Navy to Base First LCS in San Diego

The U.S. Navy announced Dec. 2 that USS Freedom (LCS 1), the first littoral combat ship of the LCS 1 class, will be homeported at Naval Station San Diego, Calif. Freedom is expected to be delivered to the Navy in December 2006 and arrive in San Diego in early 2007. Freedom-class ships are designed to counter challenging shallow-water threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, diesel submarines and fast surface craft. A fast, agile, and high-tech surface combatant, they will utilize mission-focused packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute a variety of missions. On May 27, 2004, the Department of Defense awarded both Lockheed Martin Corp. Maritime Systems & Sensors in Moorestown, N.J., and General Dynamics - Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine, separate contract options for final system design, with options for detail design and construction of up to two Flight 0 LCSs. Lockheed Martin Corp. was awarded the contract option on Dec. 15, 2004, for detail design and construction of the first Flight 0 LCS. Lockheed Martin’s teammates include Gibbs & Cox in Arlington, Va.; Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis., where the ship was built; as well as Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La. The homeports of future Freedom-class ships have not yet been determined. Source: NavNews