The Lockheed Martin-led industry team launched the nation’s 11th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), Sioux City, into the Menominee River at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine (FMM) shipyard on January 30. The ship’s sponsor, Mrs. Mary Winnefeld, christened the USS Sioux City (LCS-11) with the traditional smashing of a champagne bottle across the ship’s bow just prior to the launch.
«It is an honor and a privilege to serve as the sponsor of the future USS Sioux City (LCS-11) and to be a part of this major milestone along the way to her assuming her place as part of the great U.S. Navy fleet», said Mrs. Winnefeld. «I also look forward to an ongoing relationship with her courageous crews and their families throughout the ship’s lifetime».
Following christening and launch, USS Sioux City (LCS-11) will continue to undergo outfitting and testing before delivery to the U.S. Navy in early 2017.
«The future USS Sioux City’s interchangeable mission modules will empower her to face a variety of high-priority missions, from Anti-Surface Warfare (ASuW) to Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) to Mine CounterMeasures (MCM)», said Joe North, Lockheed Martin vice president of Littoral Ships & Systems. «She is ideally suited to navigate the reefs and shallows in the Asia-Pacific, as USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) has demonstrated on her current 20-month deployment».
The Freedom-variant ships have demonstrated their value with successful deployments to Southeast Asia, including USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), which is providing the necessary capabilities for contingency operations in the region today. USS Freedom (LCS-1) conducted a successful deployment to Southeast Asia in 2013 and is currently operating out of her homeport in San Diego.
«The Christening and Launch of the USS Sioux City (LCS-11) is a proud event for FMM», said Jan Allman, President and CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine. «It showcases the craftsmanship and engineering capabilities of our workforce. We are confident that this ship will play a vital role in the Fleet, and carry the spirit of our industry team as she sails the globe».
The Lockheed Martin-led industry team is currently in serial production of the Freedom-variant, and has already delivered three ships to the U.S. Navy to date. The USS Sioux City (LCS-11) is one of seven ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with two more in long-lead production.
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 |
Freedom-class
| Ship | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Homeport |
| USS Freedom (LCS-1) | 06-02-2005 | 09-23-2006 | 11-08-2008 | San Diego, California |
| USS Fort Worth (LCS-3) | 07-11-2009 | 12-07-2010 | 09-22-2012 | San Diego, California |
| USS Milwaukee (LCS-5) | 10-27-2011 | 12-18-2013 | 11-21-2015 | San Diego, California |
| USS Detroit (LCS-7) | 08-11-2012 | 10-18-2014 | ||
| USS Little Rock (LCS-9) | 06-27-2013 | 07-18-2015 | ||
| USS Sioux City (LCS-11) | 02-19-2014 | 01-30-2016 | ||
| USS Wichita (LCS-13) | 02-09-2015 | |||
| USS Billings (LCS-15) | 11-02-2015 | |||
| USS Indianapolis (LCS-17) | ||||
| USS St. Louis (LCS-19) | ||||
| USS Minneapolis/St. Paul (LCS-21) | ||||
| USS Cooperstown (LCS-23) |
The U.S. Navy’s 11th littoral combat ship, the future USS Sioux City, launched sideways into the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin, on January 30. Ship sponsor Mrs. Mary Winnefeld conducted the time-honored tradition of christening the ship by smashing a bottle of champagne across the bow