worth is currently
deployed in Southeast Asia,
serving in the U.S. 7th Fleet.
Detroit (LCS 7) is scheduled to
be delivered in early 2016. Sioux
City (LCS 11), Wichita (LCS
13), Billings (LCS 15), and Indianapolis (LCS 17) are in construction.
St. Louis (LCS 19) and
Minneapolis/St. Paul (LCS 21) are
in long-lead material procurement.
The commissioning is the final act that marks entrance of a ship
into the naval forces of her nation. It is the final of three
events that bring a ship to life: keel laying, launching and
christening, and commissioning.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in
Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed
Martin is a global security and aerospace company that – with the
addition of Sikorsky – employs approximately 126,000 people
worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced
technology systems, products and services.
About Fincantieri Marinette Marine
Founded in
1942, Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) is located on the
Menominee River flowage into Green
Bay. The largest shipyard in Wisconsin and the Midwest, FMM has delivered
more than 1,300 vessels for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and
commercial customers, including the technologically advanced
Littoral Combat Ship Freedom class for the U.S. Navy. In 2008, FMM
along with several sister shipyards also based in the Great Lakes
region, became part of FINCANTIERI, the largest shipbuilder in the
western Hemisphere and the fourth largest in the world. FINCANTIERI
operates in the United States
through its subsidiary Fincantieri Marine Group, serving both
civilian and government customers. Over the past five years,
FINCANTIERI invested more than $100
million in both capital infrastructure and its resources to
support FMM's transformation into what is now one of the best
shipyards in the United States.
Employing approximately 1,500 employees, today FMM is a
state-of-the-art, full service new construction shipyard.
About Gibbs & Cox:
Gibbs & Cox, the
nation's leading independent maritime solutions firm specializing
in naval architecture, marine engineering and design, is
headquartered in Arlington,
Virginia. The company, founded in 1929, has provided designs
for nearly 80 percent of the current U.S. Navy surface combatant
fleet; approaching 7,000 naval and commercial ships have been built
to Gibbs & Cox designs.
For additional video and image information, visit our website:
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin