The U.S. Navy commissioned the nation’s fifth Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) – USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) – in Milwaukee on November 21, officially placing the ship designed and constructed by a Lockheed Martin-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 (LCS-1) conducted a successful deployment to Southeast Asia in 2013 and is currently operating out of her homeport in San Diego. USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) is currently deployed in Southeast Asia, serving in the U.S. 7th Fleet.
USS Detroit (LCS-7) is scheduled to be delivered in early 2016. USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15), and USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) are in construction. USS St. Louis (LCS-19) and USS 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.
Ship Design Specifications
| Hull | Advanced semiplaning steel monohull |
| Length Overall | 389 feet/118.6 m |
| Beam Overall | 57 feet/17.5 m |
| Draft | 13.5 feet/4.1 m |
| Full Load Displacement | Approximately 3,200 metric tons |
| Top Speed | Greater than 40 knots/46 mph/74 km/h |
| Range at top speed | 1,000 NM/1,151 miles/1,852 km |
| Range at cruise speed | 4,000 NM/4,603 miles/7,408 km |
| Watercraft Launch and Recovery | Up to Sea State 4 |
| Aircraft Launch and Recovery | Up to Sea State 5 |
| Propulsion | Combined diesel and gas turbine with steerable water jet propulsion |
| Power | 85 MW/113,600 horsepower |
| Hangar Space | Two MH-60 Romeo Helicopters |
| One MH-60 Romeo Helicopter and three Vertical Take-off and Land Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicles (VTUAVs) | |
| Core Crew | Less than 50 |
| Accommodations for 75 sailors provide higher sailor quality of life than current fleet | |
| Integrated Bridge System | Fully digital nautical charts are interfaced to ship sensors to support safe ship operation |
| Core Self-Defense Suite | Includes 3D air search radar |
| Electro-Optical/Infrared (EO/IR) gunfire control system | |
| Rolling-Airframe Missile Launching System | |
| 57-mm Main Gun | |
| Mine, Torpedo Detection | |
| Decoy Launching System |
Ship list
USS Freedom (LCS-1)
USS Fort Worth (LCS-3)
USS Milwaukee (LCS-5)
USS Detroit (LCS-7)
USS Little Rock (LCS-9)
USS Sioux City (LCS-11)
USS Wichita (LCS-13)
USS Billings (LCS-15)
USS Indianapolis (LCS-17)
USS St. Louis (LCS-19)
USS Minneapolis/St. Paul (LCS-21)
USS Cooperstown (LCS-23)
