Navy's First LCS Honors Freedom
Secretary of the Navy Gordon England has selected the name Freedom for the Navy's first new Littoral Combat Ship (LCS).
The future USS Freedom acknowledges the enduring foundation of our
nation and honors American communities from coast to coast which bear the name
Freedom. States having towns named Freedom range from New York to California, and
include Indiana, Maine, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and
Wyoming.
"These new, fast and capable ships will increase the effectiveness of
our naval forces and provide us with an ability to operate in the littoral areas of
the world where the enemies of freedom seek to operate and hide" England said. "The
USS Freedom and her crew will defend the noble cause for which they are named," he
added.
LCS is an innovative combatant designed to counter challenging shallow-water
threats in coastal regions, specifically mines, submarines and fast surface craft.
LCS ships will be fast, agile, and networked surface combatants and will utilize
focused-mission packages that deploy manned and unmanned vehicles to execute a
variety of missions.
In May 2004, the Department of Defense awarded both Lockheed Martin and General
Dynamics - Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, separate contract options for final system
design with options for detail design and construction of up to two LCS ships.
In December 2004, the Department of Navy awarded Lockheed Martin Corp., Maritime
Systems ... Sensors, Moorestown, N.J., a contract for detail design and construction
of the first LCS. Lockheed Martin's teammates include Gibbs ... Cox, Arlington, Va.;
Marinette Marine, Marinette, Wis.; and Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, La.
A keel laying ceremony is scheduled for June 2, 2005, at Marinette Marine,
Marinette, Wis.
