Seventh Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) takes shape as Lockheed Martin team lays keel of the future 'USS Detroit'.
The event was part of a time-honored keel laying ceremony that took place at the Marinette Marine Corporation shipyard in Wisconsin.
The Lockheed Martin-led LCS team includes ship builder Marinette Marine Corporation, a Fincantieri company, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, as well as hundreds of domestic and international suppliers, including approximately 30 small businesses in Wisconsin and Michigan.
With the first two ships delivered, two additional ships in production and two more in early material procurement, the industry team is addressing the Navy's need for an affordable, highly-networked and modular ship unlike any other in the world. This new class of combatants is designed to support a wide variety of missions including anti-submarine, surface and mine countermeasure warfare, shipping lane protection, and humanitarian aid.
During the ceremony ship sponsor Barbara Levin authenticated the keel by having her initials welded into a sheet of the ship's steel. She was assisted by the Navy's Program Executive Officer – Littoral Combat Ships Rear Admiral James Murdoch.
"It's an honor to participate in this event for the future USS Detroit," said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. "The keel laying ceremony marks a great milestone for the program and the naval fleet. These ships are vital to our national defense strategy and their production contributes significantly to the Wisconsin and Michigan economies."
In the picture from L to R: U.S. Navy Commander Nate Schneider, LCS Program Manager's Representative, Supervisor of Shipbuilding Bath, Detachment Marinette; Joe North, Lockheed Martin Vice President of Littoral Ship Systems; Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), Mrs. Barbara Levin, ship sponsor; Chuck Goddard, President & CEO Marinette Marine Corporation, U.S. Navy Rear Admiral James Murdoch, Program Executive Officer, Littoral Combat Ships; Monsignor James Dillenburg, Keel Laying Chaplain.